Random House New Releases - Political Science - Elections - Between May 21, 2012 and June 20, 2013.

The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) by Jonathan Martin

2012-12-17T00:30:00-05:00

The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012)
Written by Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Martin

The fourth and final eBook in POLITICO’s Playbook 2012 series once again provides an unprecedented minute-by-minute account of the race for the presidency. The End of the Line follows President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney as their campaign teams go all-in to win in the critical final weeks of the 2012 election.

From Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” video to Clint Eastwood’s speech to an empty chair, the 2012 presidential campaign did not lack for memorable moments. In The End of the Line, POLITICO senior White House reporter Glenn Thrush and senior political reporter Jonathan Martin chronicle every hairpin turn in a race that defied the predictions of pundits and prognosticators.

While some political observers considered Barack Obama’s reelection far from a sure thing, the president and his team remained resolute in their belief that they would prevail. In Boston, Mitt Romney’s advisers were just as confident that their man was headed for a smashing victory. In the end, only one of those views would be validated by events. The outcome of this election was never foreordained, however, and would ultimately be determined by two candidates, three debates, and a thousand small but critical strategic decisions.

With an eye toward writing a “first draft of history,” Thrush and Martin report on the intense internal debates over ad strategy that defined the parameters of the fall campaign—including a crucial late-May decision by the Obama campaign that may have tipped the scales in the president’s favor. They provide a behind-the-scenes look at the candidates’ debate preparation sessions, and they reveal why Romney’s campaign was so confident they were going to win.

The action climaxes on election night, as the opposing camps huddle nervously in their hotel suites to await the verdict of the voters. The End of the Line reveals for the first time what the Obama brain trust really thought about the agonizingly long wait for Romney’s official concession—and what happened after Obama put the telephone to his ear and heard the words “Hello, Mr. President, it’s Mitt Romney.”

No one could have predicted all the twists and turns of the 2012 election—and no one was better equipped to chronicle them than the POLITICO team. The End of the Line is frontline campaign reporting at its finest, meticulously reported and compulsively readable.

The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) by Mike Chamberlain

2012-12-17T00:30:00-05:00

The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012)
Written by Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Martin
Read by Mike Chamberlain

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits by Ted Rall

2012-09-25T00:30:00-05:00

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps
Written by Greg Palast
Illustrated by Ted Rall
Introduction by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

A close presidential election in November could well come down to contested states or even districts--an election decided by vote theft? It could happen this year. Based on Greg Palast and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s investigative reporting for Rolling Stone and BBC television, Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps might be the most important book published this year--one that could save the election.

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits names the filthy-rich sugar-daddies who are super-funding the Super-PACs of both parties--billionaires with nicknames like "The Ice Man," "The Vulture" and, of course, The Brothers Koch. Told with Palast's no-holds-barred, reporter-on-the-beat style, the facts as he lays them out are staggering. What emerges in Billionaires & Ballot Bandits is the never-before-told-story of the epic battle being fought behind the scenes between the old money banking sector that still supports Obama, and the new hedge fund billionaires like Paul Singer who not only support Romney but also are among his key economic advisors. Although it has not been reported, Obama has shown some backbone in standing up to the financial excesses of the men behind Romney. Billionaires & Ballot Bandits exposes the previously unreported details on how operatives plan to use the hundreds of millions in Super-PAC money pouring into this election. We know the money is pouring in, but Palast shows us the convoluted ways the money will be used to suppress your vote.

The story of the billionaires and why they want to buy an election is matched with the nine ways they can steal the election. His story of the sophisticated new trickery will pick up on Palast's giant New York Times bestseller, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.

Tension City by Jim Lehrer

2012-09-25T00:30:00-05:00

Tension City Inside the Presidential Debates
Written by Jim Lehrer

With an update by the author for the 2012 election

A veteran newsman who has presided over eleven presidential and vice-presidential debates, Jim Lehrer gives readers a ringside seat for some of the epic political battles of our time, shedding light on all of the critical turning points and rhetorical faux pas that helped determine the outcome of America’s presidential elections. Drawing on his own experiences as “the man in the middle seat,” in-depth interviews with the candidates and his fellow moderators, and transcripts of key exchanges, Lehrer illuminates what he calls the “Major Moments” and “killer questions” that defined the debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain. In this paperback edition, he also offers his expert analysis of the 2012 Republican primary debates.

Asked to sum up his experience as a participant in high-level televised debates, President George H. W. Bush memorably likened them to an evening in “tension city.” In Jim Lehrer’s absorbing account, we find out that truer words were never spoken.

