"This shit would be really interesting if we weren't in the middle of it."
--Barack Obama, September 2008
In 2008, the presidential electi... read full description
reviews
Feb 03, 2010
brian
rated it: 
"great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."
the great & average: fuck off and get lost.
the small-minded: enjoy!
1. sarah palin. in a way, she fares quite well. you gotta think about it like this: if one were to invite a chimpanzee over for dinner, when the monkey started flinging its own feces, knocking over bottles, yanking away the tablecloth… one couldn't very well get upset, could they? palin is palin. go More...
the great & average: fuck off and get lost.
the small-minded: enjoy!
1. sarah palin. in a way, she fares quite well. you gotta think about it like this: if one were to invite a chimpanzee over for dinner, when the monkey started flinging its own feces, knocking over bottles, yanking away the tablecloth… one couldn't very well get upset, could they? palin is palin. go More...
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(84 people liked it)
Mar 30, 2010
Dennis
rated it: 
The 2008 presidential election for me was like a Super Bowl, a World Cup, and a grand soap opera, all rolled into one. So it was a no-brainer that I would run from bookstore to bookstore in order to find me a copy of Game Change. (Thanks, Costco!) I was not disappointed. In a concise and chronological narrative, the authors highlight the Obama-Biden, McCain-Palin, and Clinton campaigns in a thrilling behind-the-scenes look at the turmoil and drama that voters didn't see. My suspicions were
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2 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Mar 05, 2010
Lorin
rated it: 
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' More...
Screaming fights in front of the staff abound; spouses are jealous of the candidates' More...
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(5 people liked it)
Nov 28, 2010
di
rated it:
This was a solid 3. I liked the book; kind of the same type of satisfaction when you peek at the tabloid headlines when going through the grocery check-out aisle. But this was part history, part gossip! Kind of fun, & added dimension on the historic election of 2008. (Mostly confirmed the hunches I already had.)
Did it change my life? No. Did it hold any surprises? No. (We followed the election pretty closely.) Didn't make me cynical. Didn't change my view of politics really More...
Did it change my life? No. Did it hold any surprises? No. (We followed the election pretty closely.) Didn't make me cynical. Didn't change my view of politics really More...
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Oct 16, 2010
thewanderingjew
rated it:
I listened to Game Change on an audio version of the book. Much more than half the book, perhaps even as much as 75%, is devoted to the Democrat race with Obama as the main character followed by Clinton and Edwards. It covers the plans, concerns, secret meetings and deals leading up to the candidate's run and eventual selection. There are no notes with the book so there is no back up proof provided about any of the comments. It could be hearsay and lots of gossip but it is what I expected it to
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 15, 2011
Scott
rated it:
There have been a number of political novels that have launched salvos in recent weeks. Alongside Jenny Sanford’s memoir and the Andrew Young tell-all, Game Change has been a source of discussion across the country.
Written by two highly regarded political writers, this book is a behind the scenes look at the 2008 campaign that purports to go behind the scenes unlike any of the other books that have already been released. The authors claim that all of this is substantially backed up, althou More...
Written by two highly regarded political writers, this book is a behind the scenes look at the 2008 campaign that purports to go behind the scenes unlike any of the other books that have already been released. The authors claim that all of this is substantially backed up, althou More...
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(2 people liked it)
Feb 15, 2010
Scott
rated it:
I enjoyed this book for the "behind-the-scenes" insights it offered into the campaigns. It depicts the candidates as they really are, rather than as the candidates would have us view them. I felt like a high-level staffer for Hillary, the Barack, then Edwards, and finally McCain. I found myself feeling almost sorry for Hillary at times, because Obama was the darling of the press and seemed to be immune from criticism. Nothing she could do or say (even if her points were valid) woul
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 17, 2012
Nicholas
rated it:
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1847222.ht...
This is a brilliant account of the 2008 US presidential election, concentrating particularly on the Obama/Clinton dynamic (since that turned out to be much more important and durable than the Obama/McCain dynamic). The authors claim to have got detailed accounts from campaign insiders of key conversations and exchanges right up to the level of the candidates, and it rings true without revealing anything about the two key personalities that I h More...
