Confessions of a Political Hitman
My Secret Life of Scandal, Corruption, Hypocrisy, and Dirty Attacks That
Decide Who Gets Elected (And Who Doesn't)

Written by Stephen Marks
Published by Sourcebooks

"Marks has written an important book that fills a gap in the popular literature about American politics.
- Publishers Weekly

"It's fascinating. A lot of people don't talk about this. It's kind of a shadowy world."
- Anderson Cooper

A dark, damning and entertaining account from the campaign trenches.
- Kirkus Reviews

Q: Seriously, do you have any moral qualms about the work you do?
A: "No. Negative politics have been going on since the beginnings of our democracy, when politicians had shootouts to settle their differences."
Q&A From the New York Times Magazine’s Deborah Solomon to Stephen Marks

Dirty Politics, Brass-Knuckles Elections: 'Confessions of a Political Hitman':Opposition Researcher Reveals How He Helped Defeat Gore, Kerry During His Life in the Trenches
ABC News Online Book Review

“I Was a Political Hitman”
Stephen Marks Featured on the front Cover of This Month’s “Campaigns & Elections Magazine, Americas Most Respected Political Trade Publication, Read by Just About Every Politico in America

Confessions of a Political Hitman

by Stephen Marks

 

This gripping tell-all from the dark side of American politics is the first book of its kind.  While many fine book about politics have been written by campaign mangers [such as George Stephonopoulous] and pollsters [such as Dick Morris] never before has a book been written for the American mainstream by a “political hitman”, the shadowy figures used in all campaigns to dig up dirt on the political opposition.  

Few know that these operatives exist, and campaigns go to great effort to distance themselves from the people who dig up dirt on their opponents. But political hitmen wield a secretly powerful position in today's American politics, where scandals derail campaigns and negative campaigning decides who gets elected and who doesn't.

Republican political hitman Stephen Marks take the reader on a his cross-county trip digging up dirt on politicians all along the way, finally ending with his disillusionment of both political parties, while also taking its toll on his personal life as well.   

Confessions of a Political Hitman is Marks' intensely personal and explosive story through more than a decade in the underbelly of American political campaigns, including the following:

• Writing and producing negative ads against John Kerry in 2004 and Al Gore in 2000.

• Caught in the middle of the stranger-than-fiction “ménage-trios” between the Bush Brothers [George W. and Jeb] and Florida’s Katherine Harris, leading to her crushing defeat in 2006 for the US Senate.

• Working on behalf of Jack Abramoff’s partner in 2001, believing he was working for the “good guys”, only to learn 5 tears later after Abramoff’s indictment that he was actually working for the “bad guys.”

• Uncovering multiple cases of federal lawbreaking by former House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, leading to a House Ethics Committee Investigation.  Despite Gephardt’s guilt, and despite the Ethics Committee being controlled by Republicans at that time, the Committee gave Gephardt a pass and did nothing.

• Uncovering multiple and repeated cases of lawbreaking by Pat Buchanan’s presidential campaign.  These violations led to an investigation by the FEC confirming multiple laws being broken, including the laundering of campaign contributions to illegally obtain federal matching funds.  However, the FEC, despite confirming these serious charges, proclaimed that they had neither the time nor resources to investigate further, as the Buchanan campaign was given a pass as the FEC took no action.    

• Uncovering questionable actions of Tom Delay’s prosecutor, Ronnie Earle

• Only in New Jersey: Two Consecutive Governors Resign in the Middle of their Terms: Marks was physically removed from a New Jersey courthouse after requesting to review a public record regarding a divorce file that was rumored to contain damaging information against former acting New Jersey Acting-Governor Donald DiFrancesco.  Shortly thereafter, DiFrancesco dropped out of his campaign for re-election.  His successor, Jim McGreevey, subsequently resigned after he was exposed as a homosexual.  

• Finally, the sexual hypocrisy that took down the Republican Party after the Republican Revolution of 1994; beginning with all the “family values” members of Congress  that got divorced in 1995 due to their own philandering; followed by the 1996 GOP ticket of Bob Dole and Jack Kemp being unable to effectively attack Bill Clinton because of their own philandering pasts; followed by the resignations of House Speakers Newt Gingrich and Bob Livingston because of their own philandering in the wake of Bill Clinton impeachment, followed by the crowning blow to the Republican Party – that despite impeachment in the House, Bill Clinton was nonetheless able to survive and was not removed from office by the US Senate because of all the sexual and ethical dirt Clinton’s White House was reported to have had on so many Republican senators, as well as some Democrats; and how the FBI “Filegate” episode may have been responsible for so many senators being “blackmailed” into not removing Clinton.

• More stranger-than-fiction negative campaigning involving Jesse Helms, Max Cleland, Ray Nagin, Mark Foley, Steve Largent, and Rick Perry

During this years 2008 presidential campaign, Confessions of a Political Hitman is a must read for all voters who want to be able to sift through all the negative attacks between the candidates in order to make an more educated vote; to understand how negative campaigning works, why it works, and to answer the troubling question of whether or not negative political campaigning is good or bad for America. 

 

Enter Stephen Marks' "Political Hitman" Blog

Stephen will discuss which negative campaign tactics are working during the 2008 presidential campaign, which ones are not working, and what attacks and bombs to expect against each of the candidates that haven't been dropped yet.

Video:

2000 Television ad against Al Gore, written and
produced by Stephen Marks

2004 Television ad against John Kerry written and
produced by Stephen Marks

Stephen Marks' 2000 appearance on Hannity & Colmes
debating his television ad against Al Gore

Stephen Marks' 2000 appearance on the O'Reilly Factor
discussing his television ad against Al Gore

Stephen Marks' 2008 appearance on Anderson Cooper 360
discussing negative attack ads in presidential politics