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Dogfight: The 2012 Presidential Campaign in Verse
In his latest laugh-out-loud book of political verse, Calvin Trillin provides a riotous depiction of the 2012 presidential election campaign.
Dogfight is a narrative poem interrupted regularly by other poems and occasionally by what the author calls a pause for prose (“Callista Gingrich, Aware That Her Husband Has Cheated On and Then Left Two Wives Who Had Serious Illnesses, Tries Desperately to Make Light of a Bad Cough”). With the same barbed wit he displayed in the bestsellers Deciding the Next Decider, Obliviously On He Sails, and A Heckuva Job, America’s deadline poet trains his sights on the Tea Party (“These folks were quick to vocally condemn/All handouts but the ones that went to them”) and the slapstick field of contenders for the Republican nomination (“Though first-tier candidates were mostly out,/Republicans were asking, “What about/The second tier or what about the third?/Has nothing from those other tiers been heard?”). There is an ode to Michele Bachmann, sung to the tune of a Beatles classic (“Michele, our belle/Thinks that gays will all be sent to hell”) and passages on the exit of candidates like Herman Cain (“Although his patter in debates could tickle,/Cain’s pool of knowledge seemed less pool than trickle”) and Rick Santorum (“The race will miss the purity/That you alone endow./We’ll never find another man/Who’s holier than thou.”)
On its way to the November 6 finale, Trillin’s narrative takes us through such highlights as the January caucuses in frigid Iowa (“To listen to long speeches is your duty,/And getting there could freeze off your patootie”), the Republican convention (“It seemed like Clint, his chair, and their vignette/Had wandered in from some adjoining set”), and Mitt Romney’s secretly recorded “47 percent” speech, which inspired the “I Got the Mitt Thinks I’m a Moocher, a Taker not a Maker, Blues.”
From the Hardcover edition.
Dogfight is a narrative poem interrupted regularly by other poems and occasionally by what the author calls a pause for prose (“Callista Gingrich, Aware That Her Husband Has Cheated On and Then Left Two Wives Who Had Serious Illnesses, Tries Desperately to Make Light of a Bad Cough”). With the same barbed wit he displayed in the bestsellers Deciding the Next Decider, Obliviously On He Sails, and A Heckuva Job, America’s deadline poet trains his sights on the Tea Party (“These folks were quick to vocally condemn/All handouts but the ones that went to them”) and the slapstick field of contenders for the Republican nomination (“Though first-tier candidates were mostly out,/Republicans were asking, “What about/The second tier or what about the third?/Has nothing from those other tiers been heard?”). There is an ode to Michele Bachmann, sung to the tune of a Beatles classic (“Michele, our belle/Thinks that gays will all be sent to hell”) and passages on the exit of candidates like Herman Cain (“Although his patter in debates could tickle,/Cain’s pool of knowledge seemed less pool than trickle”) and Rick Santorum (“The race will miss the purity/That you alone endow./We’ll never find another man/Who’s holier than thou.”)
On its way to the November 6 finale, Trillin’s narrative takes us through such highlights as the January caucuses in frigid Iowa (“To listen to long speeches is your duty,/And getting there could freeze off your patootie”), the Republican convention (“It seemed like Clint, his chair, and their vignette/Had wandered in from some adjoining set”), and Mitt Romney’s secretly recorded “47 percent” speech, which inspired the “I Got the Mitt Thinks I’m a Moocher, a Taker not a Maker, Blues.”
From the Hardcover edition.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
16 people are currently reading
351 people want to read
About the author
Calvin Trillin
88 books278 followersCalvin (Bud) Marshall Trillin is an American journalist, humorist, and novelist. He is best known for his humorous writings about food and eating, but he has also written much serious journalism, comic verse, and several books of fiction.
Trillin attended public schools in Kansas City and went on to Yale University, where he served as chairman of the Yale Daily News and became a member of Scroll and Key before graduating in 1957; he later served as a trustee of the university. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he worked as a reporter for Time magazine before joining the staff of The New Yorker in 1963. His reporting for The New Yorker on the racial integration of the University of Georgia was published in his first book, An Education in Georgia. He wrote the magazine's "U.S. Journal" series from 1967 to 1982, covering local events both serious and quirky throughout the United States.
