Showdown: The Inside Story of How Obama Battled the GOP to Set Up the 2012 Election – A Political Chronicle of the Presidency Under Siege

by David Corn

The veteran political journalist and  New York Times  bestselling author goes behind the scenes at the White House to recount the dramatic tale of the pivotal period of 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. David Corn—Washington Bureau Chief for Mother Jones magazine and New York Times bestselling author of Hubris (with Michael Isikoff) and The Lies of George W. Bush —now brings us  Showdown , the dramatic inside story of Barack Obama’s fight to save his presidency. With Bob Woodward-esque insight and narrative flair, Corn takes readers into the White House and behind the political scenes during the beleaguered president’s pivotal third year, and explores the most earth-shaking events of the Obama presidency—from the game changing 2010 elections to the Arab Spring, the debt ceiling battle with Congressional Republicans, the killing of Osama bin Laden and beyond.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, United States, Biography, American History, Presidents

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

David Corn is a veteran Washington journalist and political commentator. He is the Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones magazine and an analyst for MSNBC. He is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, including Showdown: The Inside Story of How Obama Battled the GOP to Set Up the 2012 Election and Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War (co-written with Michael Isikoff). He is also the author of the biography Blond Ghost: Ted Shackley and the CIA’s Crusades and the novel Deep Background.

Reviews

[Will Byrnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 STUFF

Links to the author’s Twitter and FB pages

Corn’s articles in Mother Jones

[columbialion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Primarily written for political junkies and policy wonks, author Corn delivers the real inside narrative to Obama's first term as POTUS. Regardless of political persuasion, "Showdown" pulls away the curtain and allows the reader to peer into the sausage factory of political maneuvering that was required of this president, in an environment of recalcitrance and obstructionism by the GOP. The author makes strong arguments for the remarkable legislative successes Obama secured, within that hostile atmosphere and political mine field. Although at times author Corn seriously indicts the extremism of the GOP "Tea Party" ideologists, he carefully explains to the reader how those achievements were secured without the typical political "bomb throwing" machinations, but rather through a cingular belief by Obama, that the best way to move the country forward was through incremental consensus and mostly bipartisan agreement. From healthcare to raising the debt limit to Obamas willingness to put his presidency on the line in his successful stealth elimination of BinLaden, the author chronicles Obama's first term. The author clearly dispels the readily accepted myths that paint this president as a radical out of control liberal, when in reality he has clearly governed from the center right political spectrum. He allows the reader to draw their own conclusions and offers a primer for the upcoming 2012 election, and presents the low information voter the opportunity to better understand this president.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a useful reminder of the year 2011. Especially as the health care ruling came down from the Supreme Court yesterday, I had to reflect that the President is smarter than, for instance, I am. Corn documents the principled stands and attempts at dealing with Congress and the Republican leadership. Recommended to fire voters up for this election season.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A FASCINATING REVIEW OF THE BATTLES BETWEEN CONGRESS AND OBAMA

David Corn is Washington Bureau chief for Mother Jones magazine, and former Washington editor of The Nation, as well as a TV analyst for MSNBC and NBC. He is also the authoe/coauthor of books such as 'Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War,' 'The Lies of George W. Bush: Mastering the Politics of Deception,' etc.

He begins this 2012 book by listing some accomplishments of the Obama administration, such as "Obama had enacted Wall Street reform and created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which would police banks, credit card companies, mortgage lenders, and other financial firms that tried to hoodwink consumers. He presided over the second half of the TARP bailout... and a government rescue of US auto industry... He dramatically increased the diversity of judicial appointments... provided states aid to save about 150,000 teacher jobs... kept his vow to reduce US troops in Iraq." (Pg. 8)

He observes, "Obama the president had turned out to be far more pragmatic than Obama the idealistic candidate of change." (Pg. 11) He also notes, "the tax-cut deal had become a defining moment for his presidency." (Pg. 73) He quotes Obama, "He also told his party colleagues to stop expecting him to let loose the fiery rhetoric... He was obliged to be more prudent. He did not have the luxury to engage in a political food fight." (Pg. 283) After an inexplicable action by House Speaker John Boehner, he states, "White House aides... reached a simple conclusion: John Boehner couldn't deliver his own people... he realized he couldn't sell any package of this sort to his Tea Party-dominated caucus, and there was nothing left to talk about." (Pg. 329)

