The Opposite of Woe
My Life in Beer and Politics
by John Hickenlooper & Maximillian Potter


(Click for Amazon book review)

BOOK REVIEW by OnTheIssues.org:

This book is a rambling autobiography of John Hickenlooper's life up until he was elected Governor. It was published in May 2016, when Hickenlooper was "short-listed" on Hillary Clinton's vice presidential list. It will serve for Hickenlooper's 2020 campaign for president too (he has not updated it).

We describe Hickenlooper's life story as "rambling" because he is now on his third career, and uses this book to describe all three. His first career was geologist -- he spent a decade in college, as he described in three chapters (pp. 82-135). His second career was beer manufacturer and restaurateur -- he describes himself as "the first brewer to become governor since Sam Adams in 1792" (book flap). His third career is politician -- he was elected mayor of Denver in 2003, and then governor of Colorado in 2010.

But the "rambling" part is more about Hickenlooper's style than his career. He off-handedly and repeatedly cites books like Joseph Heller's Catch-22 and Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, including the latter book's odd neologisms (like karass, a personally-fated group). The title of the book refers to a corny joke, which Hickenlooper also references several times around the book, including the full corny joke here:

A professor, standing before his students, asks them, "What is the opposite of joy?"

"Sadness," one student said.

"And the opposite of depression?"

"Elation," said another.

"And how about the opposite of woe?"

A tall young man raised his hand. "I believe," he said, "that would be 'giddy-up'."

--(pp. 226-7)

Hickenlooper says 'giddy-up' for the economy, and basically applies 'giddy-up' to just about everything else. Our conclusion on Hickenlooper's "rambling" style is that, indeed, Hickenlooper is not a career politician, and maintains his non-political style intentionally. Expect the same during the 2020 campaign.

Oh, one more interesting point in this book. When Hickenlooper was mayor of Denver, he appointed Michael Bennet as his chief-of-staff. Bennet is now a U.S. Senator from Colorado, and Hickenlooper's opponent in the Democratic primary for the presidency. Keep an eye out during the debates for how Bennet addresses Hickenlooper, his former boss!

-- Jesse Gordon, editor-in-chief, jesse@OnTheIssues.org, May 2019

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Budget & Economy     q/20/2.

Civil Rights     2012: It's time to pass civil unions.

Corporations     AdWatch: I'm no politician; I make beer & build restaurants.

Crime     Changed mind on death penalty, to oppose it as governor.

Drugs     1989: Arrested for drunk driving; did community service.     First state to regulate legal sale of marijuana.

Energy & Oil     Drank fracking fluid to partner industry & environmentalists.

Gun Control     Make mental health part of discussion on mass killings.     Universal background checks for all gun sales.

Health Care     2012: Make healthcare both affordable and accessible.

Immigration     In-state tuition & driver's license for undocumented people.

Principles & Values     Suffers from mild case of prosopagnosia, or "face blindness".

Welfare & Poverty     Denver's Road Home: wraparound services for homeless.     Involve businesses and faith org's to address homelessness.

Click for quotations from other sources by: John Hickenlooper