Dirty Sexy Politics

In this political memoir, Meghan McCain, the daughter of Republican Senator John McCain and heiress to the Hensley & Co. beer distribution fortune through her maternal grandfather, Jim Hensley,[2] recounts her experiences while campaigning for her father during the 2008 United States presidential election.[1]

The Huffington Post mocked the book cover, asking, "Beyond Sex With an Elephant, Meghan, What Are You Trying to Tell Me?"[3] The American Spectator remarked that "Meghan cries a lot in this brief book."[4] They added that it was hard to take her political ideas seriously, concluding that it would be "an effort that can only end in tears."[4]

RedState criticized the book, argued it showed "her unbearable narcissism, delusions of persecution, anti-religious bigotry, and mendacity' as well as 'her manifestly below-average intelligence."[5] They added, "that a publishing company let this authorial abortion go to print is an insult to the collective self-worth of our thinking nation."[5] They went on to say that the book, "contain[ed] not one citation or reference to any factual source," adding that it was 'predictably disastrous.'[5] They added that the book included examples of "spoiled-brattishness" and demonstrated "her sense of entitlement."[5]

The Washington Post described it as a "youthful narrative" with a "healthy sense of humor."[6] They went on to say that it was "as much a scathing critique of the Republican Party as it is a passionate tale of life on the campaign trail."[6] However, they added that she "writes movingly of election day," but that she "felt gloomy enough to imagine the worst for the party."[6] Out & About Newspaper agreed, suggesting, "the most striking element in this book is her naivete and, at times, the brashness of youth she embodies."[7] They stressed "her lack of experience and her raw feelings," adding that she was "unschooled in groupthink – which she regards as counter to individual freedom," yet "undaunted and energized."[7]

The Christian Science Monitor suggested she did not toe the Republican Party line, but opined that was because she was "the daughter of a maverick."[8] They concluded that she told the reader "tell us more than [they] wanted to know."[8]