“A brisk and engaging memoir.”—The Washington Post

“Enthralling . . . remarkable . . . a wonderful political memoir.”—Bookreporter

“A really good read . . . [There is] no debating quality of Jim Lehrer’s book.”—Associated Press

“Jim Lehrer is a national monument, and this riveting book shows how he became America’s moderator.”—Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage

“A political junkie’s backstage pass.”—The Capital Times

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits by Ted Rall

2012-09-18T00:30:00-05:00

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps
Written by Greg Palast
Illustrated by Ted Rall
Introduction by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

NOW A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

A close presidential election in November could well come down to contested states or even districts--an election decided by vote theft? It could happen this year. Based on Greg Palast and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s investigative reporting for Rolling Stone and BBC television, Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps might be the most important book published this year--one that could save the election. Last week Billionaires & Ballot Bandits debuted on the NYT Bestseller list at #10 in paperback nonfiction.

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits names the filthy-rich sugar-daddies who are super-funding the Super-PACs of both parties--billionaires with nicknames like "The Ice Man," "The Vulture" and, of course, The Brothers Koch. Told with Palast's no-holds-barred, reporter-on-the-beat style, the facts as he lays them out are staggering. What emerges in Billionaires & Ballot Bandits is the never-before-told-story of the epic battle being fought behind the scenes between the old money banking sector that still supports Obama, and the new hedge fund billionaires like Paul Singer who not only support Romney but also are among his key economic advisors. Although it has not been reported, Obama has shown some backbone in standing up to the financial excesses of the men behind Romney. Billionaires & Ballot Bandits exposes the previously unreported details on how operatives plan to use the hundreds of millions in Super-PAC money pouring into this election. We know the money is pouring in, but Palast shows us the convoluted ways the money will be used to suppress your vote.

The story of the billionaires and why they want to buy an election is matched with the nine ways they can steal the election. His story of the sophisticated new trickery will pick up on Palast's giant New York Times bestseller, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.

The Victory Lab by Sasha Issenberg

2012-09-11T00:30:00-05:00

The Victory Lab The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns
Written by Sasha Issenberg

The book Politico calls “Moneyball for politics” shows how cutting-edge social science and analytics are reshaping the modern political campaign.

Renegade thinkers are crashing the gates of a venerable American institution, shoving aside its so-called wise men and replacing them with a radical new data-driven order. We’ve seen it in sports, and now in The Victory Lab, journalist Sasha Issenberg tells the hidden story of the analytical revolution upending the way political campaigns are run in the 21st century.
The Victory Lab follows the academics and maverick operatives rocking the war room and re-engineering a high-stakes industry previously run on little more than gut instinct and outdated assumptions. Armed with research from behavioural psychology and randomized experiments that treat voters as unwitting guinea pigs, the smartest campaigns now believe they know who you will vote for even before you do. Issenberg tracks these fascinating techniques—which include cutting edge persuasion experiments, innovative ways to mobilize voters, heavily researched electioneering methods—and shows how our most important figures, such as Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, are putting them to use with surprising skill and alacrity.
Provocative, clear-eyed and energetically reported, The Victory Lab offers iconoclastic insights into political marketing, human decision-making, and the increasing power of analytics.

The Victory Lab by Sasha Issenberg

2012-09-11T00:30:00-05:00

The Victory Lab The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns
Written by Sasha Issenberg

The Victory Lab by Michael Goldstrom

2012-09-11T00:30:00-05:00

The Victory Lab The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns
Written by Sasha Issenberg
Read by Michael Goldstrom

How Barack Obama Won by Sheldon Gawiser

2012-08-28T00:30:00-05:00

How Barack Obama Won A State-by-State Guide to the Historic 2008 Presidential Election
Written by Chuck Todd and Sheldon Gawiser

This detailed overview and analysis of the results of Barack Obama’s historic 2008 presidential win gives us the inside state-by-state guide to how Obama achieved his victory, and allows us to see where the country stood four years ago.

Although much has changed in the nearly four years since, How Barack Obama Won remains the essential guide to Obama’s electoral strengths and offers important perspective on his 2012 bid.

The votes in each state for Obama and McCain are broken down by percentage according to gender, age, race, party, religious affiliation, education, household income, size of city, and according to views about the most important issues (the economy, terrorism, Iraq, energy, healthcare), the future of the economy (worried, not worried) and the war in Iraq (approve, disapprove).

Obama's Last Stand: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) by Mike Chamberlain

2012-08-20T00:30:00-05:00

Obama's Last Stand: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012)
Written by Glenn Thrush and Politico
Read by Mike Chamberlain
Introduction by Evan Thomas

A series of on the 2012 presidential election, POLITICO’s Playbook 2012 provides an unprecedented real-time account of the race for the White House. The third edition, Obama’s Last Stand, follows the reelection campaign of President Barack Obama as it struggles to find the winning formula in a political landscape that has changed dramatically since his history-making victory in 2008.

