Oh, Waiter! One Order of Crow!: Inside the Strangest Presidental Election Finish in American History

by Jeff Greenfield

The one account you won't want to miss. From the bestselling author and television commentator comes a brilliant, hilarious, incisive look at just what happened on Election Night, and after.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399147764
• ISBN13: 9780399147760
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
• Length: 313 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.8" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

sympathy for reader

I read and enjoyed every word of this book. I found Jeff Greenfield's report of events following election 2000 clearly written and with great good humor. Not only was it informative, but along with his excellent writing, he seemed have a wonderful, sympathy for the poor reader who was trying to make sense of it all. In fact, there seemed to be such warmth in his report of these complex happenings, that when I finished the book I felt a bit sorry to do so. I felt as if I were terminating a very enjoyable, friendly conversation. At the very end of the book when expressing thanks to everyone who helped get it into print, he tells of his initial reaction which was one of stark terror at being asked to write 'a memoir-on-the-run' about the 2000 election. His first thought was 'I can't do this'! However, I'm sure I am not the only one who thinks that not only did he DO it, but did it exceptionally well, which is really not all that unusual for him.

Superb Balanced Report

Jeff Greenfield has written a sobering, reflective, and politically neutral account of the recent Presidential election. Starting with the political campaigns, the general election, and the virtual dead heat in Florida, Jeff offers an in-depth review of the strategies and counter-strategies employed by the candidates and their party committees. What worked, what didn't, from the stump to the dabates, including the chaos that followed in the vote count. The author also gives us an inside look at the networks' failed machinery and chaos which added to the confusion and flip flop of who won Florida. This is a must read for those who follow politics and the media (who in turn follow the candidates). Jeff holds nothing back in the critical assessment of his network, the voting process in Florida, and the choosing and marketing of the candidates themselves. I read this book in two sittings and was fascinated by our political process. You will be too.

A witty and insightful look at the 2000 presidential contest

Jeff Greenfield is widely recognized as one of the premier political analysts in America. And, with the publication of "Oh Waiter" he proves that he's a terrific writer as well. Greenfield graduated from Harvard Law and went straight to work for Senator Robert Kennedy. After Kennedy's death in 1968 he worked as an aide for several other major politicians before tackling a new career as a political commentator for ABC News. His witty yet shrewd analyses of leading politicians quickly made him into a star. By the 1990's Greenfield was working for CNN. As the book reveals, Greenfield longs for the days before exit polling and other modern techniques allowed the political "experts" to know who was going to win the election hours before the polls even closed. On election night 2000 Greenfield (and many other political junkies) got their wish - a VERY close election - but as Greenfield dryly notes, this election was proof positive that you need to be careful what you wish for. As befits Greenfield's on-air style, "Oh Waiter" educates as well as it entertains. He offers a perceptive insight (and a highly amusing one) into the personalities and weaknesses of Al Gore and George W. Bush, as well as why neither candidate could ever pull away to a comfortable lead (they were mirror images of each other). He describes why John McCain, for all the excitement he generated in the Republican primaries, never really had a chance against Bush and the conservative GOP establishment. The best part of the book, in my opinion, were the two chapters which covered CNN's election night coverage. Again, Greenfield offers both amusing commentary and shrewd insight in equal measure. He is also fair (or at least equally harsh) to both sides, and he isn't afraid to skewer his own profession - the media - for their mistakes either. He vividly explains why the sophisticated election-predicting system all the TV networks used was a disaster waiting to happen, and why it finally DID happen in 2000. And, last but not least, Greenfield explains why it was virtually impossible for Gore to have won the presidency, even if all the "what-if" scenarios had gone his way (basically, the Republicans simply wanted it more, to get even with the Clintons). If you enjoy reading a book that in the span of a few pages will have you laughing out loud and then will offer some real insight into the workings of the modern American political system (and vice versa), then you'll find "Oh, Waiter" impossible to resist. I know I did - I intended to simply skim through it in my local bookstore and 2 hours later wound up buying it because I simply had to finish it. Like Teddy White's famed classic "The Making of the President 1960", this book in another 20 or 30 years may itself be seen as a classic look at one of the closest, most exciting - and strangest - presidential elections in American history.

A witty & insightful look at the 2000 Presidential Election

Jeff Greenfield is one of the premier political analysts in America, and as this book proves, he's also a terrific writer. I originally was going to "skim" this book in a local bookstore and wound up spending two hours in the store reading it before I decided that I simply had to buy it and finish it. There are already several books out in print about last year's marathon, history-making presidential race, but this one is by far the best. Greenfield manages to combine both a serious analysis of the election - why Bush and Gore were so perfectly matched as opponents (they mirrored each other's strengths and weaknesses), why the South voted Republican while the North went Democratic, why Bush won (and Gore lost), the "what-if" scenarios (and why he believes that Bush would have won the election even if all the "what-ifs" had broken Gore's way), and even why John McCain couldn't defeat Bush despite his huge wins in the New Hampshire and Michigan primaries - with a delightful, biting sense of humor that shines through on every page. Greenfield's analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Bush and Gore's personalities is both hilarious and on-target, as are his comments on the supporting players from Bill Clinton to Katherine Harris. And, as the title suggests, Greenfield doesn't spare his own profession - the media - from his barbs. His two chapters on covering the election night for CNN are by themselves worth the price of the book. If you're looking to buy just one book about one of the closest (and strangest) presidential elections in history, then "Oh, Waiter" is by far the best choice. Not only will you learn a great deal about the 2000 campaign and the "behind-the-scenes" battles that you didn't know about before, but you'll also find yourself laughing out loud at many of Greenfield's comments. A great book!

Affable Greenfield, Enjoyable Read

If you're a news or politics junkie and weren't totally exhausted by the news coverage of America's 2000 presidential election, you'll love Jeff Greenfield's "Oh Waiter! One Order of Crow!" Greenfield's affable personality comes through in this quick, enjoyable account of last November's craziness. At times it's "laugh-out-loud" funny, and at other times you'll just shake your head as you recall the events from not that long ago. The most interesting part of the book is theauthor's description of the election night coverage: who knew what when, what they were thinking when things went wrong, and how they felt about it afterwards. He also does a great job bashing the partisans on both sides who so blatantly and obviously stuck to their absurd talking points during the Florida court fights.Greenfield's enthusiasm for the whole affair is evident throughout (it's a political analyst's dream situation, his laundry emergencies due to long hoursnotwithstanding). The book's key points, aside from the fascinating explanation of what caused the network glitches, are: (1) The primary reason Gore lost the election was Bill Clinton; (2) After the votes were cast on Nov 7, there was *no way* the machinery in place was going to allow Gore to become president; and (3) the Republicans "wanted it" a whole lot more than the Democrats, who didn't have the same energy invested in the outcome.Greenfield, as usual, is both objective and witty in his writing. He is able to share thoughts he couldn't say on TV (though he never gets particularly shocking or controversial). At just over 300 pages (with very clever "butterfly ballot" page numbers), "Oh Waiter! One Order of Crow!" is a very quick, enjoyable read for anyone who won't get too riled up by an objective and nonpartisan review of last year's election.