What do you think?
The Year of Obama: How Barack Obama Won the White House
Best-selling author Larry J. Sabato once again brings together the nation's most perceptive analysts and shrewdest observers of American politics to analyze our most recent election: the historic election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States. This revealing new book by Larry Sabato and his team of experts contains exciting coverage and trenchant commentary on the most stunning election of our time. Peeling back the layers of the political, social, and demographic trends that helped thrust Barack Obama into the Oval Office, the authors of this book toss aside conventional wisdom about 2008 and substitute thoughtful, deeper - and until now, ignored - interpretations of the events and environment that elected our new president. Features- Includes contributed chapters from some of the foremost analysts and scholars who had a front row seat for the campaigns and election, including Justin Sizemore, Rhodes Cook, Alan Abramowitz, Bruce Larson, Michael Toner, Diana Owen, Jeff Gulati, Michael Cornfield, Alex Theodoridis, and Susan MacManus. Each author presents different perspectives on the results, and the resulting mosaic gives readers a comprehensive outlook on the election. - Provides complete and engaging analysis of the most important issues and events leading to Barack Obama's election, including the political environment for Republicans, the impact of federal election law, state and party rules, the conventions, the impact of "traditional" and "new" media, and the use of new technologies. The authors avoid trendy, tired, and overused political commentary and instead focus on pragmatic research and analysis with practical applications for the reader. - Features original chapters written by Larry Sabato, a nationally renowned election scholar and commentator. - Connects the reader with additional sources of information and opinion beyond the content of the book. - Offers as much for the classroom as it does for the casual reader. Table of ContentsIntroduction Larry Sabato1. Conventions: The Significance of an American Institution Justin Sizemore2. The Election of Our Lifetime Larry Sabato3. From Republican Lock to Republican Lockout Rhodes Cook4. How Obama Won and What It Means Alan Abramowitz5. The Congressional and Gubernatorial Candidates Bruce Larson6. The Impact of Federal Election Law in 2008 Michael Toner7. Media in the 2008 Election: 21st Century Campaign Diana Owen8. The New Media Environment and the 2008 Election Jeff Gulati9. New Technology and the 2008 Election Michael Cornfield10. Did the Rules Decide? Alex TheodoridisConclusion Susan MacManus About the AuthorLarry J. Sabato is the founder and director of the Center for Politics and the Robert Kent Gooch professor of Politics at the University of Virginia. He is the author of more than twenty books including "Feeding Frenzy: Attack Journalism & American Politics," "The Sixth Year Itch: The Rise and Fall of the George W. Bush Presidency," and "A More Perfect Constitution: 23 Proposals to Revitalize our Constitution and Make America A Fairer Country."
- GenresPolitics
304 pages, Paperback
First published December 16, 2008
About the author
Larry J. Sabato
90 books24 followersLarry Joseph Sabato is an American political scientist and political analyst. He is the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, where he is also the founder and director of the Center for Politics, which works to promote civic engagement and participation. The Center for Politics is also responsible for the publication of Sabato's Crystal Ball, an online newsletter and website that provides free political analysis and electoral projections.
He is well known in American political media as a popular pundit, and is interviewed frequently by a variety of sources.
Sabato grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, graduating from Norfolk Catholic High School in 1970. Four years later, he graduated from the University of Virginia. A 1974 Cavalier Daily poll showed more people could identify Sabato as student government president than could name Edgar Finley Shannon Jr. as University president. Sabato graduated Phi Beta Kappa as a Government major. He followed his undergraduate degree with graduate study at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs for one year. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1975, which brought him to study at Queen's College, Oxford. In less than two years he earned his doctorate in politics from Oxford.
Prior to his time as a political analyst, Sabato worked for nine years with Virginia Democratic Party politician Henry Howell. At the age of 15, Sabato joined Howell's first campaign for the Virginia governorship in 1968, and then worked on his successful run for lieutenant governor in 1971, and his campaigns for governor in 1973 and 1977.
Sabato is of Italian heritage.
Before becoming an academic at the University of Virginia, Sabato published works on the rise of two-party politics in the southern United States, most notably his 1977 publication of The Democratic Party Primary in Virginia: Tantamount to Election No Longer. In 1978, Sabato became a member of the faculty at the University of Virginia. Since then he has engaged in research and taught more than 14,000 students.