Though battered and bruised after nearly four years in office, Barack Obama remains the most competitive player on the field in American politics today. In Obama’s Last Stand, POLITICO White House correspondent Glenn Thrush chronicles the efforts of the president and his team to secure a second term in the face of a determined opposition, unfavorable economic headwinds, and a series of missteps by his own team.

This is a revealing portrait of the president at the most precarious moment in his political life, with insights and anecdotes drawn straight from the notebook of one of the most perceptive reporters in America. The trash-talking schoolyard athlete in Obama is very much in evidence, especially when he speaks caustically about his Republican rivals, including the man he thinks is trying to steal his legacy, Mitt Romney.

Yet apart from Romney and the uncertain economy, Obama’s greatest obstacle on the road to reelection may be Obama 2008. He and his team of talented advisers must try to reconcile their nostalgia for that once-in-a-lifetime campaign with the realities of an election fundamentally altered by the advent of super PACs and the evaporation of Obama’s superstar popularity. That challenge has led a campaign operation that once prided itself on flawless execution of strategy to commit several of the most dangerous unforced errors of Obama’s political career.

Yet the game is far from over. If Obama is sometimes his own worst enemy, he also has the talent and drive to reclaim this race. Spurred on by the realistic prospect of losing, and growing ever more impatient with the foibles of his campaign staff, Obama the competitor is gearing up for the most critical fourth quarter of his career. This is the story of the last stand that will either cement his legacy forever—or consign him to a roster of once-promising one-term presidents.

Obama's Last Stand: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) by Evan Thomas

2012-08-20T00:30:00-05:00

Obama's Last Stand: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012)
Written by Glenn Thrush and Politico
Introduction by Evan Thomas

A series of four instant eBooks on the 2012 presidential election, POLITICO’s Playbook 2012 provides an unprecedented real-time account of the race for the White House. The third edition, Obama’s Last Stand, follows the reelection campaign of President Barack Obama as it struggles to find the winning formula in a political landscape that has changed dramatically since his history-making victory in 2008.

Though battered and bruised after nearly four years in office, Barack Obama remains the most competitive player on the field in American politics today. In Obama’s Last Stand, POLITICO White House correspondent Glenn Thrush chronicles the efforts of the president and his team to secure a second term in the face of a determined opposition, unfavorable economic headwinds, and a series of missteps by his own team.

This is a revealing portrait of the president at the most precarious moment in his political life, with insights and anecdotes drawn straight from the notebook of one of the most perceptive reporters in America. The trash-talking schoolyard athlete in Obama is very much in evidence, especially when he speaks caustically about his Republican rivals, including the man he thinks is trying to steal his legacy, Mitt Romney.

Yet apart from Romney and the uncertain economy, Obama’s greatest obstacle on the road to reelection may be Obama 2008. He and his team of talented advisers must try to reconcile their nostalgia for that once-in-a-lifetime campaign with the realities of an election fundamentally altered by the advent of super PACs and the evaporation of Obama’s superstar popularity. That challenge has led a campaign operation that once prided itself on flawless execution of strategy to commit several of the most dangerous unforced errors of Obama’s political career.

Yet the game is far from over. If Obama is sometimes his own worst enemy, he also has the talent and drive to reclaim this race. Spurred on by the realistic prospect of losing, and growing ever more impatient with the foibles of his campaign staff, Obama the competitor is gearing up for the most critical fourth quarter of his career. This is the story of the last stand that will either cement his legacy forever—or consign him to a roster of once-promising one-term presidents.

The Gospel According to the Fix by Chris Cillizza

2012-07-10T00:30:00-05:00

The Gospel According to the Fix An Insider's Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics
Written by Chris Cillizza

A divine guide to deciphering the sinful world of American politics, from the author of the Washington Post's The Fix

The political world is full of acronyms, shortcuts, and lingoes that stand as a barrier to entry for anyone not in the business. The onset of social media has only made that barrier higher, as insiders tweet furiously to one another in a language most of us can't even understand. Everyday Americans and even political junkies need a how-to manual for understanding what words matter in this arena and why.

Enter Brother Chris Cillizza and The Gospel According to the Fix--an essential guide to the wonderfully odd religion of politics. Based on his highly popular blog, The Gospel According to the Fix will teach you something new about politics, no matter who you are and whom you know. In our torturous political climate, this Gospel is the one true source for comprehending what the heck is going on in DC. Chapter and verse, this political Gospel will include parables the likes of:

• Why Ron Paul’s candidacy is a lot like the TV show Friday Night Lights
• What it takes to be Richard Ben Cramer and write the political classic What It Takes
• The top ten negative campaign ads of all time
• The top ten issues candidates should be discussing but aren’t because of the economy
• The dos and don’ts of surviving a political sex scandal

