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"Game Change" was not even on sale and it was already roiling the political waters with its shocking revelations. There is a rich tradition of books about presidential campaigns that break news not revealed during the campaign and "Game Change" has PLENTY of revelations. The one getting a great deal of play was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's inappropriate racially tinged comments about candidate Obama, which managed to be kept under wraps, while then-Senator Biden's made their way out. 2008 was the year of "Candidates Gone Wild," saying ridiculous and inappropriate things like Obama's comment on people clinging to their guns, religion, and bitterness. But there's so much here that never got out. Like Elizabeth Edwards, who has carefully cultured a public persona as the victimized suffering wife, belittling her husband John as a "hick" and in private launching into obscenity laced tirades at him and about him. Heilemann and Halperin examine both sides of the race and there are plenty of great gossipy stories on both sides, as well as other shocking revelations, such as how rushed the selection of Governor Sarah Palin as Vice-President was. We already knew that virtually no one in the Republican leadership was consulted over the choice and only know do we learn how rushed the decision was and how little thought or consideration was truly given to the choice. Moreover, the choice was primarily tactical in nature, designed to knock the Obama campaign off balance and off guard. Only after Palin was selected did the McCain campaign realize that they had made a huge tactical error they could not undo. The ensuing problems within the McCain-Palin campaign are chronicled here, but considering how much press there was at the time there's little here that breaks new ground. It is however a very great, gripping recounting of the chain of events. Obama comes off every bit as stage-crafted and stage-managed as Ronald Reagan ever was. Heilemann and Halperin aptly capture the duality of his persona; on the stump Obama is well spoken, on message, cool, calm, and collected. Off the stump he is profane, prone to quick flashes of anger, and at times tentative and uncertain. Hillary Clinton comes off pretty much as was covered in the press at the time, but what IS news is her unsurprisingly blunt comment to Obama that she "cannot control her husband". Bill Clinton gets almost as much print here for his wildly inappropriate comments on the stump and in private about Candidate Obama and it's clear to see that what undid Hillary wasn't her efforts, but those of her husband. We get the clearest glimpse into Obama's hard sell when he talks Hillary Clinton into ending her campaign and into becoming Secretary of State as well. "Game Change" answers many of the questions you had about the campaign, but which were never answered, like Rudy Giuliani's foolish all-or-nothing gamble on the Florida Primary and why he truly got out of the race, the Democratic conclave that prodded then-Senator Obama into the race in the first place, and so much more. Reading "Game Change" is like reliving the campaign all over again, but THIS time with the insider knowledge of details that were omitted by the campaigns and the press. If anything this will not only enlighten you but enrage you, as the media and the press clearly are NOT doing their jobs at all. All of this SHOULD have made it's way into the news during the campaign and yet it didn't. Truth is stranger than fiction,Read full review
Fantastic look at politics from both sides of the aisle during a Presidential election campaign. Although not written with the eye of a Political Science person, the authors have done a very adequate job of creating conversations which could have conceivably taken place based on well documented notes and conversations with various privy members of the body politic. A well-paced and wonderful read with some not too surprising views into the lives of seasoned and less seasoned politicians.
having heard about this book through the news channels and seen the authors interviewed as well as being familiar with the them, I was not surprised to find it a great read. This book is hard to put down from the minute you open it. It is juicey and gossipy but a valuable resource for evaluating the characters of the 2008 election. Based on the contents of this book, I am convinced the American people elected the best candidate. It is surprising that sometimes we get it right.
Should be the "handbook" of political "junkies" for the 2010 Presidential race, and the Bible for future campaigns. Very informative, and writing has a very readable flow. BEST Book of many, many years!
I couldn't put this book down. Finished it in three days. For political junkies or those who really want to know know what their high level political candidates are like, read this book. The Clintons are a running opera and John McCain showed me why he shouldn't have been elected president -- too reckless and the Palin decision was beyond belief. I thought McCain was a maverick. I was disappointed in his decision making. President Obama is too cool for his own good. Michelle Obama impressed me the most.