He is a University Professor and the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia.
In 2005, Sabato made a $1 million contribution to UVA, the largest gift ever given by a faculty member.
Sabato is the author of over twenty books on politics, including Feeding Frenzy: Attack Journalism and American Politics and The Rise of Political Consultants: New Ways of Winning Elections. He is the co-author of Dirty Little Secrets: The Persistence of Corruption in American Politics with Glenn R. Simpson.
In January 2011, he published Pendulum Swing, which analyzed the 2010 midterm elections and the potential effect of Republican Party victories on the 2012 presidential, congressional, and state-level elections.
Prior to Pendulum Swing, Sabato authored The Year of Obama in 2009 and A More Perfect Constitution in 2007, which discussed his ideas for amending the U.S. Constitution. Other Sabato books include The Sixth Year Itch: The Rise and Fall of the George W. Bush Presidency, Divided States of America: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election, and Get in the Booth! A Citizen's Guide to the 2004 Election, and writes for Sabato's Crystal Ball. He has written textbooks used by high school and college American government classes, and has been a frequent guest analyst on cable news outlets and radio programs.
His book The Kennedy Half-Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy was published in 2013. It focuses on John F. Kennedy's life, administration, and assassination and contains research from focus groups, polling, and interviews with colleagues and eyewitnesses. After analyzing evidence regarding the assassination, Sabato discredited the 1979 United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) conclusion of a possible second shooter, stating that it was "blown out the w
He is well known in American political media as a popular pundit, and is interviewed frequently by a variety of sources.
Sabato grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, graduating from Norfolk Catholic High School in 1970. Four years later, he graduated from the University of Virginia. A 1974 Cavalier Daily poll showed more people could identify Sabato as student government president than could name Edgar Finley Shannon Jr. as University president. Sabato graduated Phi Beta Kappa as a Government major. He followed his undergraduate degree with graduate study at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs for one year. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1975, which brought him to study at Queen's College, Oxford. In less than two years he earned his doctorate in politics from Oxford.
Prior to his time as a political analyst, Sabato worked for nine years with Virginia Democratic Party politician Henry Howell. At the age of 15, Sabato joined Howell's first campaign for the Virginia governorship in 1968, and then worked on his successful run for lieutenant governor in 1971, and his campaigns for governor in 1973 and 1977.
Sabato is of Italian heritage.
Before becoming an academic at the University of Virginia, Sabato published works on the rise of two-party politics in the southern United States, most notably his 1977 publication of The Democratic Party Primary in Virginia: Tantamount to Election No Longer. In 1978, Sabato became a member of the faculty at the University of Virginia. Since then he has engaged in research and taught more than 14,000 students.
He is a University Professor and the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia.
In 2005, Sabato made a $1 million contribution to UVA, the largest gift ever given by a faculty member.
Sabato is the author of over twenty books on politics, including Feeding Frenzy: Attack Journalism and American Politics and The Rise of Political Consultants: New Ways of Winning Elections. He is the co-author of Dirty Little Secrets: The Persistence of Corruption in American Politics with Glenn R. Simpson.
In January 2011, he published Pendulum Swing, which analyzed the 2010 midterm elections and the potential effect of Republican Party victories on the 2012 presidential, congressional, and state-level elections.
Prior to Pendulum Swing, Sabato authored The Year of Obama in 2009 and A More Perfect Constitution in 2007, which discussed his ideas for amending the U.S. Constitution. Other Sabato books include The Sixth Year Itch: The Rise and Fall of the George W. Bush Presidency, Divided States of America: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election, and Get in the Booth! A Citizen's Guide to the 2004 Election, and writes for Sabato's Crystal Ball. He has written textbooks used by high school and college American government classes, and has been a frequent guest analyst on cable news outlets and radio programs.
His book The Kennedy Half-Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy was published in 2013. It focuses on John F. Kennedy's life, administration, and assassination and contains research from focus groups, polling, and interviews with colleagues and eyewitnesses. After analyzing evidence regarding the assassination, Sabato discredited the 1979 United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) conclusion of a possible second shooter, stating that it was "blown out the w
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
April 10, 2010
Very Interesting! I skimmed over some of the charts and graphs and extremely detailed data.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review