Against the Grain: Reflections of a Rebel Republican

by Mark O. Hatfield

Against the Grain is a political and spiritual memoir of Senator Mark O. Hatfield, the most progressive politician in the Republican Party since Abraham Lincoln, covering his opposition to the Vietnam War, successful drafting of the Soviet-American nuclear freeze legislation with Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy, and his strong stands of conscience on health reform, the death penalty and the balanced budget amendment, which typically ran counter to the Republican mainstream. For five consecutive Senate terms, Hatfield made his mark, sometimes softly, sometimes stridently, fighting to serve the people of his country with honesty and devotion. Constantly opposing the military-industrial complex and the violence of the arms race, he fought for housing, employment, education and basic human dignity. Throughout the book, and in the final section on spirituality, he offers hope, insight and solutions to the greatest violences facing our militarism, discrimination, materialism and poverty. He envisions a world where the "political-industrial complex" no longer holds sway and candidates are judged on merit, rather than marketed like toothpaste. In a world swerving out of control, his solutions move away from big government toward enlisting people's hearts and minds.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics

254 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2000

About the author

Former Senator

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enlightening read about Mark Hatfield and his career in public service. It made me miss the days our Democrats and Republicans used to work together to get something good accomplished, together, across the aisle, for the good of the governed. I would give it 5 *s except the proofreading of my edition/printing was abysmal, at best. So many grammatical errors that it was somewhat distracting. I wish Mark was still around, to comment on what a FUBAR mess the US Senate has become.

[Jake Rossman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As this is a semi-autobiography, MOH doesn't touch on many controversies, just his personal philosophies and what he accomplished as a public servant. And what a servant he was. I already greatly admired Senator Hatfield for his stedfast beliefs and moral obligation to do what he believed was the right thing, regardless of political affiliations. While he would be looked at as an independent through today's political lens, he statesmanship from the right-wing should be be aspirational to all current and future republicans and democrats alike. He always put his constituents first and always checked politics at the door. If we had a congress full of Hatfields, I could only dream of what a great nation this would become.