About Obama's 2011 intervention in Libya's civil war, he says, "he didn't challenge Congress's right to oversee the war-making authority of the chief executive; he just claimed this particular military action was not subject to that authority." (Pg. 223)

Earlier, Obama's message was, "he favored a certain policy approach. But his higher message was that he valued compromise---that he was the reasonable man in this madhouse." (Pg. 332) But later, "Obama was no longer seeking to be the compromiser in chief and the reasonable adult in Washington's unruly sandbox... it made no sense if pursuing bipartisan collaboration resulted in Obama looking ineffectual." (Pg. 367) He adds, "as 2011 was ending, Obama had benefited from a profound Republican blunder that he had helped orchestrate." (Pg. 387) He concludes, "Though he often outmaneuvered them... the GOPers, driven by unrelenting Tea Party extremism, had defined the debate for much of this period... (But) The more contrast, the better for Obama---and the millions of Americans who were with him." (Pg. 395)

This book is one of the best "insider's" views of the Obama administration, and will be warmly valued by anyone studying current politics.

[Ali Kutner · Rating 5 out of 5]

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...

[Sagar Jethani · Rating 1 out of 5]

And when I say 'Finished', I mean 'Finished reading this piece of utter syncophancy'. Corn offers more than a full apologia for Obama's first term-- he deftly explains why anyone who is less-than-thrilled with Obama is an idiot. The Manichean world in which he operates is divided into Tea Party haters and their leftist brethren, disappointed liberals.

It's a neat trick, that. By establish a false equivalence between birthers and disappointed liberals, Corn dismisses the idea that liberals' disappointment has a legitimate cause. His narrative conveniently begins after the brutal midterm elections in which the reader finds Obama facing a hostile terrain of newly-energized Republicans in Congress. Faced with such adversaries, what else can a good liberal president do but cut deals? The fact that Obama, himself, helped usher in the Republican class of 2010 by allowing his policies to be defined by the unholy troika of Summers, Emmanuel, and Geithner for his first two years is only given a cursory overview. Thus is the reader presented with Obama 1.0 in which our hero wakes up as president to find a hostile cohort of rabid Tea Partiers and birthers inhabiting Capitol Hill ex nihilo.

Only that's not the way it happened. Obama allowed himself to be fenced-in by entrusting the first half of his first term to political Rasputins allied to Wall Street. This resulted in widespread disappointment in the president, expressed (however imperfectly) in the shellacking he received in 2010.

Save time and read Suskind's 'Confidence Men'.

[Seth Millstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Fred Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

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).

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

David Corn is a reporter of Mother Jones magazine (as of this date) and he wrote a book about the Obama administration, focusing on the 2012 election. It focuses on topics such as war in Afghanistan, the Osama Bin Laden raid, domestic policies, the Arab Spring, etc, but is not a comprehensive view of the 2008-2012 years.

I was bored out of my mind. I've read David Corn's articles, and whether you agree with them or not, he's not a bad article writer/reporter. But the book was horrendously boring and tedious. I don't know whether it was because of political slant or what, but the writing just drags. Something about it is very...dry. Since it's from the viewpoint of the Obama administration (it's not like Republicans were reviewed for this project), the reader obviously gets only one POV. But Corn should really stick with his day job.

I got it on clearance. Would recommend going the same route or even really just try the library if possible. There are other, better-written books out there.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

While focused on the Obama Presidency, I think this book gives a great insight into the inner workings of an administration - any of them. There are so many things that happen behind the scenes that we Americans do not know. The President does not have the luxury to deal with single events in an orderly fashion, but rather multiple crises that happen often simultaneously. There are discussions that must be kept private in order to prevent the dominos from falling too soon. We progressives were unhappy with Obama, but this book shows us why we should give him much more leeway in his handling of many events. David Corn does an excellent job of delving into the issues that were working against Obama and his agenda. He explains the pragmatic nature of Obama and how he was able to get the best deal he could with the opposition forces.

