Showdown audiobook

Covering the period from the mid-term elections of 2010 to 2012, David Corn offers readers a look inside the Obama Administration through a host of battles. The overall takeaway is that Obama seriously wants to be the adult in the room in DC and tries his best to fulfill that mission. There is a lot of difference between campaigning, in which you can say whatever you like, stake out whatever positions you prefer and not have to temper your rhetoric to accommodate opposition, and actually having to run the federal government. Once in office, your opponents, who might not be able to keep you from talking, can prevent you from enacting your desired legislation unless you play ball. David Corn I am of the opinion that the president had staked out initial negotiating positions that were not nearly far enough to the left. At least propose single-payer. At least propose a public option. While Corn’s look into the administration thought process may not go far enough to remove that dissatisfaction it does offer very concrete reasons why Obama chose to do what he did in all the battles explored in this book. The item that stands out the most for me is how Obama was willing to take on considerable political risk, and go against the advice of many of his advisors, in deciding to go ahead with the Osama Bin-Laden mission. Major guts there. Hardly the no-brainer that it was portrayed as being by Mitt Romney. Also, how he approached the Libya uprising, seeing to the core of what was needed tactically and having the ability to maneuver the international politics towards that end. Obama is a much tougher and slicker character and deft political player than I had realized. Corn looks at several of the budget negotiations the administration entered into with Republican leadership. One thing that stood out very clearly is how much control John Boehner did not have over his barrel of Tasmanian-Devil Tea-Baggers. Whatever deal he made with the administration he was constantly back-tracking, denying he had said what he had said and basically proving to be an ineffective leader. Of course he always had to worry about House Whip, and full time reptile, Eric Cantor, trying his best to insert sharp objects between his ribs from the rear. It is remarkable that any deals were made with the Republicans at all. There are plenty of instances in which reasonable people might ask simple questions…had Obama allowed the Republicans to turn the national debate into nothing other than a debt seminar? “We can be faulted for this,” Axelrod said later. “Nobody anticipated the degree of Republican obstreperousness and implacability. We knew there would be strident voices, but the degree to which that tail would wag the dog—we didn’t assume.” Really? Don’t you guys read the papers, watch TV, check out internet sites? Yes, the administration most definitely can be faulted. They paid no attention at all to the thousands, probably hundreds of thousands, and maybe even millions of us who were sending the White House e-mails wondering why he could not see the obvious. This is a prime example of how politicos slip inside the DC bubble and fail to appreciate what is going on in the world beyond.Regarding an administration decision to scale back public statements critical of Republican opposition during budget negotiations:Axelrod subsequently explained. “The decision was made to go out and talk about jobs and the economy and allow the negotiations to proceed until the president needed to intervene.” And as Robert Gibbs put it, “It’s difficult to put out your right hand to shake their hands and then strike them with your left hand.“Why the hell not? The other side has no such compunctions. They never stopped accusing Obama of being an alien, never stopped claiming he was a secret Muslim, never stopped accusing him of being an anti-American, even a terrorist. Are they so completely lily-livered that they can dish it out but they can’t take it? Well, yes they clearly are, given their hysterical reaction to any criticism, but why should Democrats give these nut-job hypocrites an inch? They did not exactly soften their stance at the negotiating table because Obama kept the gloves on. The arena of public opinion counts, and it was, and remains important for progressives to not allow the fear-mongering and divisive hatred of the right to blare unchallenged. Bad call, Mister President.It is clear that when two parties at the negotiation table do not share core values there is trouble. Here, the president was determined to see that the American economic recovery suffered as few hits as possible, while the Tea-Bagger-driven Republicans would be more than happy to cause global economic chaos in order to get their way. So one comes away impressed, maybe less dissatisfied when one sees what the president is up against. It certainly increases our appreciation for the damage that might be done to our nation by the barbarians at the gate. The prospect of putting in charge of the country the same drivers who landed the national vehicle in a ditch is daunting enough. Now we have to worry about a party heavy with ideological Thelma and Louises, unwilling to wait for a bathtub drowning, who are champing at the bit to drive the country off a cliff. It is a lucky thing that we have an administration that can steer the ship of state away from such peril, and knows when to step on the brakes when needed. This is an enlightening read.=============================EXTRA STUFFLinks to the author’s Twitter and FB pagesCorn’s articles in Mother Jones

For a political news junkie like me, this book was a terrific find! I followed the events of the first three years of the Obama presidency as closely as possible, for someone not living in the nation's capital and not being on a first-name basis with major players. In Showdown, David Corn filled in many of the blanks, confirming my suspicions in some cases and surprising me in others. Clearly, besides being an outstanding writer, Corn has the integrity to get people to confide in him.If, like me, you are riveted, amused, and occasionally horrified by the world of American politics, I urge you to download Showdown to your Kindle today.

I'm biased, as I provided some research for the book, but Corn does a solid job of describing the Obama administration/Democratic perspective of the political struggles of 2010-2011. This first stab at the rough history of a year in the life of Obama's Washington, DC, chock full of insider accounts of decision-making, should prove valuable for future historians. The general thrust isn't necessarily new for anyone who read a daily newspaper during Obama's first term, but the perspective is fresh and well-written.

