JUNE 22, 1998: 

AC: I'm gonna throw out some names here, and you give me your reaction.

JH: Okay.

AC: Bill Clinton.

JH: A man who campaigns as FDR and governs as Herbert Hoover.

AC: Newt Gingrich.

JH: An absolute corporate wet dream.

AC: Texas governor George Bush.

JH: Just another son-of-a-Bush. A guy who's not the brightest light on the block, and thin-skinned, and doesn't have a clue about how real Americans live.

AC: Garry Mauro.

JH: A guy with some guts. And I think a chance to surprise the cognoscenti.

AC: Ann Richards.

JH: One of the greatest wits and political speakers that I've ever known.

AC: Ross Perot.

JH: A guy who is flakier than mama's pie crust but probably the most important political figure in this decade. Not because he won but because he exposed the powers-that-be for what they are.

AC: Kirk Watson.

JH: Oh, a fun guy. And the most enjoyable mayor, as well as I think the most effective, that certainly we've had in my time here in Austin.

AC: Jim Bob Moffett.

JH: Jim Bob [laughs]. A fellow so rich that he can't buy a clue.

AC: Rush Limbaugh.

JH: The biggest thing in radio, but if you were to render the b.s. out of him, he'd fit in a matchbox.

AC: Molly Ivins.

JH: The brightest, most important, most unrestrainable, most fun journalist in America today.

AC: Jim Hightower.

JH: A wonderful human being who has written a book that I think everyone who reads this article should buy.

• Tried and True - An interview with writer, radio host, and political firebrand Jim Hightower.
• Austin Chronicle's Book Feature1 Side Archives