This is a brilliant account of the 2008 US presidential election, concentrating particularly on the Obama/Clinton dynamic (since that turned out to be much more important and durable than the Obama/McCain dynamic). The authors claim to have got detailed accounts from campaign insiders of key conversations and exchanges right up to the level of the candidates, and it rings true without revealing anything about the two key personalities that I h More...
Jan 25, 2012
Tim
rated it:
A very funny and frank retelling of the clash of personalities behind the most open Presidential election in 50 years. If you love politics, this is a must-read.
Details: The book is comprised of post-election interviews of all the major players and/or their handlers. It is written in chronological order from the primaries to November. It is great to hear the inside details on all the capaingns: McCain, Obama, Clinton, Edwards, everybody.
The book is fun. It is written in a hig More...
Details: The book is comprised of post-election interviews of all the major players and/or their handlers. It is written in chronological order from the primaries to November. It is great to hear the inside details on all the capaingns: McCain, Obama, Clinton, Edwards, everybody.
The book is fun. It is written in a hig More...
Jan 21, 2012
Mary
rated it:
How difficult is it to pull this off--a genuinely fascinating and suspenseful book about a subject whose ending and major turning points are well known to all, and whose juiciest behind-the-scenes tidbits have been revealed by the media to all who have been paying attention? Extremely difficult, I would say, and yet everyone who said this book was impossible to put down was exactly right. I did feel I had to read it now, as the story of 2008 is being superseded by that of 2012, but reading about
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Sep 20, 2011
Sam
rated it:
The story starts before the campaign begins with Hillary preparing for her inauguration, months and months before the election, so certain was she of victory. But others in the Senate, particulary Harry Reid, had noticed Obama for a while and urged him to join in the race. And so it begins.
The bulk of the book focuses on Obama and HIllary fighting to get the nomination and Obama slowly but surely pulling ahead to get it. Hillary comes across as very entitled and arrogant while Bill More...
The bulk of the book focuses on Obama and HIllary fighting to get the nomination and Obama slowly but surely pulling ahead to get it. Hillary comes across as very entitled and arrogant while Bill More...
Jul 30, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
This book was all over the news a few months ago and my name finally came up for it on the waiting list at the library. YAY! I loved it when I see what books are currently on hold for me. This and the new Lauren Conrad book. I love my variety. Anyway, this book was okay. It's funny in reading it, I realized, I missed EVERYTHING! From the date Obama "officially" started running for president, like a month before I left for NZ to when he won and was inaugurated (6 weeks before I got home
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May 29, 2011
Timothy
rated it:
Well, we've come a long way from the magisterial days of Theodore White and The Making of the President -- all the way to this book, which is sort of politics as seen by People magazine.
That's not a knock. The book is hypnotically interesting for anyone who's any sort of political junkie (or is just distressed by the state of the nation) and often either hallucinatory or funny -- sometimes, in fact, both. This is the dish on the campaign, and to the extent that we should be intereste More...
That's not a knock. The book is hypnotically interesting for anyone who's any sort of political junkie (or is just distressed by the state of the nation) and often either hallucinatory or funny -- sometimes, in fact, both. This is the dish on the campaign, and to the extent that we should be intereste More...
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May 28, 2011
Shallana
rated it:
Insanely good and insightful on the behind-the-scenes action of one of the most closely watched political races in my generation. Very informative on what actually goes on in a political race from the strategies and formulas to make a candidate and a winner. Also, great insight on actual events, thoughts and feelings of all the players from the candidates, managers and those casual observers who just happened to be at the right place at the right time to capture some the missteps along the way.
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(1 person liked it)
Mar 20, 2011
Nicole
rated it:
Wow! This book was a whirlwind look at the 2008 presidential campaign. I learned a few things from it.
First, I never EVER want to work on a campaign - not even for a school board member. As much as I felt like I lived this campaign through work (and believe me, I did), I could not believe how insane it was for the people who were paid to politic.
Second, I still believe in that "hopey-changey stuff." I do wish President Barack Obama could be as effective a communicat More...
