Possible Themes

After finishing The Natural I was trying to think of what Joe Klein’s theme for the book was. There seem to be several that can be pulled out.
The first, and the most prevalent in the book, I thought was the wasted potential of the Clinton presidency. Klein obviously has heaps of respect for President Clinton, especially with regards to the president’s emotional radar, his ability to sense the emotional needs of his audience and deliver on them, which made him such a great public orator. Klein also appreciates Clinton’s incredible policy knowledge and desire for reform, but despite these admirable qualities of the man, the administration was bogged down by scandals, indecisiveness, and disorganization. Klein speculates that the disappointment in the administration was not so much because of these reasons or for the policy failures such as healthcare and the Israel-Pakistan negotiations, but because of his inability to inspire the increasingly apathetic public.
Another extremely prevalent theme was Klein’s belief that both the media and the politicians went ballistic about the personal lives of not just the president, but many other public servants of his time. The Clinton presidency seemed to start the era of investigations, where you must have a spotless public and personal record in order to be a politician. If not, you will be ripped to shreds be destructively partisan investigation committees. The media aides this by further prying into politician’s lives and reporting the unimportant, negative stories of government leaders’ personal lives.
One of the things I found most interesting about the book was its perspective. Since it was published in 2002 Klein did not know many of the things we know now when he wrote it. One of the most memorable instances of this is when he writes how President Bush’s success relied so much on the help of others. It is interesting to think about this now in the context that the president has some of the lowest approval ratings of any president in history.