Trillin attended public schools in Kansas City and went on to Yale University, where he served as chairman of the Yale Daily News and became a member of Scroll and Key before graduating in 1957; he later served as a trustee of the university. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he worked as a reporter for Time magazine before joining the staff of The New Yorker in 1963. His reporting for The New Yorker on the racial integration of the University of Georgia was published in his first book, An Education in Georgia. He wrote the magazine's "U.S. Journal" series from 1967 to 1982, covering local events both serious and quirky throughout the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
February 8, 2013
Dogfight is a tale in verse of
twenty twelve's election
Barry O and Mittens' race
to make a strong connection
with voters all across the land
especially the swinger
who liked to play the field all day
to make attention linger
He offers up a host of rhymes
about the aspiration
Of those who burned to try to earn
the red-crew nomination
So many clowns, so little car
the up and down campaigns
The polls that changed the daily star
The paucity of brains
We have to thank the man who cranks
out poems by the week
The Nation magazine's his venue
should you care to seek
a steady dose of witty verse
and comments politique
For though it's so that there are many
poets who are willin'
The one who always gets it done
the author, Calvin Trillin.
twenty twelve's election
Barry O and Mittens' race
to make a strong connection
with voters all across the land
especially the swinger
who liked to play the field all day
to make attention linger
He offers up a host of rhymes
about the aspiration
Of those who burned to try to earn
the red-crew nomination
So many clowns, so little car
the up and down campaigns
The polls that changed the daily star
The paucity of brains
We have to thank the man who cranks
out poems by the week
The Nation magazine's his venue
should you care to seek
a steady dose of witty verse
and comments politique
For though it's so that there are many
poets who are willin'
The one who always gets it done
the author, Calvin Trillin.
December 11, 2012
I loved this, especially Trillin's characterization of Sarah Palin's fame-hungry family as "Kardashians, but with a North Woods angle."
Also, there's "Bachmann, still the faithfuls' faithful fighter / Emerged as Palin lite--or even liter."
And Donald Trump, "a loud performance artist / At boasting he's the richest and the smartest."
Newt Gingrich gets lots of attention: "Both wives Newt cheated on and left were sick; / He'd shown the moral standards of a tick."
Some of the titles are inspired. Chapter 8 is called "The Search for a Mitt-Whomper." One of the poems is "Mitt Visits Foreign Lands (And Not to Hide Money)."
Also, there's "Bachmann, still the faithfuls' faithful fighter / Emerged as Palin lite--or even liter."
And Donald Trump, "a loud performance artist / At boasting he's the richest and the smartest."
Newt Gingrich gets lots of attention: "Both wives Newt cheated on and left were sick; / He'd shown the moral standards of a tick."
Some of the titles are inspired. Chapter 8 is called "The Search for a Mitt-Whomper." One of the poems is "Mitt Visits Foreign Lands (And Not to Hide Money)."
December 23, 2012
Didn't know if I'd enjoy
Political verse from Trillin
Came to find out that
His style is illin'
A light summary of
The past four years
Brought out delight
And chuckles if not tears
And despite the odd bit
Of tortured wordplay
In your mind Calvin's recap
Is sure to hold sway
Political verse from Trillin
Came to find out that
His style is illin'
A light summary of
The past four years
Brought out delight
And chuckles if not tears
And despite the odd bit
Of tortured wordplay
In your mind Calvin's recap
Is sure to hold sway
December 27, 2012
Amusing account of the 2012 presidential campaign, mostly in verse, with occasional entertaining sidebars with suggested tunes to which they can be sung. A fun Christmas gift from my kids that took only a couple of hours to read.
May 31, 2013
Dogfight is a book of political poetry written by writer Calvin Trillin. It focuses on the 2012 presidential campaign between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. I loved this book. To be honest, I liked it so much it made me giddy at times. The verse is so clever and the subject matter is unique. I could not stop reading.
