Did Dorgan Really Write His New Book?
A few motnhs ago Byron Dorgan was making the circuit of talking head shows setting himself up as the lone prognosticator of America’s economic collapse, having foreseen it with his beady-eyed wisdom a decade ago. According to Dorgan, it was all the fault of Hoover-esque deregulation. Of course, the historical fact that Hoover was an opponent of deregulation and laissez faire economics in general is just to inconvenient for Dorgan to recognize.
But the historical and economic illiteracy of the book aside, I’ve got a question about who authored it. Senator Byron Leslie Dorgan gets sole author credit for Reckless, but according to his just-released financial disclosure report Dorgan paid former North Dakota Newspaper Association president (and author) Tony Bender $24,000 for “research and editing services.” Which is a hefty chunk of cash given that Dorgan’s guaranteed payments for the book only amounted to $120,000.
Sounds to me like Mr. Tony Bender wrote Dorgan’s book for him. Can’t prove it, of course, but I just don’t think Dorgan is the author type. And, again, given the factually-challenged nature of the book it may as well have been written by a fiction author.
