Double Down: Game Change 2012 Paperback – October 28, 2014

This is a comprehensive and surprisingly unbiased account of the 2012 campaign and the backstories behind the candidates who took part in it. The book is in three parts, each of which is comprehensive enough to be a stand-alone book in its own right.The first "book" (Part I) is the backstory of Obama's Presidency from 2008 to 2012. This was my least favorite part because it was clinically written without much emotion or new insights. Authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann describes Obama as a moderate, pragmatic sort of person who has as little use for the self-serving Black Civil Rights establishment as he does for the Conservative Tea Party activists. According to Halperin (a Conservative) and Heilemann, Obama may come across at times as a petulant professor, but he's hardly the extreme Liberal-verging-on-Marxist maniac that has taken root in popular Conservative folklore.Halperin and Heilemann give a fair account of Obama's political battles with the Republican House of Representatives over healthcare reform, banking bailouts, and federal budgets. But a politically savvy reader will already be familiar with this material. I'd suggest skimming this part or skipping it altogether and getting started with the second part, which makes the book a worthwhile read.The second part --- describing the Republican primary candidates' machinations to win the nomination --- has all the drama and excitement you'd expect in a political bookIt starts out with a fair-minded account of Mitt Romney's career. Nothing new here, because Mitt has been around long enough for most of us to know his story. He's one of those incorruptible personalities whose scandal-free life seems dull by its very absence of misconduct. The only surprise is that the real money brokers in the Republican party seem to have viewed Mitt as a penny-ante operator:======Trump was publicly sniffy about Romney as a capitalist, denigrating him as a "small-business guy," and privately disdainful of Bain. "They'd buy a company and fire everyone," he told his associates.=======Where my interest was really piqued was in Halperin and Heilemann bringing to life the second-tier challengers like Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump, Mitch Daniels, Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry, Tim Pawlenty, Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum.Jeb Bush and Mike Huckabee had spent years as low-paid governors of their states. They had belatedly achieved comfortable wealth in the private sector after retiring from public service. Going into 2012 they had to face the agonizing decision of whether to risk every penny of their personal wealth on the time-consuming and expensive campaign to be President. Little wonder that they declined to enter the contest.I especially enjoyed the curious stories of tension between fellow Minnesotans Tim Pawlenty and Michelle Bachmann who appear to have detested each other as bitter home state rivals. The same close rivalry poisoned relations between fellow Utah Mormons Mitt Romney and John Huntsman. Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and Newt Gingrich also have their interesting personal and professional stories told, usually in good-natured ways.And I LOVED the antics of Republican campaign consultants Karl Rove and the delightfully mischievous Ed Rollins. The candidates may have been courteous to each other in the television debates, but their professional campaign staffs dished the dirt behind the scenes. If the authors' sources are correct, minor candidate Jon Huntsman's impish staff sabotaged Mitt Romney's campaign by leaking information about his overseas tax havens and brought down Herman Cain by going public with the womanizing stories.I came away disappointed with Donald Trump, whose three billion dollars would have enabled him to campaign. But Trump let his devotion to personal fame and fortune trump his desire to serve the American people by campaigning to be their President. He felt that running for public office would cost him money by taking him away from his business.But the most meaningful insight is about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. The book should be read for that reason alone. Halperin and Heilemann don't cheerlead for any candidate, but the stories of Governor Christie as told through the eyes of others is a powerful endorsement of him as a candidate for 2016.The Third Part of the book, about the presidential race between Obama and Romney, is, like the first part, only so-so. That's probably because most of the stories are still fresh on our minds --- the Bain Capital controversies; Obama's dreadful first debate; Romney's "47% moochers and takers" gaffe; and Romney's search for a running mate that culminated the selection of Paul Ryan.The strength of this book --- its completeness --- is also its weakness. Some may feel that it is TOO complete. For example, I was not at all interested in the pages devoted to minor non-candidate Haley Barbour who never got into the Republican primaries. There is also a "facts, just the facts" tone to the book. There is no opinionating by the author about WHY the nomination process and the election turned out the way it did. The dry facts are presented, and the readers are left to draw their own conclusions.The book is more like an encyclopedia of pick-and-choose topics. I spent most of my time on Part II, which by itself justified the purchase. The entertaining dramas of the Republicans competing against each other made for some delightful stories, as well as getting to know these second-tier candidates (some of whom will be first-tier in 2016 or 2020) made this a worthwhile read. The best was the part devoted to understanding what makes Governor Chris Christie tick. I came away feeling even more comfortable with him as a Republican candidate for 2016 than I already was.The book may be over-long and perhaps contains some material that is not of the highest interest. BUT it is THE encyclopedia of the 2012 political campaigns, the candidates who participated in them, and the backstories that went into making the candidates and their campaigns. It's the one "all you need to know" source for the life and times of every political personality of any relevance to the 2012 campaign.