The book is divided up into chapters on things such as Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, and the Republican’s search for a Vice Presidential candidate. These chapters contain poems on the respective subject, as well as an occasional side note poem on a related event. Every few chapters there will be a “poetry break,” which will contain a news story or an anecdote not in verse. The format of the book is entertaining and fast moving –you are never bored.
Trillin is the master of humorous poetry. There are some excellent jokes within the poems, including a very good one about the Koch brothers. He does a very good job at pointing out the ridiculous things the presidential candidates said or did. He can take a small gaffe and turn it into something that will have you laughing out loud.
Perhaps what pleased me the most about this book was the cleverness. I am amazed at how he is able to rhyme everything so perfectly. Despite the poetry and the humor, Trillin still manages to successfully communicate the happenings of the election. Calvin Trillin’s Dogfight is a new kind of history book.
The book is divided up into chapters on things such as Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, and the Republican’s search for a Vice Presidential candidate. These chapters contain poems on the respective subject, as well as an occasional side note poem on a related event. Every few chapters there will be a “poetry break,” which will contain a news story or an anecdote not in verse. The format of the book is entertaining and fast moving –you are never bored.
Trillin is the master of humorous poetry. There are some excellent jokes within the poems, including a very good one about the Koch brothers. He does a very good job at pointing out the ridiculous things the presidential candidates said or did. He can take a small gaffe and turn it into something that will have you laughing out loud.
Perhaps what pleased me the most about this book was the cleverness. I am amazed at how he is able to rhyme everything so perfectly. Despite the poetry and the humor, Trillin still manages to successfully communicate the happenings of the election. Calvin Trillin’s Dogfight is a new kind of history book.
April 10, 2015
HS Book in Verse
Calvin Trillin. Dogfight: The 2012 Presidential Campaign in Verse (2012). The book in verse focuses on the 2012 election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, and the events leading up to the election. The author uses clever rhymes and humor to tell the story. The book is divided into chapters and uses people to divide some topics of the 2012 election, like Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, and Michelle Bachmann, to name a few. The topics include things like, Mitt’s secretly recorded “47 percent” speech, and the Republican search for the Vice President. This is a clever retelling of the 2012 USA Presidential election.
I thought this was an entertaining read. I am not the person who reads a realistic event in a humorous verse, or even in verse, but I was pleasantly surprised after reading the book. I found this book (though semi-cynical) to be informative, descriptive, and funny. A good book for someone who is interested in how the 2012 election went down. Trillin is witty in telling the truth without being too serious. It gets an extra half star because it is cleverly written. I would probably mention this book to MS/HS and older readers who are interested in politics. Possibly a political science teacher teaching about the 2012 election, or an election in general, can use it for a class as a fun teaching tool. Though, fun and amusing to read, this book does not make my list of need to read.
Calvin Trillin. Dogfight: The 2012 Presidential Campaign in Verse (2012). The book in verse focuses on the 2012 election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, and the events leading up to the election. The author uses clever rhymes and humor to tell the story. The book is divided into chapters and uses people to divide some topics of the 2012 election, like Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, and Michelle Bachmann, to name a few. The topics include things like, Mitt’s secretly recorded “47 percent” speech, and the Republican search for the Vice President. This is a clever retelling of the 2012 USA Presidential election.
I thought this was an entertaining read. I am not the person who reads a realistic event in a humorous verse, or even in verse, but I was pleasantly surprised after reading the book. I found this book (though semi-cynical) to be informative, descriptive, and funny. A good book for someone who is interested in how the 2012 election went down. Trillin is witty in telling the truth without being too serious. It gets an extra half star because it is cleverly written. I would probably mention this book to MS/HS and older readers who are interested in politics. Possibly a political science teacher teaching about the 2012 election, or an election in general, can use it for a class as a fun teaching tool. Though, fun and amusing to read, this book does not make my list of need to read.
January 10, 2013
Welcome back satire, Dear old friend where have you been?
