Want a NOOK? Explore Now
The veteran political journalist and New York Times bestselling author goes behind the scenes at the White House to recount the dramatic tale of a pivotal period in the Obama presidency, from the game-changing 2010 midterm elections to the beginning of the critical 2012 campaign season—a tumultuous time that tested the president as never before and set the stage for a titanic clash over the future of the nation
After Barack Obama's first two years as president—during which he navigated the United States through its severest economic crisis since the Great Depression while managing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq—he was faced with a bitterly divided nation and an emboldened political opposition dedicated to impeding his presidency. What followed was a year of political crises and fierce battles that would transform Obama and profoundly shape the terrain for the next election.
In Showdown, astute political journalist David Corn chronicles and examines this crucial time in the Obama presidency and its impact on the nation's future. Drawing on interviews with White House officials, Obama's inner circle, members of Congress, and others, Corn takes the reader into the Oval Office and the back rooms on Capitol Hill for a fast-paced and gripping account of the major events as they unfolded: the controversial tax-cut deal with Congress in December 2010; the repeal of Don't Ask/Don't Tell; the passage of the New START treaty; the near shutdown of the government in early 2011; the revolutionary Arab spring; the killing of Osama bin Laden; the intense, high-wire debt-ceiling negotiations (in which intransigent House Republicans risked the nation's financial standing); House Speaker John Boehner's erratic maneuvers during the rise and fall of the grand bargain; and the face-off between Obama and congressional Republicans over how best to create jobs.
Corn captures the dilemmas faced by a president assailed by disappointed progressives and defiantly obstructionist Republicans determined to see his defeat. Here is a chief executive trying to balance the cross-cutting demands of governance and politics while handling unending challenges at home and abroad. The book reveals a thoughtful leader with a cool head who is unafraid to take risks and make tough choices, a steely battler who successfully turned his enemies' obstinacy to his advantage. Obama has often frustrated supporters, but Corn shows how the president, who often puts pragmatism ahead of partisan demands, has craftily operated within a hostile conservative political climate, looking to win the long game, achieve progressive goals, and, ultimately, win reelection.
A vivid and powerful account of White House decision-making, Showdown offers a unique and enlightening look at the turbulent American political scene during one of the most consequential moments of the nation's history, and explains the fascinating and complicated leader at the heart of this vortex.
Introduction: Bending the Arc 1
Chapter 1 Before the Shellacking 17
Chapter 2 The Deal That Worked 45
Chapter 3 A Complete Win 79
Chapter 4 A Quiet Victory 102
Chapter 5 The Strategy 123
Chapter 6 Leaning Forward 149
Chapter 7 The Battle Begins 178
Chapter 8 Leading from Behind the Scenes 202
Chapter 9 The End of the Beginning 226
Chapter 10 Mission Accomplished 253
Chapter 11 Return of the Hostage Takers 278
Chapter 12 The Big Cross 303
Chapter 13 Obama Unleashed 350
Chapter 14 The Battle Ahead 388
Epilogue to the Paperback Edition 399
Acknowledgements 415
A Note on Sources 419
Index 425
Tim40744
Posted March 21, 2012
I don't often read books about politics; they tend to be either too dry or prone to histrionics. This book stays away from those extremes. David Corn has extensively interviewed individuals in the Obama administration and Congress and incorporated this information in a very readable account of the President's clashes with Republicans in Congress. Mr. Corn's knowledge of the machinations of Washington is impressive and it's evident in this book. Excellent book.
26 out of 27 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.RMSpraitz
Posted March 27, 2012
This look inside the wheels of power was a real eye opener and gave me a greater appreciation of what this president had (and still has) to overcome.
18 out of 19 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.NJBorne
Posted March 25, 2012
Corn provides a chronological efforts of this President to effect initiatives and policies towards job growth and such, and the concervatives attempt to foil. Provides insight in the President's and Conservatives' mindset and decision making. Provided the various reasons Liberals were rightly concernes. Great read.
14 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.cchalice
Posted June 7, 2012
We only hear one side of the story from the news. This book helps us to understand why the Obama Administration and the President himself acted in certain ways. Real life decisions are more complicated than sound bites.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MJS98
Posted March 21, 2012
I wish I could give it a "zero"
Very poorly written with many grammatical errors
Very disjointed...jumpps around from subject to subject
No value here,,,even if it were free
6 out of 42 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.M_S75
Posted September 19, 2012
A good look at the inner workings of the challenges Obama's administration faced throughout 2011. I'm guessing the title, or at least the sub-title, was the creation of the editor/publisher. The book does focus a lot on the "Showdown" that took place regarding the debt ceiling & Bush tax cuts. But it also deals with the Arab Spring, Libya, the killing of OBL, &c. A very insightful book, obviously sympathetic to the Obama administration but not sycophantically so.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 16, 2012
I didnt .
1 out of 32 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 4, 2013
He is our President
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 29, 2012
It was very interesting and kept my attention.
PatrickJ
Posted November 17, 2012
A lot of detail you won't otherwise get.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 16, 2012
Outside
0 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 4, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted April 3, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted March 27, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted October 8, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted February 17, 2013
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
The veteran political journalist and New York Times bestselling author goes behind the scenes at the White House to recount the dramatic tale of a pivotal period in the Obama presidency, from the game-changing 2010 midterm elections to the beginning of the critical 2012 campaign season—a tumultuous time that tested the president as never before and set the stage for a titanic clash over the future of the nation
After Barack Obama's first two years as president—during which ...