In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Preface When John Green sat down at lunch with me in June 2003 to propose a book containing some of my earlier newspaper and magazine political columns, the idea was high flattery from one who has established national prominence as the widely quoted director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron. John saw this project as the first book in a series of books on Ohio politics, aimed at explaining the political process in the Buckeye State. Inasmuch as the columns were already written and sort of filed in boxes in the basement, there didn’t appear to be much more involvement in the project on my part. But despite the fact that I have written four previous books, I am a newspaperman accustomed to deadlines and have a journalist’s expectation of seeing his work published within a reasonable delay—say, no more than a day or two. John patiently explained that it would take longer than that, perhaps even years.Well, here we are, several revisions later.Thanks to John’s studied patience, we arrived at this point as friends with the project finally realized. This book could not have been assembled without the help of the staff and students of the Bliss Institute.Of particular importance was the careful work and good cheer of Janet Bolois, who typed the columns into the computer and prepared the manuscript for xiii publication. Important, too, was the cooperation of the staff of the Akron Beacon Journal, particularly Susan Kirkman, managing editor of multimedia and special projects,who sorted out some of the photos that appear in the book. Special thanks is due to Elton Glaser, the interim director of the University of Akron Press, who quickly overcame the many delays when he moved into the job and presided over the book’s birth, and to Amy Freels of the University of Akron Press, who supervised the book’s production. The comments of two anonymous reviewers helped improve the manuscript;their time and comments were much appreciated. Finally, a nod to my wife Nancy, who patiently put up with my scowls over delays and my appropriation of the computer for long hours. She recently was given her own laptop, so there will be far more domestic tranquility for the next book. Abe Zaidan Fairlawn, OH xiv Preface ...

Share