Calvin Trillin presents some of the funniest reading I've had in a while in what boils down to a poetic epic, but instead of adventure, it's pure comedy. The poem starts in 2008 and talks of the general elation throughout the U.S. with our shallow optimism of the election. Then we skip ahead to 2010, with the Tea Party's emergence and the set up for the main event of the poem, the road to the 2012 election and the election itself. The poem finally ends with a brief look at the reaction to President Obama's reelection in the same satire you get the entire read.
While the poem itself is great, I honestly enjoyed the many little breaks the book gives with short poems like the Tea Party's near haiku-like introduction in "we're mad as hell" and breaks into short prose like Callista Gingrich's trying to hide a cough from Newt so he won't divorce her like the sickly wives before her.
It's a true one time read, but it's a great ride while it lasts. Highly recommended.
Calvin Trillin presents some of the funniest reading I've had in a while in what boils down to a poetic epic, but instead of adventure, it's pure comedy. The poem starts in 2008 and talks of the general elation throughout the U.S. with our shallow optimism of the election. Then we skip ahead to 2010, with the Tea Party's emergence and the set up for the main event of the poem, the road to the 2012 election and the election itself. The poem finally ends with a brief look at the reaction to President Obama's reelection in the same satire you get the entire read.
While the poem itself is great, I honestly enjoyed the many little breaks the book gives with short poems like the Tea Party's near haiku-like introduction in "we're mad as hell" and breaks into short prose like Callista Gingrich's trying to hide a cough from Newt so he won't divorce her like the sickly wives before her.
It's a true one time read, but it's a great ride while it lasts. Highly recommended.
June 8, 2013
This book had been in my stack for a while, but it was actually interesting to read it after having gotten some distance from the 2012 Presidential election. I'd nearly forgotten the craziness of those primaries and all the characters who wandered through--the candidates and those on the periphery.
Anyway, this is a collection of Calvin Trillin poems that document that time. If you aren't familiar with his style, here's a little sampler:
Though voters, polls show, think Obama is cool
and Romney is colder than ice,
More likeable's not an infallible tool.
Remember: Dick Nixon won twice.
There's certainly some wit in these pages, although some of the poems are a bit flatter--more just a straightforward telling of what happened, albeit in rhyming verse. Still, a fun rollick back through an interesting time (if you dare to relive all of that).
Anyway, this is a collection of Calvin Trillin poems that document that time. If you aren't familiar with his style, here's a little sampler:
Though voters, polls show, think Obama is cool
and Romney is colder than ice,
More likeable's not an infallible tool.
Remember: Dick Nixon won twice.
There's certainly some wit in these pages, although some of the poems are a bit flatter--more just a straightforward telling of what happened, albeit in rhyming verse. Still, a fun rollick back through an interesting time (if you dare to relive all of that).
November 8, 2013
One can gather from the poems collected here that the 2012 campaign was far more about the Republicans than the Democrats. With the Democratic nominee not in doubt, I guess that makes sense. But that also puts everything that the administration does subject to scrutiny as a campaign issue, and that scrutiny is not applied here.
And no need to ask which side Calvin Trillin favored. All Republicans are slashed, Obama gets a pass. OK, that first debate is remarked upon as being a sub-par performance on Obama's part. That's about it.
But Trillin does get in some clever zingers regarding Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann. But I found no mention of Joe Biden, positive or negative. Interesting.
And no need to ask which side Calvin Trillin favored. All Republicans are slashed, Obama gets a pass. OK, that first debate is remarked upon as being a sub-par performance on Obama's part. That's about it.
But Trillin does get in some clever zingers regarding Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann. But I found no mention of Joe Biden, positive or negative. Interesting.
December 27, 2013
Mr Trillin's poetry may not be of the highest order, but he uses it to good effect to tell the story of the Campaign of 2012 from a mostly liberal point of view. Quite frankly, most of the political actions and shenanigans were on the Republican side, and Mr. Trillin turns much of it to humorous use. As Shakespeare, might say, "What fools these mortals be". If you have allowed the extended Republican campaign--Pawlenty, Bachman, Cain, Perry, Gingrich and Santorum--to slip from memory, Trillin will gently remind you why we ended up with Mitt as the standard bearer of the GOP. Obama makes a belated appearance to win the presidency again, but you may agree with Trillin that it was really Mitt who lost it.
