If you haven’t picked it up yet, Game Change, an expose of the politicking behind the 2008 presidential election cycle, is an interesting look at how elections are won nowadays. While I might have some political issues with Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, it turns out they are both pretty good writers. Their access, particularly to the inner echelons of the Democrats, allowed readers a glimpse into what may have been one of the most important primary battles in the history of the DNC.
Indeed, the best part of the book is devoted to the Democrat revolt against another Clinton in the White House and Barack Obama’s subsequent meteoric rise to prominence. Whether you like Barack Obama or not, you have to realize that his story is the most important part of understanding the 2008 election. While Halperin and Heilemann are (somewhat predictably) in the tank for the DNC’s new superstar, they do not shy away from showing Obama’s character flaws. It was a far fairer portrayal of the man that I thought I would get, and it definitely had none of the glossy, cover model perfection many news outlets seemed hell-bent on slathering all over the decidedly flawed candidate.
The poster for HBO's adaptation of Game Change. Oddly, there is no Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton in the shot... or the movie.
The publishers seemed to agree with my assessment that Obama is the prime important figure of the book as well. The full title of the book in the United States is Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime. In Britain they went even farther towards illustrating the importance of Obama by titling the book Race of a Lifetime: How Obama Won the White House. Yet, when HBO’s movie version of the book came out, Obama was not the subject of the tale. Neither was Hillary Clinton or John Edwards. Even McCain barely appeared. Instead the story was reduced to two hours about Sarah Palin, Steve Schmidt (McCain’s senior campaign strategist) and his staff – a mere fraction of the 300 page narrative from which the movie was supposedly crafted.
2 Comments
Good piece, Theo…
Theo…you take the classic conservative cry point about “victimization.” Hollywood has a liberal bias along with universities and higher education, mainstream media, science, etc. Do you ever ask yourself WHY all these insitutions have the alleged liberal biases that make you feel so threatened as a conservative? What have conservatives done to overcome these biases aside from cry about them? Do you really think this movie was focused on Palin because its a left wing conspiracy that will tear down conservatives–or do you merely think that given movies (like businesses) have to make money, focusing on the largest drama possible is a sure way to sell views? (sorry but the largest piece of drama in that book was the Palin/Schmidt relationship and what she did to the McCain candidacy.) I like your pieces, I just wish you would shy away from the conspiracy crap and constant “victim victim victim” BS.