The Gospel According to the Fix by Chris Cillizza

2012-07-10T00:30:00-05:00

The Gospel According to the Fix An Insider's Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics
Written by Chris Cillizza

Election 2012: A Time for Choosing (The RealClearPolitics Political Download) by Carl M. Cannon

2012-06-04T00:30:00-05:00

Election 2012: A Time for Choosing (The RealClearPolitics Political Download)
Written by Tom Bevan and Carl M. Cannon

Real Clear Politics’ in-depth account of the 2012 primary battles of the Republican Party and the look ahead to the race between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama

With intimate access to the White House, GOP candidates, and their campaign staffs, Real Clear Politics is the latest in a series of e-originals written by veteran RCP journalists Tom Bevan and Carl Cannon. With up-to-the-minute newsbreaking material, Real Clear Politics gives an insider’s perspective on the many struggles the candidates had over the course of the primaries, including Romney’s inability to put away his competition; how Gingrich, a great counterpuncher in debates, ultimately was done in by an inability to defend himself; the unlikely success of Rick Santorum, who later became a lightning rod for critics over social issues; and the “kitchen sink” approach that Obama’s message team is adopting for attacking Romney. All of these key moments and issues, as well as a careful survey of the terrain ahead for the general election (the challenges and strategies for both candidates and the latest insights into Romney’s possible vice presidential nominee), are sure to make Real Clear Politics the must-read ebook for understanding the 2012 campaign.

Random House New Releases - Political Science - Elections - Between May 21, 2012 and June 20, 2013.

The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) by Jonathan Martin

The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) Written by Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Martin

The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) by Mike Chamberlain

The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) Written by Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Martin Read by Mike Chamberlain

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits by Ted Rall

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy StepsWritten by Greg Palast Illustrated by Ted Rall Introduction by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Tension City by Jim Lehrer

Tension City Inside the Presidential DebatesWritten by Jim Lehrer

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits by Ted Rall

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy StepsWritten by Greg Palast Illustrated by Ted Rall Introduction by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

The Victory Lab by Sasha Issenberg

The Victory Lab The Secret Science of Winning CampaignsWritten by Sasha Issenberg

The Victory Lab by Sasha Issenberg

The Victory Lab The Secret Science of Winning CampaignsWritten by Sasha Issenberg

The Victory Lab by Michael Goldstrom

The Victory Lab The Secret Science of Winning CampaignsWritten by Sasha Issenberg Read by Michael Goldstrom

How Barack Obama Won by Sheldon Gawiser

How Barack Obama Won A State-by-State Guide to the Historic 2008 Presidential ElectionWritten by Chuck Todd and Sheldon Gawiser

Obama's Last Stand: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) by Mike Chamberlain

Obama's Last Stand: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) Written by Glenn Thrush and Politico Read by Mike Chamberlain Introduction by Evan Thomas

Obama's Last Stand: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) by Evan Thomas

Obama's Last Stand: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) Written by Glenn Thrush and Politico Introduction by Evan Thomas

The Gospel According to the Fix by Chris Cillizza

The Gospel According to the Fix An Insider's Guide to a Less than Holy World of PoliticsWritten by Chris Cillizza

The Gospel According to the Fix by Chris Cillizza

The Gospel According to the Fix An Insider's Guide to a Less than Holy World of PoliticsWritten by Chris Cillizza

Election 2012: A Time for Choosing (The RealClearPolitics Political Download) by Carl M. Cannon

Election 2012: A Time for Choosing (The RealClearPolitics Political Download) Written by Tom Bevan and Carl M. Cannon

The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012)
Written by Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Martin

The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012)
Written by Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Martin
Read by Mike Chamberlain

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps
Written by Greg Palast
Illustrated by Ted Rall
Introduction by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Tension City Inside the Presidential Debates
Written by Jim Lehrer

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps
Written by Greg Palast
Illustrated by Ted Rall
Introduction by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

The Victory Lab The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns
Written by Sasha Issenberg

The Victory Lab The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns
Written by Sasha Issenberg

The Victory Lab The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns
Written by Sasha Issenberg
Read by Michael Goldstrom

How Barack Obama Won A State-by-State Guide to the Historic 2008 Presidential Election
Written by Chuck Todd and Sheldon Gawiser

Obama's Last Stand: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012)
Written by Glenn Thrush and Politico
Read by Mike Chamberlain
Introduction by Evan Thomas

Obama's Last Stand: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012)
Written by Glenn Thrush and Politico
Introduction by Evan Thomas

The Gospel According to the Fix An Insider's Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics
Written by Chris Cillizza

The Gospel According to the Fix An Insider's Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics
Written by Chris Cillizza

Election 2012: A Time for Choosing (The RealClearPolitics Political Download)
Written by Tom Bevan and Carl M. Cannon