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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
WOW! What an excellent book.
I don't know how accurate the stories are, but even if they are 5% true---still terrific. I really have a new respect for Obama.
It is scary to learn, how 'off' Palin is/was. (McCain's staff was having a doctor watch over her as they thought she was mentally unstable.)
Must read for anyone who has an interest in politics or what to understand the mindset of the pols.
I don't know how accurate the stories are, but even if they are 5% true---still terrific. I really have a new respect for Obama.
It is scary to learn, how 'off' Palin is/was. (McCain's staff was having a doctor watch over her as they thought she was mentally unstable.)
Must read for anyone who has an interest in politics or what to understand the mindset of the pols.
I had forgotten how crazy the 2007-2008 election period was. This book has it all. The most depressing part by far is Chapter 7, wherein we learn that John and Elizabeth Edwards were . . . pretty much . . . out of their minds. Meanwhile, the big story is that for the most part the campaigns are ill-managed and out-of-control. The candidates spend huge dollars, and they get infighting, waste, and grotesque internal politics.
A great look at the details of what goes into making a presidential campaign for multiple perspectives, how a politician's character influences more than just government policies but also how a campaign runs, and how the hell something like Sarah Palin ever happened.
Game Change, by Mark Halperin and John Heileman, tells the riveting (and deeply fun) human story of the 2008 election--which was vastly more dysfunctional than anyone knew. As Halperin pointed out recently, it gives one pause to realize that the Clintons had only the fourth most dysfunctional marriage in the campaign: the Edwardses, the Giulianis and the McCains all had exceedingly troubled unions.
Screaming fights in front of the staff abound; spouses are jealous of the candidates' relationships with their advisers; Bill Clinton behaves like Bill Clinton; John Edwards blatantly carries on an affair; and Elizabeth Edwards, in stark contrast to her public persona, seems to be truly deplorable. And everyone swears incessantly. Only the Obamas--though certainly not depicted as perfect--emerge as genuinely likable characters.
The candidates' styles were, not surprisingly, reflected in their campaigns. Clinton and McCain both ran operations in which the staff despised each other, and McCain's campaign lacked even the semblance of real organization. It is shocking that a presidential campaign can be run this sloppily; Game Change observes that Sarah Palin was vetted so hastily that it resembled the selection process for an assistant secretary of agriculture, not a potential vice president. The authors manage to evoke a certain amount of sympathy for Palin, who was put into an enormous role that she was not qualified for, without any preparation, or any organizational structure to back her up. The Obama campaign, on the other hand, was run with tremendous efficiency by people who respected each other and worked together like adults.
By the end, with Edwards abandoned by his party and McCain's campaign widely ridiculed, it seems clear that Obama got exactly what he deserved.
Screaming fights in front of the staff abound; spouses are jealous of the candidates' relationships with their advisers; Bill Clinton behaves like Bill Clinton; John Edwards blatantly carries on an affair; and Elizabeth Edwards, in stark contrast to her public persona, seems to be truly deplorable. And everyone swears incessantly. Only the Obamas--though certainly not depicted as perfect--emerge as genuinely likable characters.
The candidates' styles were, not surprisingly, reflected in their campaigns. Clinton and McCain both ran operations in which the staff despised each other, and McCain's campaign lacked even the semblance of real organization. It is shocking that a presidential campaign can be run this sloppily; Game Change observes that Sarah Palin was vetted so hastily that it resembled the selection process for an assistant secretary of agriculture, not a potential vice president. The authors manage to evoke a certain amount of sympathy for Palin, who was put into an enormous role that she was not qualified for, without any preparation, or any organizational structure to back her up. The Obama campaign, on the other hand, was run with tremendous efficiency by people who respected each other and worked together like adults.
By the end, with Edwards abandoned by his party and McCain's campaign widely ridiculed, it seems clear that Obama got exactly what he deserved.
I guess my own future run for president could be pretty hectic...
Easy and engaging read that felt very superficial
Talk about being a fly on the wall.... This book was fascinating. It tells the stories of the three main presidential contenders in 2008: Obama, Hillary Clinton and McCain, with a little bit about Edwards included for good measure. The differences in their styles was profound, from the reasons they each chose to run, to their decision making processes, to the campaign teams they assembled and how those teams worked. The part about how Palin was chosen was scary. I don't know if the author was an Obama partisan, but you certainly come away from this book feeling like we elected the person who was best equipped to lead the country.
Fascinating! Delivers the inside scoop on all the major players and the key moments. I really felt for the professionals who had to cope with the moods and ignorance and stubbornness and delusions of McCain, Palin and Edwards. They come across as adults having to manage spoiled children. My respect increased for the Obamas and their team, for Hillary Clinton and, believe it or not, for Joe Lieberman. He seems on a personal level like a decent guy; he was kind to Palin when she was really low. A great read!
Pros: It was fun to see what these politicians were like behind the scenes. Clinton and Edwards are especially fun caricatures, Clinton coming off as a grown Tracy Flick.
Cons: The words 'who cares' left my lips more than once during this read. There was also a sense of 'unreliable narrator' -- for example, the importance of people like Patti Solis Doyle seems rather inflated in this story.
Cons: The words 'who cares' left my lips more than once during this read. There was also a sense of 'unreliable narrator' -- for example, the importance of people like Patti Solis Doyle seems rather inflated in this story.