We know how the election of 2012 ended but in Double Down we learn just how Hobbesian campaigning for the Presidency can be; it's a bloody, nasty, brutish game and makes one wonder why on earth any sane person would want to go through it. Halperin and Heilemann have written a fascinating account of the election and are objective, fair, even sympathetic to the two major candidates and to some of the other Republican primary candidates. The strengths and weaknesses of both men are there for readers to see. Obama is cool, rational, introspective, and hates campaigning. Romney is also basically cool, rational, but perhaps not as introspective, and it is obvious that he hated aspects of campaigning as well. What is surprising is the fact that despite his managerial skills, his campaign was not well managed and his staff was not kept under tighter reins by whoever was supposed to be in charge. The writers mention Romney's leader vomiting backstage after the Clint Eastwood debacle and my reaction was "well, who was responsible for that? Certainly not Romney." Management is certainly not one of Obama's strengths but his campaign was much better run with clear lines of responsibility, despite the leaks, infighting and personal jealousies. Some of the highlights, both major and minor items, that stay in mind are the following. 1) Rick Perry's spinal operation was far more serious than was announced. Considering the pain and discomfort he was feeling, the pain killers he was taking, and his inability to sleep, it is a marvel that he was able to stand up for ninety minutes during the debates and even remember his name, much less recall the Department of Energy in the "oops" incident. 2) Christie is a fascinating character and will be a strong contender, but he may be carrying some baggage that came up during the vetting process. 3) Donald Trump is a publicity seeking clown, but we knew that. 4) Candidates have to do a lot of sucking up (sorry, but that is the expression that fits) to rich men to get the donations needed. Is this really how any one who wants to be the leader of a great nation should spend his time? 5) It is never made clear just why no one liked Romney, not the politicians, not the party, and not even the ultra rich financiers and bankers to whom he had to go hat in hand. The man had problems, many self inflicted, but the dislike for him is visceral (just as it is for Obama for that matter). Actually, after reading this, one can see him as a rather vulnerable and sympathetic character. Okay, I even began to feel sorry for him. 6) Romney himself had no clue to why he was disliked and seemingly did not understand the nature of his maladroit comments and flipflop actions. 7) Obama, on the other hand, can face reality. He may not like what he sees, but he can face it, as per "the list" and the self analysis after the first debate. 8) Karl Rove does not mess with Barbara Bush. Glad to see that someone does intimidate this man! 9) The candidates, barring Gingrich and perhaps Bachmann, usually managed to stay rational and on point. The really nasty, nasty, nasty work was done by their operatives, who were as ambitious, profane, and ethically challenged a bunch as can be imagined. 10) Huntsman was not the clean cut boy scout that many believed. His campaign staff was responsible for leaking information about other candidates. 11) The wives, and not just Michelle Obama and Ann Romney, have a great deal of influence over their husbands. When they say no, that's a real no. The wives of Pawlenty, Christie, Daniels and Huntsman come across as strong women and their husbands pay attention to what they have to say. The story of the 2012 election is fascinating but it is appalling at the same time. Why, in a democratic nation as the US, do our potential leaders have to go through so much physical and psychological turmoil and stress in seeking the Presidency? I suppose one reason could be that it helps prepare the winner to deal with the likes of Putin , and all the foreign and domestic calamities that face the President, but it comes at a terribly high cost. One major question left unanswered: who among Obama's staff leaked the information about "the list" to the writers?

Probably due to the nature of the race, this book isn't quite as engaging as "Race of a Lifetime". But it does give a fascinating insight into the money machine that American politics has become, and how for all the appearances of the political machinations that occur, at the heart of it all are real people with their own strengths and weaknesses trying to navigate their way through a myriad of expectations. It reminds me of Alanis Morrisette's description of fame as something that doesn't really change who you are, but amplifies your various personality traits.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced account of the US Presidential Election of 2012. The authors give a detailed description of the twists and turns of the electoral cycle and in fairness it reads like an adventure story. The characters are well drawn and the authors narration of events is authentic and supported by other sources. The contest for the Republican Party nomination and the travails of Mitt Romney the eventual nominee is especially entertaining. The picture of Romney that emerges is of a far more humane and complex man than the one portrayed by the mainstream media. According to this book it would appear that the problem for Romney was that his humanity and complexity held no appeal for the Republican base, especially its Tea Party wing. There is little new in the portrait of President Obama in this book. His strengths and weaknesses are as they were in 2008 and there is no real evidence of change or evolution in his thinking and attitudes to the political process.My main criticism of the book is that it moves swiftly along through the controversies and calamities of the election with undue haste and without sufficient reflection on the underlying causes of the various events that made this election one of the most keenly fought and bitter contests in a very long time. The scale of President Obama's victory obscures the fact that both camps had genuine reasons to fear they would lose the election and that almost to the very end the outcome was in the balance. That sense of fear and suspense is well captured in this book and for that reason I rate it highly and would recommend it as an entertaining and enjoyable read.

I started reading this book with the feeling that I'd be getting into a partisan account of the 2012 election. On the contrary, I was very much surprised to get through a thoroughly enjoyable and deeply interesting behind-the-scenes narrative on the recent elections. Really captures the emotions and political games behind the election cycle.Highly reccommended to fellow political junkies!

Once again the boys here written a very interesting book. For those seeking to understand how Obama got elected for the second time then this will deepen your understanding. This book mainly concentrates on the Romney campaign but nevertheless I believe it will improve your understanding about American elections. A good read for those of us who like political books.

Clever and insightful analysis of how Romney moved through nomination and then the election race with Obama.Some clear core themes - Obama's constancy versus Romney's capacity for gaffes, echo throughout the tale, yet get developed and refined as events unfold.Even though we all know-how the ending, the book targets pace and maintains its grip. The story behind live debates is a strong part of the momentum.Obviously as an Englishman, I am excluded, but this would be essential reading for a 2016 candidate!