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Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime
Game Change Obama and the Clintons McCain and Palin and the Race of a Lifetime Author:Mark Halperin, John Heilemann "This shit would be really interesting if we weren't in the middle of it." -- Barack Obama, September 2008 -- — In 2008, the presidential election became blockbuster entertainment. Everyone was watching as the race for the White House unfolded like something from the realm of fiction. The meteoric rise and historic triumph of ... more »Barack Obama. The shocking fall of the House of Clinton -- and the improbable resurrection of Hillary as Obama's partner and America's face to the world.
The mercurial performance of John McCain and the mesmerizing emergence of Sarah Palin. But despite the wall-to-wall media coverage of this spellbinding drama, remarkably little of the real story behind the headlines has yet been told.
In Game Change, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, two of the country's leading political reporters, use their unrivaled access to pull back the curtain on the Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Palin campaigns. How did Obama convince himself that, despite the thinness of his resume, he could somehow beat the odds to become the nation's first African American president? How did the tumultuous relationship between the Clintons shape -- nd warp -- Hillary's supposedly unstoppable bid? What was behind her husband's furious outbursts and devastating political miscalculations? Why did McCain make the novice governor of Alaska his running mate? And was Palin merely painfully out of her depth -- or troubled in more serious ways?
Game Change answers those questions and more, laying bare the secret history of the 2008 campaign. Heilemann and Halperin take us inside the Obama machine, where staffers referred to the candidate as "Black Jesus." They unearth the quiet conspiracy in the U.S. Senate to prod Obama into the race, driven in part by the fears of senior Democrats that Bill Clinton's personal life might cripple Hillary's presidential prospects. They expose the twisted tale of John Edwards's affair with Rielle Hunter, the truth behind the downfall of Rudy Giuliani, and the doubts of those responsible for vetting Palin about her readiness for the Republican ticket -- along with the McCain campaign staff's worries about her fitness for office. And they reveal how, in an emotional late-night phone call, Obama succeeded in wooing Clinton, despite her staunch resistance, to become his secretary of state.
Based on hundreds of interviews with the people who lived the story, Game Change is a reportorial tour de force that reads like a fast-paced novel. Character driven and dialogue rich, replete with extravagantly detailed scenes, this is the occasionally shocking, often hilarious, ultimately definitive account of the campaign of a lifetime.« less
This book is juicy, juicy, juicy. No matter what side of the political spectrum you approach this read from, it will shock you and even make you laugh. I hold it up as a "Must Read" for anyone who had any interest in the 2008 Presidential election.
Kathy D. reviewed Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime on + 39 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Very interesting insider look at the politics of our most recent Presidential election. Lots of insider stuff about the Edwards' camp also. Lot of insight and behind the scenes type scenarios are described. Good read.
What a great insider look at an election from the primaries to the end result! Although I knew the outcome of this book before I started reading it, I loved reading the behind the scenes look of a presidential campaign from beginning to end. I instantly picked up this book because I am more and more drawn to the things of Washington, D.C. as my home is right on the outskirts of the city. I feel as though now more so than ever, the decisions that are made in D.C., greatly affect me and my future.
This book claims from the beginning that each candidate will be shed in a light that is true and honest, with each having some negative encounters. I don't believe this is so. I believe just as the media did not hound Obama in his campaign, this book does not shoot him down or shed much of a negative light on him or his campaign.
It was interesting to read of the rise and fall of both Hillary Clinton and John McCain. The insider aspect of Edwards and his wife was shocking and made me second guess everything that I hear because I had no idea some of the details that were revealed.
I loved the honesty that the authors did have stating that they would not put quotes around a quote if they were not certain that it was actually said. This made for some hard reading when reading some of the conversations, but I was glad they kept their integrity by not putting quotes.
I would pass this book along to my friends who love to hear the behind the scenes look at movies, tv and more. Also to my political friends, this is a great look at campaigns from both a Democratic and Republican view.
Mary M. (emeraldfire) - , reviewed Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime on
This was a book that I've been wanting to read ever since it came out. I must admit that I am not that into American politics, but I was particularly interested in the 2008 election because deep at heart, Mareena and I are enormous news junkies - current events are our lifeblood. We are definitely not political, but I loved the background gossip of the campaigns in this book.
I'm not sure if I'll want to watch the movie when it comes out. I find that the book is immeasurably better than the movie most of the time. I give this book an A+!
Well, I sat and read it cover to cover in 24 hours, so I obviously was entertained. But, really, some of the writing... A character was described as "...saddled with more baggage than a curbside porter at Dulles airport." And numerous descriptions were metaphored to death. Also, the author never did tell us the actual percentage results of most of the major primaries.
It is great fun to re-visit the memorable moments of the 2008 election only this time to glimpse the chaos from within.
Heilemann and Halperin offer a readable and fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the Clinton, Obama, and McCain campaigns. I was shocked at how well organized Obama the newcomer was... and how disorganized Clinton the dynastic one was. Poor Hillary Clinton... she ran smack into the tsunami of history, and it carried her away. One has to admire the fight in the lady, though instances of pettiness seethe up everywhere as well.
Obama comes across as less assured, Palin as more psycho, and McCain as more dottering than they even appeared to me during the election.
If nothing else, this book reminds us that behind the scenes are very human people, whose private faces are different than what we see, and what the media gives us to see.
As with all things political, this book reminds us, Buyer Beware. It is a fascinating read.
