the yeAR of Living dAngeRousLy 197
claimed he was in Reagan’s hip pocket, which was patently untrue, while
conservatives questioned his loyalty. Stockman labeled him “a Hooverite”
for harping on the deficit. As a Domenici protégé, Gorton carried most of
the same baggage.
Never a brooder, Gorton’s response to a loss is to remind himself that
while many things happen for a reason, being Zeus is the best state of
mind—never Sisyphus.^20