In contemporary American politics, where absurdity often overshadows reality, Worse Than You Think emerges as a refreshingly candid and witty account of what happens when ordinary individuals, fueled by a blend of idealism and frustration, leap into the political arena.
Hamrick’s humor may not land with all readers, but it does keep his prose—and a sometimes monotonous, repetitive political campaign—humming. Much of the dramatic tension in the story rises from Allen’s attempts to reach out to highly engaged primary voters after he has historically been uninvolved in the political process, a problem that ultimately costs him votes. “The whole idea of my campaign is that there are a whole lot of us out there who should have done more and didn’t but are now waking up,” Allen shares with a particularly vehement non-supporter. Quips like that give readers a starkly resonant reminder of America’s fraught political landscape.
Hamrick keeps the focus primarily on Allen’s small victories and defeats—a website not up to par for a launch party, a competitor’s crooked logo, the grueling work of the operation’s volunteers—rather than the broader historical moments taking place, a strategy that reflects the limited resources and ruthless decisions of a focused political campaign. Personal photographs give the stories valuable context, and, despite the outcome of their unsuccessful run, Worse Than You Think speaks volumes on the tense nature of America’s governmental processes, as Hamrick bleakly sums up his experiences: “Politics sucked my soul in six months flat.”
Takeaway: Sardonic memoir of a lesser-known’s run for political office.
Comparable Titles: George Franklin’s So You Think You Want to Run for Congress, Michael Ignatieff’s Fire and Ashes.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Two teachers recount launching a misguided run for Congress in this campaign memoir.
“We were two average, apathetic, everyday Americans, finally driven off our respective couches by a desire to get involved and make a difference,” writes Hamrick in the book’s introduction. In this story of idealistic naïveté, readers get an insider’s perspective on Allen’s 2018 run for Congress in Texas’ 24th district and Hamrick’s efforts as campaign manager. While downplaying their connections to the suburban Dallas community they sought to represent, both Allen and Hamrick were award-winning, beloved teachers when they first launched their Democratic primary campaign. Full of level-headed, compassionate ideas that challenge the brash, reactionary tenor of President Donald Trump’s first term in office, the duo emphasizes the drudgery of 21st-century political campaigns. Written in a fast-paced, witty style reminiscent of Aaron Sorkin (except, in this story, the good guys lose), Allen and Hamrick’s account blends side-splitting anecdotes, ample cursing, and campaign disenchantment into a timely snapshot of contemporary politics. Frequently self-deprecating, the authors juxtapose Texas’ “organized, efficient, and mobilized” Republican Party, buoyed by a team of young suburbanites, with the state’s Democratic machine, which they liken to the Titanic, “post-iceberg, sinking into freezing waters while panic and chaos erupted around us.” Allen would lose the primary to perennial Democratic candidate Jan McDowell, though not for lack of trying. On one occasion, after a day of grueling campaigning, Allen discovered that he had shredded the rubber soles of his shoes. While the work’s narrative casts itself as a “buddy comedy,” whose sarcastic style may grate on the more academic readers focused solely on political insights, the authors skillfully offer pragmatic advice for would-be politicians. In primaries, for instance, where a candidate may agree with his opponent on most issues, what matters is not the “substance of what you say, but how you say it.” While an implicit indictment of the political system, the engaging book is rarely bitter and maintains a tinge of the earnest idealism that drove Allen’s campaign in the first place.
A tongue-in-cheek yet often perceptive glimpse into modern political campaigns.
Is it worth the heartache, headache, and bellyache from too many chips, too much queso, and too many margaritas to fight a political primary battle with a low-percentage win strategy? If you ask Todd Allen and Heath Hamrick, they will probably tell you yes and then tell you why.
Worse Than You Think is the humorous and insightful tale of two left-leaning teachers near Dallas, Texas, who, like many people in the United States, wondered how the political landscape had become such a firestorm of bickering, division, and violence. What would happen if two ordinary men with no political background except for their years of teaching US Government classes decided to run in 2018 for US Congress in Texas Congressional District 24? Underdogs are often fan favorites, but does that apply to political novices as well?
Heath Hamrick, educator and campaign manager extraordinaire, tells this story of how friend and fellow educator Todd Allen agreed that gerrymandered CD-24 needed a fresh, everyday candidate who cares about the people and the issues. A candidate who is alarmed at the dangerous path on which Americans were now plodding, many with blinders on or looking at their phones and mindlessly scrolling social media. Many of those same Americans were happily entrenched in a red Texas district or wanting more but not ready to replace a familiar Democrat on the primary ballot with a virtual unknown.