I got choked up a few times- this is a President... mature, controlled, long-sighted, moral & decent... We don't always get every single thing we want- sometimes compromise is necessary. Glad I read this book because it helped me understand some things I didn't pay much attention to while they were happening- a few Middle East uprisings, debt ceiling negotiations...

I liked this a whole lot more than I'd expected. I could tell from the title and cover that it was going to be very pro-Obama, and while that standpoint is definitely there, there's tons of great information and reporting in it as well.One of Corn's main arguments is that, contrary to what many liberals believe, President Obama did not "sell-out" his progressive base and bow to GOP pressure during his first term. Corn suggests that Obama actually out-maneuvered Republicans, using their vehement opposition to tax cuts to stealthily sneak through a second stimulus during the debt-ceiling negotiations and win other minor but significant legislative victories. Corn praises Obama's handling of the Republican opposition during the first term and presents a convincing argument that, given the political realities of the time, Obama did just about as good of a job at enacting liberal policy as could have been expected.There's also a lot of really great reporting in here about the Obama administration's dealings with the uprisings in Egypt and Libya, as well as the decision to assassinate Osama bin Laden. This is one of the less advertised portions of the book, but it's super fascinating and just as good as the legislative stuff.I'd like to read a counter-argument to this book...but then again, I'm sick to death of reading about internal deliberations within Obama's cabinet during the stimulus battles, so I'll probably just move on to something else. But this book is great; highly readable, very informative, and convincing in its argumentation.

I'm going to write a quick review, even though it will subject me to "unhelpful" votes [on amazon.com] from people who vote based on their disagreement with the politics, rather than whether this review is helpful.Well, I'm going to just say that this is a pro-Obama book. There. If you are anti-Obama, I just wrote a helpful review for you because -- let's face it -- you don't want to read it and I just saved you the time of reading it and the money if you would have bought it.For anyone who is pro-Obama or who is at least openminded enough to be interested in a review and analysis of the most recent year of his presidency, I recommend this book. It cuts through all the talking points and idiocy we've been exposed to (and all the lies about him being a socialist and not a natural-born citizen), and answers the question: What has Obama done? It's a great reminder that he is indeed working hard in the face of people who just want to bring him down at all costs.The most eye-opening element of the book is its exposure of just what a weasel Boehner is.The book is also well-written and organized. I am not naturally interested in long chapters on economics and fiscal policy. The author kindly broke up the controversy into several chapters, in between which there are chapters I would usually find more interesting (for example, a rundown of the decision and mission to kill Osama bin Laden).

David Corn is one of my favorite journalists, and his book about President Obama's first three years in office is very, very good. As someone who follows these things closely, I found that my memory of these occurrences jibed with what he recounted in this book. Some of my friends don't agree, but I've felt all along (and there are other friends who agree with me) that there were political machinations and considerations that we aren't privy to. It's not as easy as saying "The President just needs to sign executive orders and get things done." There are limits to what he can do in that regard.This book doesn't gloss over the President's early naivete in trying to deal with the Republicans. It was a hard lesson to learn, but based on his current tone, I'd say that he learned it well. There were mistakes made in communication, and in finding his footing, but he seems to have found his mojo again. Although this is obviously a book that is biased towards Obama (Corn works for Mother Jones, after all), I believe it is basically fair. If you're into politics, this is a really good read.

This is definitely a book for political junkies like myself. Goes into detail the chess-like moves required to 'get things done' during the first three years of the Obama Administration. I had to re-read certain segments as there were so many issues being tackled at once and a cast of characters to keep track of. The book actually ends in 2011 with the administration gearing up for the 2012 campaign. It was very cool to read about some of the stuff I was involved in. Overall, its a good read.

Written from the point of view from a supporter of President Obama, this book nonetheless gives an evenhanded look behind the scenes at the White House. You get a glimpse of how private dealings between the president and members of Congress - especially Speaker John Boehner - rarely match what the public sees and hears.Corn offers a very detailed account of the events and personalities in the struggles between the Executive and Legislative bodies in the months after the 2010 midterm elections.Highly recommended for anyone with a passion for politics.

Anyone who thinks that Obama has been a weak negotiator (and I included myself in that group) should read this eye-opening account of the strategizing and behind-the-scenes action during the second half of his first term.Key takeaway from the book: Boehner is a dick.

This book helped me to understand why Obama hasn't finished some of his campaign promises, but it was a little too much rah-rah for me. And I'm a rah-rah Obama fan. Good reporting on the bin Laden raid and some insight into Guantanamo.

Revealing glimpse of the practical and political forces influences that impact the short and long term decisions of those governing--showing how running government is a lot diferent than running for office.

Gripping. It should be read by every so called liberal, who claimed t.v. disappointed in Obama and who claims to understand our current political environment. I am reminded of the thought that cruelest cut came from Brutus. it is not enemy that I fear. It is my friend.

Good journalism from inside the White House.