Panic 2012: The Sublime and Terrifying Inside Story of Obama's Final Campaign

by Michael Hastings

One of America’s most important young journalists delivers the first substantial piece of narrative nonfiction to chronicle the hard-fought closing months of the 2012 presidential campaign in PANIC 2012. Michael Hastings – BuzzFeed correspondent at large; Rolling Stone contributor; George Polk Award winner; and critically acclaimed, New York Times-bestselling author of The Operators – presents an in-your-face, on-the-ground, real-time, singular account of how the Obama campaign privately panicked and ultimately recovered after the President’s disastrous performance in his first debate with Mitt Romney. In the tradition of iconoclastic journalists such as Hunter S. Thompson, Richard Ben Cramer, and P. J. O’Rourke, Hastings offers an edgy, rollicking, wholly original portrayal of the enormous and intense political operation that is an American presidential campaign.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History

149 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2013

About the author

Michael Hastings was a contributing editor to Rolling Stone. Over a five year span, he regularly covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He started his career at Newsweek magazine in 2002, and was named the magazine’s Baghdad correspondent in 2005. In 2008, he reported on the U.S. presidential elections for Newsweek. His work has appeared in GQ, The Washington Post, the L.A. Times, Slate, Salon, Foreign Policy, The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and a number of other publications. In 2011, he was awarded the George Polk Award for magazine reporting for his story in Rolling Stone, “The Runaway General.” In 2010, he was named one of Huffington Post’s Game Changers of the year. In 2009, his story Obama’s War, published in GQ, was selected for the Best American Political Writing 2009 anthology (Public Affairs, 2009). He is the author of I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story(Scribner, 2008) and The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan(Little Brown, 2011).

Reviews

[Adam Heff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest from Michael Hastings, Panic 2012: The Sublime and Terrifying Inside Story of Obama's Final Campaign is a brisk and enthralling book that does what it says on the tin. Hastings' writing style oscillates between that of straightforward, traditional journalism and Thompson-esque stream-of-consciousness gonzo journalism, resulting in a read that never bores, but also never leaves reason to doubt its veracity.

Hastings' book tells, primarily, the story of the “panic” experienced by the Obama campaign following the President's disastrous first debate with challenger Mitt Romney, and the hair on fire weeks that followed. It's difficult to ascertain how much of this panic was legitimate and how much was manufactured (by the media for ratings, or by the campaign itself for fundraising purposes), but that's half the fun. By focusing on the debate prep, the advertising, and the social media campaign, Panic 2012 provides great insight into the highly effective, if not exactly well oiled, Obama 2012 Machine.

Hastings' take on events is especially unique given his outsider status on the trail. Having moved from Rolling Stone (where he was no friend to the Obama agenda) to up-start Buzzfeed, Hastings lacks some of the clout and most of the goodwill held by his counterparts on the trail. The resulting point of view is a sharp look at not just the campaign, but the media that surrounds it.

As fascinating as the campaign's actions are, some of the best bits of the book come as Hastings focuses his attention on the White House press pool. This collection of, as Hastings calls them, the best and worst journalists in the business manages to provide meaningful content in trying conditions, but also manages to flaut some of the expectations that Joe Public might have governing journalistic behavior. Most common and humorous, is the serious chafing Hastings describes in the multiple occasions on which he is told arbitrarily and after the fact that a given event is "off the record."

Panic 2012 is certainly not the definitive look at Obama For America 2012--Hastings got almost no access to key campaign players until after the election. It is, however, an exciting and insightful look at the campaign. While more exhaustive accounts are surely forthcoming, it's difficult to imagine that many will be as much damn fun as this one.

Hastings is perhaps still best known as the author of "The Runaway General," the Rolling Stone piece that ended Gen. Stanley McChrystal's career (and its' book-length followup The Operators). It is unlikely that Panic 2012 will end any careers (though stick around till the end for a Rahm Emanuel anecdote that will SURELY complicate the mayors'), but it certainly confirms that Hastings' career is one worth continuing to watch.

[M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compelling at points, but did it accomplish what it set out to do? Lots of little fun moments, though. Trying too hard to be the badass view backstage while also admitting he was no such thing.

[Michael Lasater · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded it after I saw him plugging it on Morning Joe. I really enjoyed his other work, The Operators, but I found this one just slightly below its quality.

Perhaps it's due to the closeness of the last election, but I didn't find any new information about the campaign. I did think that his description of being outside the clique of the press corps interesting, though.

Not Hastings' best, but a quick and entertaining read.

[Carlea · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are great little nuggets in the book about the Obama 2012 campaign but it didn't have quite the insider take I was hoping for. And the parts of the book where the author detailed his own experiences day to day were simply not interesting to me.

That being said, I still found many parts of the book extremely enjoyable. Michael Hastings is a great writer. I simply wanted more red meat from the guts of the Obama campaign.

[Timothy Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read of the daily grind of a White House pool reporter as experienced by Buzzfeed and Rolling Stone editor Michael Hastings. The encounter with Rahm Emanaual at the end of the book is priceless. I experienced the PANIC Hastings talks about after The President's first debate performance.
I would have liked a little more time spent on Uncle Joe's ass-whupping of Rep Ryan and what it did to right the ship.

[Russ Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my review on Amazon, I said it felt like I was reading a (first) draft. I was always ambivalent about Michael Hastings (thought he did good work on McCrystal profile, for instance, but was far too enamoured of himself), and that didn't change with reading this book. And while I know I am going against the current on this one, the gratuitous profanity was irksome.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad as a gonzo journalists view of life in the press corps on the campaign trail, but that's ground we'll covered by Hunter S Thompson and David Foster Wallace, among many others. Entertaining, but a lack of new information or insight keeps it from being a must read.

[Tyler Kania · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for research but didn't learn anything.

[Jason Falinski · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want my money back, it was that bad

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Just average to below-average campaign porn. A few interesting nuggets (especially on Obama's Internet strategy), but mostly a lot of tick-tock you could've gotten from the real-time coverage.

[Dave Cullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the voice, that will grab you, and keep you. There's really no one writing today with a voice as vivid and hilarious as Michael.

He takes you were the media rarely if ever does. A wonderful read: insightful and FUN!

[Rick Cheeseman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard campaign pornography. I like Hasting's style, but only a few interesting nuggets here. I actually fell asleep reading it at the beach....maybe that had more to do with the sun, sand, and beer though.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and interesting insight into the 'behind the scenes' parts of a campaign.

[Lincoln · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful awful arrogantly written awful slop. Damn u amazon for recommending this!!

[Alex Nagler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not going to lie, it took me up until the 2nd to last page to realize that this and The Operators (which I read earlier this year) were the same guy. Not sure what that says about me.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great inside story of PARTS of the Obama campaign that produces an exciting, intriguing and actually very entertaining account. It's very short and well worth more time than it requires.

[Brian Veeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Michael Hastings. If you liked his writing you'll like this book.

[Andrew Kreig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kudos for getting it out quick, and lively writing. But quick publication makes it hard to nail down the secret stuff.

[Bill Finley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light look at the 2012 campaign from the back row of the press corp. must read for political junkies but contained few surprises.