[Ed Vazquez]

Excellent journalism, by Mr.Corn. His writing provided a personal note on operations within the Executive Branch, and exploits the issues that interfere with sound decison making and Executive leadership that is put forward to help These United States be the forerunner in International Affairs. The question remains, "now that the truth is out on what President Obama, is trying to achieve, and how other party interests backlogg the political system, might we see a maturing of politics to run this country?" Mr. David Corn presents his compilation of events within the White House on such an articulate front, that one must wonder what comes next? Is this a case for continuance of strong leadership and consensus or do we look towards new management? Great on the "edge of your seat" climax!!! A must read!!!

[John Kaufmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book. I was becoming disillusioned with Obama, and this book provided the antidote. Corn details what Obama was up against with the Republicans, and posits that it was Obama's skillful maneuvering, both on the substance of issues to find the sweet spot as well as the right procedural moves, that salvaged anything. Corn, of course, is partisan, and I'm sure he views things through slightly tinted glasses. But his rendition of events seems to coincide with my recollection of how things happened. Despite being partisan, he doesn't fawn over Obama - he does offer criticism on several issues. And he does not devolve into rage, vitriol, and gross distortion of the facts that you would expect to hear from his counterparts on the right.

[H. Givens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading play-by-play narrative of political machinations is SO BORING. Also, Corn seems to quote a lot of "top aides" and "senior officials," leading me to wonder if Mr. Top Aide is actually a guy who works at the white house, and if Senior Official is some kind of Vice Vice President position with which I'm not familiar.

There's a pretty clear bias in favor of the President, but I like to have bias out in the open where I can compensate for it, rather than sneaking in under cover of night. It was also helpful to get a coherent narrative and some backstory/context for major players today, such as Jack Lew.

[Leilani · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I didn't follow the news at all, I might find this informative. Instead, it's like reading two-year-old issues of Newsweek without any of the analysis or insight, or even glossy pictures. Basically just a play-by-play of what happened, with occasionally a sentence stuck in about what someone did before joining the administration. I'm usually a completist, even if finishing takes a few months, but after listening to half of this book, I'm willing to chalk it up as a mistaken purchase and move on.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Martin Bakner · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at how the Obama administration works. I was surprised to see how closely Obama was involved in most big decisions during his first term. Came away more impressed than ever with his intelligence and his temperament. Also interesting to see how after the 2010 elections the Republicans immediately set about (with some help from the team in the White House) destroying their chances for 2012.

[Rajesh Kurup · Rating 2 out of 5]

Appears to be a well researched book that starts with the shellacking that the Dems took in 2010 and builds up to when Obama starts to push back against Boehner and the Tea Party Repubs at the end of 2011. A very apologetic book towards the President. Corn goes to great lengths to approve of all of Obama's decisions especially those that were criticized by the Left. It's not a bad book, but I feel it lacked a clear thesis.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A play-by-play analysis of most of the major congressional debates from 2010 until the beginning of 2012. The back room negotiations, and political long game of the administration are discussed. This sheds new light on what you think you know. It discusses compromise to avoid catastrophe, and explores how ideologues stand on the way of getting anything done.

[Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

My respect for David Corn as a researcher and author soars after finally finishing Showdown. It made me feel like a "fly on the wall" as he chronicled the behind-the-scenes action of the 2011 debt ceiling crisis. His knowledge of history and experience as a reporter improved my perspective on the events.

Recommended.

[Rory Stoller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Red meat for liberals, but really not much more here. Unless you paid no attention to the news since the tea-party hijacked congress, there's really no reason to read this book. Frankly it was depressing to relive the whole mess.

[Vince Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Laureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Siszurpicki]

Yeow!! Overloaded detail but the jist is informative and scathing. The Tea Party folks look like goons ready to shut down the entire country. President Obama comes off as a cool operator. Too bad the country doesn't know these details.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Frank W. Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is 397 pages (420 if you include the index and extras), not the 288 listed here on Goodreads. Full review to come later.