The Invisible Bridge

The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan

By: Rick Perlstein

Narrated by: David de Vries

Length: 39 hrs

Publisher's summary

From the bestselling author of Nixonland: a dazzling portrait of America on the verge of a nervous breakdown in the tumultuous political and economic times of the 1970s.

In January of 1973 Richard Nixon announced the end of the Vietnam War and prepared for a triumphant second term - until televised Watergate hearings revealed his White House as little better than a mafia den. The next president declared upon Nixon’s resignation “our long national nightmare is over” - but then congressional investigators exposed the CIA for assassinating foreign leaders. The collapse of the South Vietnamese government rendered moot the sacrifice of some 58,000 American lives. The economy was in tatters. And as Americans began thinking about their nation in a new way - as one more nation among nations, no more providential than any other - the pundits declared that from now on successful politicians would be the ones who honored this chastened new national mood.

Ronald Reagan never got the message. Which was why, when he announced his intention to challenge President Ford for the 1976 Republican nomination, those same pundits dismissed him - until, amazingly, it started to look like he might just win. He was inventing the new conservative political culture we know now, in which a vision of patriotism rooted in a sense of American limits was derailed in America’s Bicentennial year by the rise of the smiling politician from Hollywood. Against a backdrop of melodramas from the Arab oil embargo to Patty Hearst to the near-bankruptcy of America’s greatest city, The Invisible Bridge asks the question: what does it mean to believe in America? To wave a flag - or to reject the glibness of the flag wavers?

©2014 Rick Perlstein (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Discaimer: I didn’t finish

Once you’ve read Robert Caro’s books, the standard for Biographies is very high. I found it hard to dig into this. For me it was too much of a collage of anecdotes. I’ll give another go at it at a later time.

A bit slow-moving

This was overall pretty interesting, but of the 4 volumes of this series, this was the one I enjoyed the least. The long biographical sections were overall worthwhile in the insight they offered, and the detailed account of the Watergate investigation was fascinating. There were lengthy accounts of concurrent events in popular culture that seemed to go on too long sometimes, and I had less of a sense of an overall story arc to follow which left me a little less engaged than I was with the other 3 volumes. But it was overall worthwhile to listen to--lots of information.

good history

lived during this period and seem to have missed all the details. good recap of events.

Don't expect balance

Although I read a lot of histories I try to not read anything written by someone who is highly political unless I believe that sufficient time has passed to allow passions to cool so that I can get a reasonable view of the events and the reasons for those events. So, although I knew Mr Perlstein was, as one article said, A Man Of The Left, I decided that the 40 or so years that had passed since the events covered by his book was surely enough that I would not be reading some political screed or hit book. Shame on me for making that assumption.

I was both an adult and paying attention during the 1970s and it became clear to me fairly quickly that Mr Perlstein’s views of this period were highly partisan and the world he described seemed to quiver with the highly charged emotions of the period in spite of the passage of years.

In the author’s view:

1) those captured POWs who tried to prevent their use by the North Vietnamese for propaganda and chose to resist the torture they suffered are referred to with the derogatory term “spit and polish” soldiers. Among others this apparently includes John McCain who was tortured so badly that he can no longer raise his arms above his head,

2) Richard Nixon had no right to try to manage the optics of the POW’s return. This seems like an odd view since all modern Presidents try to control the optics of everything surrounding their term in office,

3) parents who are concerned about what their children are taught in Public Schools are fit subjects to be mocked. In the author’s view parent’s religious views are worthy of derision,

4) Ronald Reagan, who grew up with an alcoholic father, but managed to survive the experience and form a positive view of the world needed a psychiatrist to convince him how wrong he was in that view. In my experience children who survive that sort of childhood and have learned to be positive are called optimists and are to be admired, not mocked with the phrase “everything always works out in the end - gloriously”. Indeed, that phrase is used throughout the book as the author’s signature comment concerning Ronald Reagan.

These are but a few examples of the world view of this book and I could, but will not, list more but will only say that I found this book to be so partisan that I was only able to finish the first half. I had come across so many snide comments, half-truths and twisted facts that I was no longer able to continue trying to get through it. However, in fairness, I should mention that part of this book covers the entire Watergate scandal from its first notice in the news to the resignation of Richard Nixon and that coverage was complete and engrossing. It seems a shame that Mr Perlstein was unable to disassociate his dislike of Ronald Reagan from his writing of this book and description of the events leading to the fall of Richard Nixon and the rise of Ronald Reagan.

The book is well narrated but even Mr de Vries cannot rescue this book. While I gave the narration 5 stars the best I felt I could rate this book was 3 stars, given its extreme partisanship. If you believe that Ronald Reagan was duplicitous, untrustworthy and an empty suit and that the 60% of the voting population that gave him their vote for his second term were made up of ignorant and bigoted people, then this is your book. Otherwise, not so much.

Got a little long in spots, but a great historical look at Reagan's rise to power

There were times when this book felt long-winded, but overall a great title for an audiobook.

I thought the political treatment was fair and balanced and not leaning left like so many others have said. With the way he portrays Jimmy Carter I don't see how he was left-leaning! I'd recommend this book to a history buff like me, especially if you're interested in the mid-70s and the "Reagan Revolution".

Narrator was awesome and now I'm waiting for the sequel!

Great Political Series

Great Series of Political Books, highlighting all the behind the scenes action of the political campaigns of the 1960s and 70s, sadly I refuse to finish the series as I will not Tolerate Censorship that is present in the final installment "Reagan Land".
If Audible continues to censor it's offerings I will cancel my Long Standing Membership, I will not be treated as a child and have a Audible dictate for the purpose of Political Correctness what I am allowed to hear and not hear.
All else aside this is a Very Well done Documentary series of the Politics and Culture of the 1960s and 70s, I highly recommend.

Interesting study of recent history.

Mostly balanced view of Watergate and the rise of Reagan conservatism with a hapless Gerald Ford waiting to be trounced by Jimmy Carter.

Superb political narrative, bias notwithstanding

A self-identified political liberal, Perlstein's book generated a bunch of controversy related to too-liberal use of other people's work, in the mode of Kearns-Goodwin, Biden and other leftist Untouchables. But...the book itself, despite a good deal of dripping sarcasm about conservatism and conservative political figures, is such a terrific piece of social as well as political history that much a contre-coeur, I could not "put it down" for hours on end. A must-read for anyone wanting to get a sense of the 1970s and the rise of the great (yes, and even the author seems to get used to the idea) Ronald Reagan. His narration of the events of the 1976 Republican convention should be required reading.

Not as riveting as Nixonland

An interesting book about the rise of Reagan and Carter, to a lesser degree. Focused on the bicentennial year of 1976, it was more difficult to stay with than the authors previous volume, Nixonland.

Watergate and its Aftermath circa 1971-76

This is an engaging and well written political history of America during Watergate years which concludes at the 1976 Republican national convention and the nomination of Ford over Reagan. As we enter yet another presidential campaign season, in an era of 24/7 vitriol and hyperbole. it is surprisingly reassuring (some might say "depressing"), to be reminded how much of the current campaign theatre has antecedents in the aftermath of Watergate and the contest for the Republican nomination waged between a beleaguered incumbent and a media savvy celebrity.