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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 324.9730931
EAN: 9780670021338
ISBN: 0670021334
Label: Viking Adult
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: November 03, 2009
Publisher: Viking Adult
Studio: Viking Adult
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
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 the remarkable campaign that led to the election of the first African American president.
For two years Plouffe worked side by side with Obama, charting the course of the campaign. His is the ultimate insider's tale, revealing both the strategies that delivered Obama to office and how the candidate and campaign handled moments of great challenge and opportunity. Moving from the deliberations about whether to run at all, through the epic primary battle with Hillary Clinton and the general election against John McCain, Plouffe showcases the high-wire gamesmanship that fascinated pundits and the drama and intrigue that captivated a nation.
The Audacity to Win chronicles the arrival of a new moment in American life at the convergence of digital technology and grassroots organization, and the exciting possibilities revealed by a campaign that in many ways functioned as a $1 billion start-up with laser-like focus and discipline. In this extraordinary book, David Plouffe unfolds one of the most important political stories of our time, one whose lessons are not limited to politics, but reach to the greatest heights of what we dream about for our country and ourselves.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
David Plouffe was President Obama's campaign manager. He wrote a very good book about how the campaign was run. It is hard to figure out how many stars to give his book. For political junkies (of whom I am one) it gets five stars. Just as the campaign was run, the book is clear, easy to read, and coherent about aims and reasoning The campaign and election were historic. What's not to like?
On the other hand, we have people who are interested in history but for whom the "sausage making" part of a political campaign tells them more than they care to know. Those people will definitely get bogged down in the book and possibly even be turned off by the whole political process because the book is very detailed. For those people I give the book two stars. (Good writing and lots of detail means it couldn't possibly be given only one star.) People don't have to know every little thing about a political campaign to be involved citizens or even to be involved in a campaign.
You know which person you are. You decide whether or not to read the book.
Rating: -
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, Plouffe provides a fascinating insider's look at how the the two historic matches against Hillary Clinton and John McCain played out the way they did.
Those who followed the campaign closely may find Plouffe's book both enlightening and nostalgic. For those still unfamiliar with the principles and goals of our current president, the book should provide a reassuring look into the heart of the man and the kind of organizations he builds. For anyone sick and tired of the constant media chatter about Palin, Beck, and the hysteria surrounding the Tea Party movement, the book offers a calm, intelligent respite.
"The president believes deeply that the American people want to have an honest and complex dialogue about the direction of the country," says Plouffe. I hope the president is right. If so, this book is a valuable contribution to the national discourse.
Rating:  -
Plouffe does not claim to be writing another entry in "The Making of the President" series. The book does not purport to be balanced. It's an insider's account of the successful Obama campaign from the primaries through the victory in the general election. It's pro-Obama to the extreme, so if that will turn your stomach, then this book is not for you. (Instead, pick up ASIN:0670021113 The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election).
This book should be required reading for any politicians or campaign managers that are going to attempt to defeat Obama in 2008. It wouldn't be a bad idea for pundits to study it as well so they know what they are talking about next time around (like those who claimed that Hispanics would not vote for a black man).
It's questionable whether the strategy described can be repeated because the circumstances will be different: Obama will have a record to defend. Nonetheless, it's fascinating to see how the campaign was managed from an insider's perspective, and to read some of the personal anecdotes. What made these guys think they could get elected president a junior senator who gave two notable speeches (an anti-war speech in 2003, and the keynote address at the DNC Convention in 2004) but otherwise had few accomplishments, who had a name that sounded like two of our enemies (Obama and Hussein), who just a few years before was just an unknown state senator, and who was black in a country where a black man had not yet been even a major party's nominee for president? Read this book and find out.
Rating:  -
It probably does not meet the level of tragedy, but this book is flawed in a significant way. There is no index. Readers with a photographic memory will be okay. Historians and political scientists wishing to document points about one of our nation's most historic presidential campaigns won't have an index to point them to a remembered tidbit. It's so sad. Beyond the thoroughly valid help provided to early-adopter readers, indexes extend the life of a substantive book such as this. Future authors cite the book easily with an index. These cites lead to inclusion in bibliographies and/or reference lists. Given quality material, potential new buyers will want to check out the source and will be late adopters of a well-indexed work. This process is more iffy is there is no index. Really quite sad for such an important volume as this.
Rating: -
No matter what your political stripes this book is a framework for the messaging, field work, and overall hard work it takes to win a Presidential campaign.
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