February 11, 2014
My main criticism is directed towards the layout of Calvin Trillin's poems. Seriously, how could one stay focused on the book's main poems while brief ones are randomly inserted, separated with a half-box? Having to go back and re-read those random tidbits can get rather irritating chapter after chapter. Do not repeat this in your 2016 anthology, Trillin!
Otherwise, Dogfight is a humorous trip down memory lane and Trillin has a pleasant time illustrating the silly ridiculousness of the 2012 elections. He turns the all the candidates into fairytale caricatures with charm.
And I am totally using the typeface Meta from now on in everything I write. So beautiful.
Otherwise, Dogfight is a humorous trip down memory lane and Trillin has a pleasant time illustrating the silly ridiculousness of the 2012 elections. He turns the all the candidates into fairytale caricatures with charm.
And I am totally using the typeface Meta from now on in everything I write. So beautiful.
December 21, 2012
A funny play-by-play style history of the 2012 election cycle, but ultimately unmemorable. In a couple years time I may forget I ever read it, and will never revisit it (in the same way, I meant to read Trillin's verse history of the 2008 election, but lost interest as the period itself receded into the past).
Trillin makes no effort to provide any sort of objectivity, wearing his liberal convictions on his sleeve. As such various issues are presented without any sort of nuance or grace. In the end, Dogfight remains a quick, fun read.
Trillin makes no effort to provide any sort of objectivity, wearing his liberal convictions on his sleeve. As such various issues are presented without any sort of nuance or grace. In the end, Dogfight remains a quick, fun read.
May 12, 2014
Calvin Trillin’s recap of the 2012 presidential campaign in poetic form was quite interested and at times, I found myself laughing aloud and reading excerpts to my partner. Mr. Trillin’s political leanings are quite clear and little space is actually devoted to the incumbent president, but the Republican primary provided too much fodder for humor to not include the missteps of Perry, Bachmann, Gingrich and the like. An entertaining and pretty quick read that I would recommend to liberals and moderates as well as conservatives who didn’t take things too seriously.
April 25, 2013
Calvin Trillin’s Dogfight: The 2012 Presidential Campaign in Verse is a satirical yet insightful perspective on the 2012 Presidential Campaign. Trillin. Covering the 2008, 2010, and focusing on the 2012 elections, Trillin’s skewers the absurdity of the 2012 Republican primary process, as well as the general election. Among other gems is the “I’ve Got the Mitt Thinks I’m a Moocher, a Taker Not a Maker, Blues” and Trillin’s digs at Sheldon Adelson and Newt Gingrich are priceless. This book is creative, biting, yet also quite accurate in its coverage of the 2012 elections.
March 28, 2013
Who could have guessed that the most readable history of the 2012 presidential race ever written would be in doggerel?
It's not meant to be a teen book, but my 13-year-old son read it straight through it with glee and proclaimed it "Great!" I think it's worth offering to middle school and high school students interested in politics. (Warning: as a longtime poet for The Nation, Calvin Trillin has distinctly liberal leanings.)
It's not meant to be a teen book, but my 13-year-old son read it straight through it with glee and proclaimed it "Great!" I think it's worth offering to middle school and high school students interested in politics. (Warning: as a longtime poet for The Nation, Calvin Trillin has distinctly liberal leanings.)
January 17, 2013
Made me laugh all the way through. If you need a good laugh and don't take your politics to seriously then this is the book to read. I have requested several of Mr. Trillin books from the library and will put them on my wish list for this coming Christmas so I can cherish certain moments forever. I always delight in find a new author to add to my favorites list. Thank you Jon Stewart for your excellent taste in authors.
