The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory
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The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84  ·  rating details  ·  563 ratings  ·  128 reviews
The architect of the Obama campaign reveals how it all happened- and how it will revolutionize our politics

David Plouffe not only led the effort that put Barack Obama in the White House, but he also changed the face of politics forever and reenergized the idea of democracy itself. The Audacity to Win is his story of that groundbreaking achievement, taking readers inside t...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published November 3rd 2009 by Viking Adult
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Community Reviews

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Scott
Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars
Interesting insider account of the 2008 Obama campaign from its beginning through the election. If you enjoyed following the 2008 presidential election, then you'll enjoy this book; if not, you probably won't (unless your lack of enjoyment was primarily due to the crappy news media).

Plouffe tells a great story from a perspective he's uniquely qualified to present. As such, it is full of fairly intimate details and anecdotes about Obama and other figures within the campaign, which help ...more
Richard
I had a real tough time rating this book. I wanted to give it 3 1/2 stars. I marked it up to 4 due to it being well-written and entertaining. It seems like a very complete how-to book for running a modern political campaign. Plouffe's thoughts are very relevant to any brand management situation. As such, I think it is a valuable book on business management.

I considered marking it down to 3 stars because of the number of times Plouffe either avoided key incidents during the campa...more
Blog on Books
As we have noted in these pages previously, the Barack Obama campaign was without a doubt, the most followed and interesting national political campaign of the post-JFK generation. And who better to recount the inside details of this groundbreaking journey than the man who ran it all, campaign manager David Plouffe.

As meticulous as the campaign was, is as detailed as the day-by-day recollections that Plouffe has assembled into this book. It’s all there and with a perspective that onl...more
getAbstract
The definitive diary on the Obama campaign

President Barack Obama’s historic political campaign deserves to be studied for its innovative organization, volunteer effort, fundraising and use of technology. But it is also a compelling story about an unlikely candidate and the highly motivated expert team that pulled off one of the greatest game-changing upsets in U.S. political history. Obama campaign manager David Plouffe (rhymes with “bluff”) has written a diary-like firsthand accoun...more
Yune
Yune rated it 3 of 5 stars
Part of this is almost...well, not propaganda, but the giddiness that was sparked by the Obama campaign, "Yes we can" and all that. Obama is both treated as a real person and as some sort of icon, with a glow of a candidate that Plouffe truly believes is different, a one-of-a-kind politician who hasn't yet fallen into the corruption and jaded attitude of that career.

What was really cool was diving into the guts of the campaign and seeing how Plouffe (the campaign manager) ...more
Irving Koppel

The two Davids,Axelrod and Plouffe were the geniuses behind Obama's
organized conquest of the presidency. Plouffe,being the organizer,has
now written his account of how it was done. While not as well-written
as Johnson's and Balz's "Battle for America:2008",it is essential reading for anyone interested in knowing how this unlikely feat was
brought about.

Plouffe says that from the outset they knew that the odds against
Obama's becomin...more
Donna
In The Audacity to Win, David Plouffe says of the boss he got to know so well during two years of campaigning together, "He is a chess player in a town full of checkers players."

An idealist, a courageous man with a brilliant and innovative mind, Barack Obama tends to surround himself with people of like attitudes and aptitudes. That Plouffe himself is such a man is evident in this book, which is analytical but clear, high-minded but very human. Himself a chess player, Plouf...more
Sarah
Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars
Shelves: 2010-reads
Erm.... there are people who are really outstanding at running a groundbreaking, thrilling, smart, and decent campaign that ends up bringing to power a history-making, thoughtful, effective, and supercute candidate (and for these people I for one am so so thankful). However, the skill set needed to run a campaign, a task which sounds almost legendarily complicated and boring, is not the skill set needed to talk about it in an interesting manner. Plouffe's writing is exceptionally dull (as many...more
Louise Turner
I thoroughly enjoyed this behind the scenes look at the Obama campaign by its very effective campaign manager. It took me back to the roller coaster highs and lows of that time. After Barack Obama's electrifying speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention I could hardly wait for the opportunity to vote for him--The idea that I could actually vote for someone I believed in instead of what I considered the lesser of two evils was such an exhilarating thought. As the campaign, with all its highs a...more
Justin
Justin rated it 3 of 5 stars
The Audacity to Win is Obama campaign manager David Plouffe's insider look at the 2008 presidential campaign. Reading it, all of the memories of the historic campaign were brought vividly back, including the infuriating tactics of the Clinton campaign in the primary, the various "controversies," the introduction of Sarah Palin, and the phony "suspension" of McCain's campaign to "rescue" the economy, to name just a few. I particularly enjoyed the first third or so of...more
Keith
Keith rated it 4 of 5 stars
This is a fascinating story, told very well. It's also a story with some lessons about how to make big things happen in politics (and any other field, for that matter).