Once Todd and Heath decided to hit the campaign trail with little money and almost no idea how to even get started, they were all in, including their wives and a small handful of others. This diminutive group eventually grew to include maybe a few more people, but what the two men lacked in campaign acumen and crowds of supporters and endorsements, they more than made up for in heart, stick-to-it-iveness, gumption, and tenacity to fight the good fight, even when an Oscar-worthy win against all odds would probably never happen in real life.
While both men are self-proclaimed introverts, they decided that Texas and the United States in general needed better. And who better to wake up a complacent district than two regular guys far removed from silver spoons, morally bankrupt compasses, unrealistic promises, mudslinging, and bottomless bank accounts?
“We were two average, apathetic, everyday Americans, finally driven off our respective couches by a desire to get involved and make a difference.”
Heath and Todd, in this well-written and engaging story, tell us that while the fight was long and hard, it really was worth it. Not giving up in the face of adversity, scowls, smirks, and a sure loss takes courage, hope, and a few Whataburger milkshakes to keep the fires lit and to remember the reasons why they were doing all this in the first place. Once the ballots were counted and the dust had settled, no matter the final vote tally, Todd and Heath were actually the true winners in this political battle. Why? Because they were able to focus on the lessons learned, appreciate time with family even more after all was said and done, and not bemoan (too much) the political sucker punches that came from the left and the right. They walked through the political fire and lived to tell their story. And what a story it is.
Whatever your political views, Worse Than You Think, at the very least, will entertain with its anecdotal, laugh-out-loud humor and straightforward message. Trying to make a difference is greater than constantly complaining and doing nothing, and giving up when almost everyone else says you will never win is for losers. Heath and Todd and their families remind us that staying true to yourself and your ideals when everyone else says otherwise should be the legacy to strive for in this incredibly diverse country that will always deserve better.
“If nothing else my children will know their dad believed the impossible was possible. That it’s not too late for us. That people, character, and truth still matter.”
If you’re worried this is going to be a mind-numbing book about politics, you couldn’t be more wrong. It is a hugely entertaining and genuinely fun, “mostly true” tale of two young-at-heart grown-ups who just decide, one day, they won’t sit around and do nothing while their country goes to the dogs around them – a sentiment I’m sure many of us share in the current climate. But I don’t want to downplay the validity of their mission; they’re clearly both exceptionally smart guys – particularly the primary narrator, Heath Hamrick – who work in the teaching profession. They learn many things along the way, but most notably two stand out: political campaigning can be pretty ruthless at all levels, and it is not glamourous by any means; Heath and the aspiring candidate, his best friend Todd Allen, seem to spend their lives eating in cheap diners and putting on face-aching smiles. With their professed disdain for social situations and people generally, perhaps politics wasn’t really for them; there is a palpable sense of relief when their campaign concludes.
Whatever side of the political fence you’re on, this book is really a light-hearted, almost comic account of behind-the-scenes organized chaos on the campaign trail. Obviously, being set in 2017, during his presidential tenure, there is a lot of mention of the dreaded T-word, but the important point here is that political passion comes and goes in contemporary waves; it is the message these two guys are trying to send to their kids and the world at large which is the real premise of this book: some things in life are too important to just keep talking about. Kudos to these guys for standing up and giving a credible, sincerely earnest shot at getting involved. Perhaps the one thing we can all take from this life-lesson, with Todd and Heath as our fall guys, is that the people who achieve notable success in politics are just not like you and I, but rather differently wired, and perhaps driven by less virtuous motivations. As for the voters – well, if they’re as fickle in such numbers as this account would seem to suggest, then no wonder the Western world is such a mess.
I don’t know just how much of the actual writing part of this book Todd contributed to, but it’s fair to say that Heath is an excellent writer. Quite honestly, the subject matter could have been anything, and I believe he would have imparted it with the same fantastic sense of humour (the book is genuinely very funny throughout), brilliant linguistic talent and mischievous, childlike frivolity. The constant movie references seem to be almost consciously employed as a crutch, to contrast the stuffy reality of the political world the serious adults around them inhabit, while Todd and Heath banter and curse like teenagers.
I really enjoyed Worse Than You Think. It felt a little long in moments, but I don’t think there was ever a time when I felt it wasn’t entertaining me. It could be summed up by all of the following: fun to read; incredibly well written by a clearly well-educated author; loaded with good humour and humility, and very enlightening about American ground-level politics – all of this packaged in a book which is, in a nutshell, really about two naïve idealists who care enough to get involved, making sacrifices and inspiring others along the way. A highly recommended read.