First, I never EVER want to work on a campaign - not even for a school board member. As much as I felt like I lived this campaign through work (and believe me, I did), I could not believe how insane it was for the people who were paid to politic.
Second, I still believe in that "hopey-changey stuff." I do wish President Barack Obama could be as effective a communicat More...
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 15, 2011
A. T.
rated it:
The authors, mainstream reporters with a clear bias against conservatives, actually handle their information well, and try to present the "inside" of the 2008 campaigns in all of their good, bad, and ugly. Their focus is entirely on the relationship between Obama and Hillary, and their battle and later reconciliation takes up easily four-fifths of the book's length. The Republican battles and McCain's campaign, a narrative spanning several years, is crammed into two chapters, and feels
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Jan 01, 2011
Carly
rated it:
I can't speak to the veracity of this account, but it appears well-researched, and it is a scorcher.
It takes a novel-style approach, moving between the personal perspectives of Obama, Clintons I and II, Edwards, McCain and Pailin throughout the 2008 primaries and presedential race. Numerous behind the scenes advisors also have their portraits painted, and these are equally fascinating.
The book is eloquent in describing the sheer megalomania of any candidate for president: no More...
It takes a novel-style approach, moving between the personal perspectives of Obama, Clintons I and II, Edwards, McCain and Pailin throughout the 2008 primaries and presedential race. Numerous behind the scenes advisors also have their portraits painted, and these are equally fascinating.
The book is eloquent in describing the sheer megalomania of any candidate for president: no More...
Dec 18, 2010
Kate
rated it:
This caught my eye this week while Christmas shopping, and from the moment I opened it Thursday night until now (Saturday night) I have not been able to put it down. The story this book tells is one of the most fast-paced, fascinating character-filled, incredible stories ever told, and the crazy part is that it's true! Two journalists tell the story of the 2008 Presidential election ("Obama ad the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime") in the style of a fiction novel
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Nov 04, 2010
Pam
rated it:
Two households, both alike in ambition and privilege,
In fair USA, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new drama,
Where uncivil tongues makes press hands unclean.
From forth the fatal parties of these foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers join their fates;
Whose misadventur’d extramarital affairs overthrows
Do with their defeats escalate their party's strife.
The fearful passage of their union-mark’d death for the ticket, More...
In fair USA, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new drama,
Where uncivil tongues makes press hands unclean.
From forth the fatal parties of these foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers join their fates;
Whose misadventur’d extramarital affairs overthrows
Do with their defeats escalate their party's strife.
The fearful passage of their union-mark’d death for the ticket, More...
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Sep 26, 2010
Joe
rated it:
I never imagined I'd read this book much less give it five stars. My contempt for sniveling co-author Mark Halperin could not be exaggerated and I wasn't sure I could stomach the treatment he would give the 2008 election. Plus, I knew this story. I had watched it unfold in realtime with an attention that bordered on obsessive-compulsive. However, from the first several pages, I confess I was spellbound.
Game Change is the almost lyrical, detailed account of the 2008 primaries and g More...
Game Change is the almost lyrical, detailed account of the 2008 primaries and g More...
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(3 people liked it)
Sep 01, 2010
T.
rated it:
There is very little to say about Game Change that isn’t immediately obvious to anyone who picks up the book. Game Change chronicles the 2008 (and leadup) primary and presidential elections.
Reasonably impartial and with a good balance between professionalism and relaxed prose the authors of Game change take us through the close contest between Clinton and Obama, the bizarre humiliation of Edwards and the shock choice of Sarah Palin as VP running mate for McCain.
The book i More...
Reasonably impartial and with a good balance between professionalism and relaxed prose the authors of Game change take us through the close contest between Clinton and Obama, the bizarre humiliation of Edwards and the shock choice of Sarah Palin as VP running mate for McCain.
The book i More...