The campaign, from announcement to election, was not just a series of events--but, rather, was held together by an unwavering commitment to strategy and purpose. Innovative strategy and a purpose well beyond getting elected.

How do you prevail when you know where you want to go and how best to get there? That...more
Chris Aylott
David Plouffe probably shouldn't write dialogue. With a few exceptions, his recall of conversations during the Obama campaign have the stiff quality that comes from middlin' good memory and no real sense of others' voices. But that's a minor quibble in an strong political memoir.

He provides enough details about organizing and political strategy to satisfy any politics nerd, while illustrating the principles of the Obama campaign that made it special. There are lessons here about long...more
Ryan
Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: 100-in-2010, politics
This was a well-written book, and I believe Plouffe actually wrote most of it, so kudos to him. Also, kudos to him for running a campaign that approached the realm of flawlessness.

He keeps the book interesting throughout, but at times there was a focus on the mechanics of campaigns that got a little boring. Those parts were few and far between, however - usually my internal monologue was more along the lines of "Well, what about this? You forgot about that!" He didn't talk ...more
Chris
Chris rated it 2 of 5 stars
Shelves: hist-misc
A good book to read if you are starting a company and trying to create a culture. Started with nothing and built an organization that broke all records in participation and fund raising. But they couldn't have done it without the candidate. For a guy who lived and breathed metrics there is only one chart or matrix in the whole book!! However, there are nice color pics of the "campaign family." A little long and could have used some editing. It was ok until it got past the win over Hil...more
Tim
Tim rated it 3 of 5 stars
As we have noted in these pages previously, the Barack Obama campaign was without a doubt, the most followed and interesting national political campaign of the post-JFK generation. And who better to recount the inside details of this groundbreaking journey than the man who ran it all, campaign manager David Plouffe.
As meticulous as the campaign was, is as detailed as the day-by-day recollections that Plouffe has assembled into this book. It’s all there and with a perspective that only a tr...more
William Glenn
A good account of the presidential campaign that came out of nowhere to achieve one of the greatest upsets in U.S. political history, from the campaign manager himself. Those who followed the 2008 presidential election closely and early on may not find as much new information as they had hoped, but there are a number of interesting moments, especially when Plouffe analyzes the missteps of the Mark-Penn-driven campaign for Hillary Clinton. Plouffe is a solid and clear writer but seems better su...more
Christina
A behind the scenes at what was an historic Presidential campaign as told by the fellow who put it all together. David Plouffe tells the story of putting his life on hold for two years to embark on a pretty remarkable journey of thinking outside the box, taking risks, and doing their best to not play dirty in a game where mud slinging skills had become critical. While a certain geeky passion for this topic is probably necessary to keep the reader engaged, Plouffe intersperses the dry details wit...more
Kathy Scantle
I still remember where I was when Kennedy was shot (at my age I'm lucky to remember anything). I was in Geometry class (no really, I was in preschool--just kidding, I'm trying not to date myself) when I heard the news that the president I had campaigned for had been shot. Still remember the poster and the campaign buttons of the president I had that plastered my bedroom like a shrine. Still remember how sad I felt. Years passed and I grew jaded by that president's image and politics in gener...more
Paul
Paul rated it 2 of 5 stars
Maybe it was because I actually worked on the Obama campaign, but this book presented almost nothing I didn't know. I suppose as a political insider, Plouffe has to minimize the drama, but as a story it was sort of boring, and as a "recipe book" to replicate Obama's success it was too vague. Plouffe speaks in platitudes, glossing over months with generalizations. He doesn't present anything concrete—not that the media hasn't already gone over 100 times. The Wall Street Journal article ...more
Zach Vaughn
Anyone interested in getting into campaign work should read this book. It's not just the practical lessons of campaigning, but the reality of campaign life as well, such as leaving behind your family and basically putting your life on hold. As someone who has experienced living in a different town every six months, working for little pay, and missing my wife, I can testify to the enormous personal strain a campaign can place on a person. As David Plouffe says in his opening chapter, "I knew...more
Anne
Anne added it
Shelves: non-fiction
I'm not sure how to rate this. It delivered on everything I expected: an inside look at Obama's campaign, especially the revolutionary volunteer network and use of technology. Plouffe is a total political history nerd and sometimes he's so confident in his readers' knowledge that he neglects to mention campaign results and percentages, so much so that I occasionally had to consult Google to get a fuller picture. It was fun recounting the highs and lows of the campaign, winning Iowa, Sarah Pal...more
Christopher
Shameless political porn. "Oh boy, I do remember when Sarah Palin said that and it pissed me off," etc., etc., etc. Also, a remarkable extension of the campaign narrative. There is no dishy gossip or negative commentary about Obama or related principals, besides the super obvious (e.g. not a good idea to call rural folks bitter, Joe Biden talks more than seems humanly possible). Designed, first and foremost, not to be revelatory, but to underline various beneficial storylines (e.g....more
Jason Young
I am coming up this summer on 18 years experience in my chosen career profession - starting humbly by inventorying cabinets of RS-232 cables and BNC connectors and all kinds of leftover watchamacallits from my employer's years of government contracting - to today where I do, um, er, I do, well, "computing things"

You know, I have the hardest time describing what I do. I say that I do "systems administration" and "software development" and "project m...more
Nicole
Nicole added it
Recommends it for: Viva La Obama types
Shelves: hbs-events
I was super psyched for Plouffe, as I am for all things Obama (recent politics aside...sigh).

First of all, he is tiny. A little elfin political mastermind. Second of all, he was polished. His speech was clearly rehearsed though he tried to make it sound casual and off-the-cuff. Clearly, he shined himself up with Politician Lacquer. Third, he didn't answer the guy's question about gay civil rights. Question Dodger, he faked left, he faked right, he waxed philosophical and did it...more
Erin
Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars
I don't care what side of the aisle you're sitting on, this is a must-read. Admittedly, if you're anti-Obama, parts might be a little nauseating (Plouffe is, as one might suspect given his position, "in the tank" for Obama), but Plouffe opens up the inner workings of a presidential campaign in a way that few others have done, and the result is fascinating. Even if you're not a politico, "The Audacity to Win" provides fantastic insight into organizational systems and leadershi...more
Cwelshhans
I generally stay away from books about current politics because they get me agitated. This one, however, is focused pretty heavily on the hows and whys of the campaign and not so much on the ideology. I found the degree of organization required to be staggering, and the nuts and bolts of use of the internet, advertising, debate prep, location scouting, etc. to be really interesting. I'll definitely look at and judge future campaigns with a higher degree of insight. It was straight forward, w...more
Dan
Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars
David Axelrod is in the White House (and therefore mum), so for now this is the ultimate insider's account of Obama `08. I was a total Obama junkie, so not much of the news is new to me, but I did enjoy learning how the campaign strategy developed. Plouffe is candid about his own shortcomings and mistakes, including the doozy that had me screaming at the time: failing to punt in Ohio in order to devote enough time & resources to win Texas, which would have ended the primary season six weeks ea...more
Liz
Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars
The author of this book was Obama's campaign manager, and while the book is interesting, it's written in the way you'd expect a winning campaign manager to write--self-assured, factual while downplaying what I felt were some of the most memorable campaign moments, and just a little cocky.

I started reading the book in Barnes and Noble, and when it was time to leave the pace of the book, as well as the details it provided about Obama's personality, encouraged me to purchase the book s...more
Zuberi Williams
Since I was volunteering for the campaign during the early months. The book really brought back memories, some good and some bad.

I was a little disappointed in Plouffe's inability to tell-it-like-it-is. That is to say, I felt that every time he made a defining statement/character assessment about a democratic insider, he had to follow it up with some type of softening apology. I think that may have been because he is still active in politics, he is unable to offend. This cut into ...more
Peter
Peter rated it 4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for: anyone interested in politics, and especially those interested in Barack Obama
This book may be more interesting to me than the average reader because I worked for the campaign during the last month, but it provides a good inside look into Barack Obama's historical 2008 campaign. David Plouffe isn't necessarily the most exciting writer, but, then again, I'm not sure how much more exciting a book about a political campaign could get. He provides some insight into the decisions that were made during the campaign, and how they reacted internally to some of the "controver...more
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David Plouffe began his career canvassing door to door in Delaware and Iowa and has since managed two U.S. Senate races, a congressional race, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign committee. Plouffe served as Democratic leader Dick Gephardts Deputy Chief of Staff in 1997-98. In 2001, he joined forces with David Axelrod and in 2004 their firm AKPD media served as lead strategist on Barack Obam...more
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The Audacity to Win The Audacity to Win: How Obama Won and How We Can Beat the Party of Limbaugh, Beck, and Palin The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory How the Democrats Can Win The Audacity to Win

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