Collision 2012: Obama Vs. Romney And The Future Of Elections In America (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
This book reads more like a collection of journalistic long-form articles on the Obama-Romney battle of 2012. I don't think it adds much in terms of personality to these men: much of Romney's persona is explored in news articles and also in the recent movie "Mitt"; and Obama is an enigma as always. The details behind polling, and the technology gap between campaigns are very interesting, and sheds light on how firmly in the stone age that Romney's campaign was stuck. The authors recount the entire 2012 presidential campaign, and the major strategic moves the various candidates employed. In the backdrop, the authors associate those campaign strategies with the pulse of the electorate. The United States has become a more diverse society, relative to 1980, for example, amongst whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians. Furthermore, various polarities are increasing prevalent amongst the electorate, being ideology based (‘red” or “blue”) or economics or other factors. The successful candidate tailors well with those trends, as well as avoids or minimizes the gaffes which are subject to our 24/7 electronic media. That is exactly what happened in the presidential election of 2012. While President Obama was running as an incumbent president on a challenging first term, he was vulnerable in the early going via his first term record on the economy and jobs. Governor Romney initially responded well to the economic challenge with President Obama, but was later victimized by three factors (e.g. no order of importance, and from this reader’s perspective): 1) The rise of Super PAC’s and the result of the Republican primary extending longer, cutting into invaluable time on the presidential campaign against President Obama, 2) The 47% gaffe and Hurricane Sandy’s timing (close to the Nov 2012 election), and 3) The superior GOTV campaign by President Obama. In the end, President Obama was victorious by a margin made possible through his intelligent campaign strategy. In conclusion, where the older days were the campaign for the ideas and ideals of America, today’s successful campaign requires intelligent strategies towards appeasing the electorate. A great read for anyone who is interested in the issues and challenges of a Presidential campaign.
What do You think about Collision 2012: Obama Vs. Romney And The Future Of Elections In America (2013)?
Even though I knew the ending I thoroughly enjoyed it , Dan Balz is just a terrific reporter.
—Or_else
Fun read about the 2012 election. Love all the details and inside stories.
—kewl
Could've been a nail biter if I didn't already know how it turns out. :)
—shanghaiet