June 3, 2013
I really wanted to like this a lot more. It is occasionally clever, with a few chuckles. But most of it was really just recounting the events of the 2012 presidential campaign with the gimmick that it's in rhyme most of the time. Nothing to do with portraying the participants as dogs, which was a really lost opportunity in selecting breeds and personality traits. Some minor charm, but ultimately disappointing.
July 24, 2013
I've always loved Trillin, and own a couple of his humor collections as well as his previous collection of verse, Obliviously On He Sails (about Dubya). This one disappointed me a little. The verses aren't as nimble as usual - often very strained, in fact. And while some of it was acidly funny, much of it struck me as just okay. Given the inherent humor in the source material, I hoped for more.
August 4, 2018
Ah, this book reminds me of better times. I really liked the few breaks for prose that were in the book. They were all very funny and satirical. Some of the poems worked better than others. The rhymes were quite a stretch and stilted at points, and quite clever at others. It's an amusing summary of events, although it does focus far more on the Republican primaries than anything else in the race. It would have been nice to have more about Obama vs. Mitt, and the results.
June 11, 2013
I iked this book, but it didn't make me laugh out loud, the way the poems about George Bush did.
Maybe it was because of the personality of the Mittster--too bland, and thus not much that was colorful to write about?
But still, I did appreciate and enjoy the poetry, and the work it took to "poetize" some of the campaign events.
Maybe it was because of the personality of the Mittster--too bland, and thus not much that was colorful to write about?
But still, I did appreciate and enjoy the poetry, and the work it took to "poetize" some of the campaign events.
July 14, 2015
This book was hysterical and I loved the rhyming. I found myself reading it out loud just so I could hear the rhythm of the rhymes. Even though this was written about the 2012 election, I think the poetry about the GOP would stand up today--3 years may have passed but the Republicans have not moved an inch. Calvin Trillin is brilliant in this format!
November 20, 2014
I really, really wanted to like this collection of poems. There were some funny bits, but overall it seemed like he was straining to complete verses that sometimes barely rhymed. It had a weird rhythm to it overall. I also didn't like the main narrative poems that were interrupted by shorter poems. I had to keep flipping back to read the short ones, and that got old fast.
January 29, 2013
An amusing read for political junkies. One of my favorite lines was "Callista Gingrich, aware that her husband has cheated on and then left two wives with serious illnesses, tries desperately to make light of a bad cough."
December 9, 2012
Not just a trenchant analysis, but in (rarely laboured) verse. Highly recommended. (Review updated with five-star rating; for some reason, my tablet wasn't letting me properly apportion stars this morning.)
January 16, 2013
While we were living through it, it seemed the horrible campaign would never end. But now, in retrospect and in rhyme, Calvin Trillin makes the whole thing as hilarious as it really was. Calvin Trillin is the Jon Stewart of doggerel.
January 20, 2013
Brilliant! I really wasn't sure what to expect with this one. It didn't take long to win me over with the clever verse and insight into the incredibly crazy 2012 election. Thank you for the only real laugh about the election.
March 20, 2013
I'm giving this one five stars. Not that it is my favorite book, but try making up all those rhymes! Have to applaud that.
Fun re-telling of the 2012 election. All the actual factul stuff but told in poetic form.
Quick read and something different. I enjoyed it.
Fun re-telling of the 2012 election. All the actual factul stuff but told in poetic form.
Quick read and something different. I enjoyed it.
September 20, 2013
This was a fun and silly book. It's biggest drawback was that I needed to relive the 2012 election. It was, in fact, almost as bad the second time. Calvin Trillin does the best one can with it, though.
November 22, 2012
The released title is "The 2012 Presidential Campaign In Verse"
A typical Trillin hilarious account of the 2012 GOP primaries and presidential election.
Highly recommended to my liberal friends.
A typical Trillin hilarious account of the 2012 GOP primaries and presidential election.
Highly recommended to my liberal friends.
December 9, 2012
Thoroughly enjoyed it. A perfect book to have on your Kindle...while waiting for things, I could revisit the most comical moments of the campaign...in verse.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews