Arkansas Mischief: The Birth of a National Scandal
About this audiobook
As Bill Clinton’s political and business mentor, Jim McDougal—with his knowledge of embarrassing real-estate and banking deals, bribes, and obstructions of justice—long haunted the White House. McDougal’s vivid self-portrait, completed only days before his death and coauthored by veteran journalist Curtis Wilkie, reveals the hidden intersections of politics and special interests in Arkansas and the betrayals that followed. It is the story of how ambitious men and women climbed out of rural obscurity, of friendships broken and lives.
Anecdotes fall like bright coins from a raconteur’s rich purse, and the “Whitewater” scandal shown for what it was. Vintage political history, Arkansas Mischief is a southern tragedy with lessons for us all.
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About the author
Jim McDougal was, as he puts it, “just a guy caught up in the Clinton tornado.” Earlier he had managed J. William Fulbright’s senate campaigns. Before he was old enough to vote, he masterminded JFK’s presidential campaign victory in a state with decidedly anti-Catholic sentiment. Following Kennedy’s election, McDougal worked in Washington for Arkansas’ other powerful senator, John McClellan. A lifelong populist (and part-time rogue entrepreneur), Jim McDougal was convicted on eighteen counts of banking fraud. He died in prison on March 8, 1998, at the age of fifty-seven.
Curtis Wilkie has been a staff writer for The Boston Globe since 1975. Now based in New Orleans, Wilkie covers the South and national politics for the Globe. He has written for George, the Nation, the New Republic, the New York Times Book Review, Playboy, and other publications.
Lloyd James has been narrating since 1996, has recorded over five hundred books in almost every genre, has earned six AudioFile Earphones Awards, and is a two-time nominee for the prestigious Audie Award. Lloyd's background as a performer includes extensive work in classical theater and folk music. He lives in Maryland with his wife and children.
