Williams and Whitcomb do a good job of showing how the rich make local government work for them, pulling strings discreetly from behind the curtain. But they pile on, with sneering quotation marks, insulting epithets and heavy-handed sarcasm.
At times, the authors barely bother to present a case. When Larry Wheatley, a Republican candidate for state office put up by opponents of Cape Wind, is introduced, they write that "he said he was an attorney, and he seemed to be selling real estate in Osterville." Well, was he or wasn't he?
An economist named David Tuerck, of the Beacon Hill Institute, issued a report claiming that Cape Wind would cause economic losses to Cape Cod by lowering property values and driving away tourists. The authors simply dismiss the analysis as being "of doubtful quality" and repeat a characterization of Tuerck as "a right-wing economist for hire." The report might well have been shoddy — the Beacon Hill Institute received US$100,000 from a foundation opposed to Cape Wind — but there is no way of knowing, since the authors do not deign to pick it apart.
The man in the white hat manages to pull a few rabbits out of it. Gradually, as the furor over Cape Wind gained national attention (in part because of an article in the New York Times Magazine), environmental groups like Greenpeace and powerful politicians in favor of alternative energy projects began to apply effective counterpressure. Cronkite, after sitting down and talking over the project with Gordon, withdrew his opposition. One by one, legislative barriers thrown up at the last minute, behind closed doors, were overcome by some judicious arm twisting. At the moment, if permits are granted, Cape Wind can move forward.
As the authors make clear, Gordon and the supporters of wind power might win the battle but lose the war. Companies interested in developing projects like Cape Wind now know that developing offshore wind farms might not be worth the blood, sweat and tears. Everyone, like Romney, loves alternative energy. For everyone else.
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