From his beloved Horton Bay in the northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan, GT Long has penned a political memoir entitled “A Distant Rumble — The Unnoticed, Unreported World of Grassroots Politics.”
It’s a hoot — an absorbing, funny page-turner of only 122 pages divided into a Prologue and some three and a half-dozen very brief chapters, from which readers will learn a lot. You won’t want to put it down. The chapter on “Kidnapping Ted Kennedy” alone is worth the modest $12 book price.
Long’s base of operations in the small village of Horton Bay (pop. less than 50) is located in the southwest corner of Bay Township, on the shores of Lake Charlevoix. Boyne City is only six miles away, the city of Charlevoix about 10 miles distant. Horton Bay was the setting for some of Ernest Hemingway’s early short stories, including “The End of Something.”
As reported recently by Sean Miller of The Petoskey News-Review, “A Distant Rumble” is a tome that Long takes pride in because it’s “not a tell-all book slamming a politician.” Rather, it’s a series of stories told through Long’s perspective working on multiple political campaigns over the last four decades.
Stories of grassroots politics, going door to door, and using fortune cookies to campaign are all shared throughout the book, giving readers a deeper insight into campaigning without a political agenda.
“Every damn book about politics today is either about Donald Trump or is used as a way to slam someone,” says Long. “This one is filled with stories I’ve been telling in bars for years. They’re some really funny and crazy stories that I think people will really enjoy and may even find useful.”
As journalist Miller notes, the book opens with a kind of “how-to” guide into running for office and is followed by story after story of Long’s time working in politics.
Long — who is known in his neck of the woods for his love of Horton Bay and its community events — got into politics in 1972 when he first got out of the Air Force. He was going to college and worked for a campaign in Sault Ste. Marie that set the tone for the rest of his political career.
Over the years, Long worked on so many campaigns it makes your head spin. He shares stories from many of these campaigns in his book.
“The stories are all true. I did use some aliases and changed the name of a few places to save people from embarrassment, but all of the stories are true,” he says.
The book is about the many different aspects of running a campaign, some with a humorous twist. Some of the stories may be sad and poignant but, at its heart, Long says the book is about the people behind grassroots campaigns and the little details — like changing one’s opinion on something — that can make or break a campaign.
“I hope when people read this book they really get an insight into what politics is outside of CNN or FOX,” he said. “I think it would also be great for political science majors and classes because you can have conversations about each little story, but the book is really for those looking for a fun read about politics and what it really is.”
Long has a number of other self-published books — a trilogy through Embassy Paperbacks on “Sundays in Horton Bay,” for example– which are all available for purchase at www.lulu.com.
The Ballenger Report asked Long a number of questions relevant to what’s going on in Michigan politics right now.
Question 1): What’s “GT” stand for, anyway?
LONG: Gregory Thomas.
Question 2): What campaigns did you work on?
LONG: The list is extensive. I have been hired by two Speakers of the House (Gary Owen and Lew Dodak) and four Democratic party chairmen (Gary Corbin, Mark Brewer, Lon Johnson, and Brandon Dillon). During that time I was on loan to numerous campaigns both as a manager, field director, or just to help. I often taught campaign seminars all over Michigan for Democrats.
Question 3): How about specific candidates and officeholders?
LONG: This is a list of the folks I worked for: U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow; U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak; state Senators Mitch Irwin, Mark Schauer, and Mike Prusi; state Reps. Pat Gagliardi, Gary McDowell, Lon Johnson, Rich Brown, Paul Tesanovich, Mike Lahti, Dave Anthony, Doug Bovin, Andy Neumann, Dan Scripps, Matt Gillard, Dale Sheltrown, and Judy Nerat, plus Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Question 4): Anything outside of Michigan?
LONG: I also worked for NDI ( National Democratic Institute) in Russia, helping train 110 Russian mayors to re-elect Boris Yeltsin. In 1992 and 1994, I myself ran for State Representative in the old 106th district but lost close races. My last campaign was in 2020 working for Mike Bloomberg for President.
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I checked Amazon, they do not have it. Can you tell me how to order the book?
Thank you,
Man – read the article twice and missed it both times. Thank you for pointing it out.
I’m off to get more coffee.
This book is really worth a read. It is fun, fast paced and you actually learn something reading it! And not a nasty, negative thing in it…a rarity these days. Go buy it. Now. You will enjoy it. Worth your time and money.
how did you find it?
entered it in google and they directed me to lulu press. just ordered it. easy
Democrats are presiding over the demise of the Republic. Totally incompetent morons are cabinet secretaries. Stabenow says, “let them eat cake”, revealing her true feelings about ordinary Americans that just want to be able to afford to drive back and forth to work. That pesky Constitution doesn’t really mean what it says, they think. The feckless attorney general won’t enforce the law, allowing enraged mobs to harass SCOTUS justices in their homes and the justice department is weaponized to go after any conservative politician who tries to defend the Constitution. Republicans and concerned parents are called terrorists and schoolchildren are being groomed into a perverse culture of wanton sex and indoctrination. What’s next? I wouldn’t contribute one Nickel to purchase anything written by a supporter of any of the above activities.
Yawn. Nice try Ronna.
After reading the book, I think some of Hemingway rubbed off on GT Long. It seems Hemingway’s style was all about what he experienced, and GT Long experienced what he wrote about as well…only I think GT did it better…something Hemingway never did…published the humor around us all. Great job! And I can only hope more people buy his book.
Guys like this make politics FUN! Can’t wait to read his book!
An excellent read. I highly recommend it.
THANK YOU, for the Review. Thank You also to all the folks who commented who enjoyed the book. The book was not written with a political agenda. I think it could help any political party or any person running for political office or working on a campaign. And…it just might make you laugh, something sorely needed in today’s environment. If you want to order “A Distant Rumble” go to lulu.com Bookstore, type in title, hit enter, and order. Thanks Again!! GT Long
Great book! G.T. Brings home the excitement and sense of accomplishment campaigning in Michigan. I have heard these stories many times over the years and I am glad that he has memorialized them for others to enjoy.
Fun times.