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299 reviews for:
Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime
John Heilemann
4.08 AVERAGE
299 reviews for:
Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime
John Heilemann
4.08 AVERAGE
informative
slow-paced
medium-paced
Majority of this book was about the democratic primary, not palin. Fun read of last time sanity mostly prevailed in presidential races.
Great audio book - lots of fun political insider information.
A fascinating look at the 2008 campaign. It gives some interesting behind-the-scenes looks at all the major candidates. Right-wingers will of course bash it because of the unflattering portrait of their idiot hero Palin, but the book gives a sometimes unsavory look at all the candidates, from both sides.
informative
medium-paced
interesting things I learned from this book:
1. John McCain drops more f-bombs than George Carlin.
2. If Michelle Obama had had her way initially, Barack Obama would not have run for president.
3. During the Democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton's general opinion of Barack Obama was that he was an arrogant "asshole."
4. During the economic crisis of the fall of 2008, President Bush and Treasury Secretary Paulson were both impressed by Obama's cool, calm approach to the crisis and dismayed by McCain's inability to fashion a coordinated approach.
5. Many of McCain's staffers thought that Sarah Palin might actually be mentally disturbed.
6. Sarah Palin's ignorance was colossal and stupifyingly unbelievable: she did not know why North and South Korea were divided; she thought that Saddam Hussein had been behind the September 11 attacks; she could not say who the enemy was that her son would be fighting in Iraq. McCain's staffers had to try to help Palin memorize massive amounts of information in order to give her even a basic knowledge of key domestic and foreign policy issues.
7. Barack Obama is not fazed by anything: he remains calm, cool, and collected even under the most stressful situations.
8. John Edwards was a delusional moron who thought he could cheat on his wife and get away with it (he traveled regularly with his mistress and flirted openly with her) and thought that, even under these circumstances, Obama might still make him a key speaker at the Democratic convention or offer him the post of attorney general.
9. Bill Clinton decidedly did not like Obama and only came around to supporting him very reluctantly. Bill even called President Bush during the primaries to complain about Obama.
10. John McCain thought that the right wing of his party (Rush Limbaugh and his ilk) were crazies.
11. If John McCain had had his way, his running mate would have been Joe Lieberman, and Lieberman would have accepted the position. Lieberman was only nixed as the VP choice at the very last minute.
12. Republicans leaders of all stripes generally dislike Mitt Romney.
13. Many McCain staffers were scared witless of what might happen if McCain were elected and died in office leaving the incompetent, ignorant Palin as President.
1. John McCain drops more f-bombs than George Carlin.
2. If Michelle Obama had had her way initially, Barack Obama would not have run for president.
3. During the Democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton's general opinion of Barack Obama was that he was an arrogant "asshole."
4. During the economic crisis of the fall of 2008, President Bush and Treasury Secretary Paulson were both impressed by Obama's cool, calm approach to the crisis and dismayed by McCain's inability to fashion a coordinated approach.
5. Many of McCain's staffers thought that Sarah Palin might actually be mentally disturbed.
6. Sarah Palin's ignorance was colossal and stupifyingly unbelievable: she did not know why North and South Korea were divided; she thought that Saddam Hussein had been behind the September 11 attacks; she could not say who the enemy was that her son would be fighting in Iraq. McCain's staffers had to try to help Palin memorize massive amounts of information in order to give her even a basic knowledge of key domestic and foreign policy issues.
7. Barack Obama is not fazed by anything: he remains calm, cool, and collected even under the most stressful situations.
8. John Edwards was a delusional moron who thought he could cheat on his wife and get away with it (he traveled regularly with his mistress and flirted openly with her) and thought that, even under these circumstances, Obama might still make him a key speaker at the Democratic convention or offer him the post of attorney general.
9. Bill Clinton decidedly did not like Obama and only came around to supporting him very reluctantly. Bill even called President Bush during the primaries to complain about Obama.
10. John McCain thought that the right wing of his party (Rush Limbaugh and his ilk) were crazies.
11. If John McCain had had his way, his running mate would have been Joe Lieberman, and Lieberman would have accepted the position. Lieberman was only nixed as the VP choice at the very last minute.
12. Republicans leaders of all stripes generally dislike Mitt Romney.
13. Many McCain staffers were scared witless of what might happen if McCain were elected and died in office leaving the incompetent, ignorant Palin as President.
Compulsively readable, especially if you're into political machinations. The Obama-Clinton back-and-forth (the first half of the book) is clearly the best part: highly detailed, lots of little "who knew what and when" moments, and chances to see glimpses of the candidates acting like real people who are totally stressed out and second-guessing themselves. The Edwards stuff was interesting too, and some of the Palin info near the end - but it was obvious that the authors didn't have ties as deep on the Republican side (or just weren't as interested in McCain, even though there was probably lots of good dirt there too). Overall, definitely recommended.
3.5 My review is here.
"Obama...rejected the notion that running for president was a task suited only to the borderline mentally ill." p.73
"Obama...rejected the notion that running for president was a task suited only to the borderline mentally ill." p.73