Aug 16, 2010
John
rated it:
It's a cliche to say that the election of 2008 is one "for the books." As far back as the overturn of both the Senate and House in 2006, strong personalities started maneuvering for each party's nomination. Heilemann and Halperin weave a tight, and often brutally descriptive, narrative of the battles. The book breaks into three parts, the run for the Democratic nomination, the Republican nomination, and then the election itself. None of the major candidates or their campaigns get e
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Aug 11, 2010
Grace
rated it:
You really have to read this in the same vein as "Primary Colors" the fictionalized account of Clinton's 1992 race (fictionalized in that the characters aren't named Clinton, but are in suspiciously identical circumstances). Some of it's pieced together, some of it's assumed, all of it's anonymously sourced. So if you're used to footnotes and fact-checks... Go elsewhere.
Otherwise? This is a really good read! The Democratic primary scuffle is fascinating, and that's why More...
Otherwise? This is a really good read! The Democratic primary scuffle is fascinating, and that's why More...
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Jun 22, 2010
Mike
rated it:
So there are three clear take-aways from this book: One, all politicians are conniving self-centered egoists. Two, the vast majority of people who vote are uninformed idiots. Three, trying to get those idiots to vote for you (i.e. running a campaign) is really hard work.
Why would you need to read this book to get these points? You don't. The book is completely expendable. It will tell you nothing that you don't already know. That said, it's a fun read full of amusing anecdot More...
Why would you need to read this book to get these points? You don't. The book is completely expendable. It will tell you nothing that you don't already know. That said, it's a fun read full of amusing anecdot More...
Jun 12, 2010
Brad
rated it:
A guilty pleasure read. There's some good gossip and interesting insight into all of the candidates. But, the text is "thin." Heilemann and Halperin wrote the entire book like an extended newspaper article. Worse still, you can tell that a majority of the narrative is mish-mashed interviews sans quotation marks.
If you are even remotely interested in this book though, read the Edwards segments. It's like watching (or reading about) an epic trainwreck. There's a distu More...
If you are even remotely interested in this book though, read the Edwards segments. It's like watching (or reading about) an epic trainwreck. There's a distu More...
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(2 people liked it)
May 24, 2010
Gerald
rated it:
This was not the only book I read about the 2008 presidential campaign, but it was by far the best, and one of the best non-fiction reads of the year. It contains a huge amount of background taken from hundreds of interviews with principals of the campaigns, and it would appear that the author had amazing access to the movers and shakers.
There were so many good anecdotes that it is hard to know which to choose to share. It was very interesting to learn that many in Mr. McCain's staf More...
There were so many good anecdotes that it is hard to know which to choose to share. It was very interesting to learn that many in Mr. McCain's staf More...
May 12, 2010
Joe
rated it: 
Wow. I really hated every minute of reading this book. Sure, there were moments of amusement with an anecdote here or direct quote there. But it felt like reading a trashy crime novel with names of real people substituted in for "Rex the private dick" and "Lolly the scheming sex kitten". The most widespread criticism of "Game Change" has been that its authors made most of it up, and this feeling rings true throughout reading the book. There are places where the
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(3 people liked it)
Apr 16, 2010
Oldroses
rated it:
Having been bombarded by lots of juicy tidbits, I did something that I rarely do: I purchased a book the day it came out. I didn’t wait for a sale. I didn’t wait for the paperback. I bought it now because I had to have it now. I knew already that the Clintons have a dysfunctional marriage. That McCain chose Sarah Palin as a running mate in an attempt to steal the spotlight from Obama. I wanted the dirt on Obama.
Don’t get me wrong. I supported him throughout the campaign, voted for hi More...
Don’t get me wrong. I supported him throughout the campaign, voted for hi More...
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Apr 15, 2010
Anne
rated it:
Reading this book was for me what a year's subscription to People Magazine is to a normal person. But come on, I'm the woman who crushed on Mitt Romney from the 2002 Olympics until his pandering exit speech in 2008 when we finally broke up because I knew we were just too different to make it work.
While I ended up skimming several sections, I learned all kinds of juicy tidbits. For example: Bill and Hillary Clinton (bedrooms aside) actually love and depend on each other. Sarah Palin i More...
While I ended up skimming several sections, I learned all kinds of juicy tidbits. For example: Bill and Hillary Clinton (bedrooms aside) actually love and depend on each other. Sarah Palin i More...
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Apr 14, 2010
Vegantrav
rated it:
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 ap More...
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 ap More...
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