Who is Dick Morris?

DICK MORRIS: SPIN POLITICS AND PARTISANSHIP BLUES

On the turntable of American politics Dick Morris has established himself as a masterful disk jockey. However, his ability to artistically mix campaign messages has earned him a scratched personal reputation. The rhetoric of Dick Morris transcends partisan boundaries to such a degree that it lacks foundation. His career has earned him praise but at the expense of intense scorn. His political strategy and poll based campaigning have earned him a reputation as both a genius and amoral. In many ways the controversial aspects of his messages reflect contemporary discussion of American politics. The flaws of his character reveal some of the flaws in our representative system. The recent Impeachment Trial of President Clinton has also brought attention to flaws in our representative system. Dick Morris's political commentary on the Impeachment and the work of his career offers insight with which to examine a growing discontent among the American public towards our nation's politics.

In order to understand Morris's relationship to the jading of the voting public it is necessary to examine his career and history. Dick Morris has been around politics for his entire life. Growing up in Manhattan, his father Eugene was a prominent real estate lawyer who was very familiar with tactics of persuasion. Eugene Morris was responsible for deals that created properties such as the Lincoln Center. At an early age he taught his son all about political favor. Eugene had learned his lessons about political action from his uncle Al Cohn. Cohn was a Democratic boss of the Bronx. When Dick Morris was still very young his father abandoned him and Cohn raised him along with his own son Roy. Ironically, according to Time magazine, Roy"grew up to be one of the most hated and feared right-wing power brokers of his generation."(Pooley page 26) In addition to Roy Cohn, Morris's cousin is Jules Fierier, a liberal cartoonist. Morris saw both sides of the political spectrum from a very young age.

Morris campaigned for the winner of the forth grade student council presidency and when he was twelve he stood outside giving speeches on behalf of John F. Kennedy. Morris then attended the Styvesant High School and joined the debate club. At this prestigious preparatory school Morris excelled at taking any side on issues. According to Time he had once said,"Truth is that which cannot be proved false.