Brokekid.net

My sister and I saw Mr. McAuliffe speak at Olsson’s in Arlington. Man does he have charisma. I’d work for him, not so much Hillary.

From CandySandwich.net:

Larger than life, that’s how he seemed. Larger. Or louder, at least. He entered with a flourish and an entourage, 15 minutes late for his own reading.

“There’s my girlfriend,” he called, striding past the waiting crowd at Olssons to hug a woman with graying hair standing at the back. Enroute to the podium, he smiled and joked with audience members. He patted my friend on the shoulder. She looked up in surprise and confusion as he continued up to the front.

The crowd in the small, suburban DC store waited to hear more about his book: What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals. According to some, Terry McAuliffe’s book is the “must read” memoir of the year.

Others have had less positive things to say of the book. With reviews ranging from “more fun than informative” (St. Petersburg Times) to “more full of crap and less self-aware than probably any other human being on God’s green earth” (Townhall.com), “must read” seems a big of a stretch, but he’s got the support of his friends behind him.

Amazon attributed President Bill Clinton with, “I thought I knew Terry McAuliffe as well as anyone, but this time he surprised even me. Who knew Terry could sit still long enough to give us a book this good? What a Party! is a must-read for all of us who love politics, believe in public service, and know that laughter is often the best survival strategy.”

Additional recommendations included President Jimmy Carter and Senator Hillary Clinton with high-ranking quotes for a high-ranking member of the Democratic party. The former chairman of the Democratic National Committee heads Senator Clinton’s campaign, but it wasn’t the presidential bid McAuliffe came to discuss. He came to talk about himself and his book.

Publishers Weekly claims he “lives up to his nickname Mad Dog in this boisterous memoir.” If the stories he told were any indication, the allegation might be true.

The dogged fund-raiser, who once wrestled an alligator for a $15,000 contribution, raised a record $578 million as DNC chairman and more than $1 billion total for his party, according to the Washington Post. He told stories of events, the 260-pound alligator, singing karaoke – badly – for the sake of donations.

“I’ll do anything once to raise money,” he said. “Not twice.”

He has his work cut out for him. The Associated Press reports that Clinton hopes to raise $15 million by the end of March and more than $75 million before 2008.

“We have to fight,” he said of the upcoming election, of elections past. “If we’re not going to fight, we’re not going to win.”

McAuliffe seemed a man accustomed to winning. He told of winning his one case. Undefeated record, as it were. He also bragged of being in the top one-percent of the country, financially, personally, as well as raising large amounts of money for the party.

“I love to ask people for money,” McAuliffe said. “I don’t know if it’s in my DNA.”

Al Gore has called him “the greatest fundraiser in the history of the universe.”

Salon calls him “a brash and unabashed self-promoter, who has utilized those gifts to become the best fundraiser in the modern history of his party.”

He was charming and funny. The crowd laughed often and deeply, but I walked out wondering about the etymology of glad handing, the meaning of pandering.

I trusted him about as far as I could throw him. I trusted him as much as I’d trust any man his age, any age, in a Dewey Beach bar, a spot he said he enjoyed, but he didn’t need to be trust-worthy. He needed to tell a good story and I’ll give him that. He made us laugh. The book just might do the same.