A Long Time Coming

by Evan Thomas, Newsweek (Editor)

Since 1984, Newsweek has been renowned for its vivid, in-depth special election coverage of the ordeal of running for the presidency. A year before the election, Newsweek assigns reporters to get inside the campaigns of the Republican and Democratic candidates. Newsweek promises not to publish any information until after the votes are cast, and in exchange, the reporters receive remarkable access. They travel with the candidates, are there at crucial turning points and confidential meetings, and uncover stories not covered in day-to-day reporting. In this book, a compelling narrative by Evan Thomas, Newsweek shares the inside stories from one of the most exciting elections in recent history, illuminating the personalities and events that influenced the outcome, and taking stock of the key players and key issues for the new administration. This will be an absorbing read for anyone interested in American politics.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Audiobook

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Evan Thomas is the author of nine books: The Wise Men (with Walter Isaacson), The Man to See, The Very Best Men, Robert Kennedy, John Paul Jones, Sea of Thunder, The War Lovers, Ike’s Bluff, and Being Nixon. Thomas was a writer, correspondent, and editor for thirty-three years at Time and Newsweek, including ten years (1986–96) as Washington bureau chief at Newsweek, where, at the time of his retirement in 2010, he was editor at large. He wrote more than one hundred cover stories and in 1999 won a National Magazine Award. He wrote Newsweek’s fifty-thousand-word election specials in 1996, 2000, 2004 (winner of a National Magazine Award), and 2008. He has appeared on many TV and radio talk shows, including Meet the Press and The Colbert Report, and has been a guest on PBS’s Charlie Rose more than forty times. The author of dozens of book reviews for The New York Times and The Washington Post, Thomas has taught writing and journalism at Harvard and Princeton, where, from 2007 to 2014, he was Ferris Professor of Journalism.

Reviews

[Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

1776-2008

America was rife with racism and slavery when it was founded in 1776 in the midst of a Revolutionary War that had not yet been won. Two hundred and thirty-two years later that nation elected its first African-American President in 2008. Like Lincoln’s election in 1860, FDR’s in 1932, JFK’s in 1960 (first Catholic President), Barack Obama’s election remains a momentous moment in American and world history.

This account of the historic election campaign is not hagiography by any stretch. Obama never comes across as flawless. We see a number of the mistakes he made. It is an exciting story but he is not presented as perfect. Indeed he himself never pretended to be anything other than a man who wanted to improve America. His goal was not to go around boasting that he was President of the United States and the Leader of the Free World.

Republicans may not like him, or his historic election victory, or his subsequent years of service to his country when he sat in the Oval Office. But hundreds of millions are grateful he won in 2008 and 2012 and I’m one of them.

His immediate family includes his wife Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha Obama. United States (Chicago / Washington, D.C.)

Obama's wider ancestry is made up of people of Kenyan (Luo), African-American, and Old Stock American (including originally English, Scots-Irish, Welsh, German, and Swiss) ancestry. (Wiki)

I’d like to find a similar volume about the 2012 campaign.

Well-written, fast-paced, and rich with detail about all the candidates involved in the campaign.

[Christopher Mehigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it's an easy read. Well written with a nice pace that brings you through the campaign. The sense of momentum and scale of the presidential campaign is conveyed in the writing but the focus is certainly on the candidates and the personalities around them. I found it particularly interesting to see how McCain seemed to lose control of his own campaign in the final months. A very enjoyable and interesting read.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler alert: Obama wins.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're like me and you eagerly read the election special of Newsweek from cover to cover every four years, you'll love this book. For 24 years, the magazine has provided in-depth campaign coverage of the presidential campaigns, with reporters following the candidates for 12-18 months before election day. This book provides full detail of the Newsweek exerpt for the 2008 election. If you followed the campaigns carefully and wondered what the candidates and their staffs really thought when they did thus-and-so, this book provides all the inside scoop! I was gratified to learn that just as I thought, Hillary's teary breakdown pre-New Hampshire was NOT scripted. And I was interested and somewhat surprised to hear that like McCain, Ted Kennedy was not particularly impressed with Senator Obama and later endorsed him only at the entreaty of Caroline Kennedy. There are so many fascinating tidbits in this book for the political watcher and of course, much to learn from the Obama reporters about how to run a truly great campaign.

[Fawaz Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evan Thomas, a reporter for Newsweek magazine, takes us behind the scenes of the 2008 US election and the historical win by Barack Obama. This book is written by a journalist so it fits the style of a magazine rather than a book. Neverthless, I recommend this book for those who need a refreshing reminder on Obama's historical win. In my opinion the book is entertaining but it barely touches the surface and the behind the scene drama that took place in the election.

Quick read and entertaining...

[Arman Kurniawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bagi yang suka mengetahui behind the scenes pengambilan suatu keputusan termasuk keputusan politik dalam kampanye, buku ini sangatlah menarik. Pertarungan menuju gedung putih tahun 2008 antara Obama, Hillary, dan McCain dilihat dari sudut pandang cara berkampanye. Obama, Hillary dan McCain masing-masing memiliki cara kampanye yang berbeda sehingga menarik untuk mencari benang merah antara cara berkampanye dan hubungannya dengan raihan suara.

[Carol Fordahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Along with “Dreams From My Father,” this book was on my list. Written solely about the campaign, it recounts the McCain side of things too. Of note was the compromise of both campaigns’ computers by foreign hackers. This book filled in some blanks for me but was a trodding read.

[Oshan Weliwita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great behind-the-scenes insights into the presidential election campaigns of both parties in 2008

[Ty Schanhofer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really cool look into the candidates and behind-the-scenes showrunners felt about the ups and downs of this campaign. Lots of interesting anecdotes, nice fast pace.

[Mackarel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tadinya saya beli buku ini sebagai persiapan kalo sewaktu2 pengen bikin cerita berlatar belakang Pilkada.

Misalnya kisah romansa si calon gubernur ganteng yang masih lajang naksir ama sekretarisnya (plis, jangan ketawa, di saat itu ide tsb kedengaran brilian x)).

Siapa tahu ada intrik-intrik politik yang mencerahkan di buku ini.

Tapi yang terjadi, saya malah merasa nostalgia. Jadi inget jaman 2008, saya masih kuliah dan mengikuti perjalanan Obama dari Senat sampai jadi Presiden, yang diulas dan diberitakan secara tekun oleh Kompas.

Saya suka baca soal Obama, sebelum doi terkenal sebagai penggemar baso dan nasi goreng, sebelum saya paham apa pentingnya Kaukus Iowa, superdelegates, reli pendahuluan, dsb. (oh, tunggu, sampe sekarang juga masih ga paham)

Yang saya kagumi dari Evan Thomas (yang menulis buku ini dengan reportase ekslusif dari wartawan Newsweek) adalah kemampuannya untuk menyajikan fakta secara jeli, dengan bahasa yang mengalir, santun dan secara mengejutkan..., netral.

Tidak ada kecenderungan membela satu pihak secara berapi-api. Kemenangan Obama memang 'tak terelakkan', bahkan meskipun bukan John McCain yang melawannya.
Apalagi Obama merupakan kekasih hati media arus utama (baik dalam dan luar negeri), sehingga popularitasnya setara dengan selebritas.

Selama masa pemilihan presiden, saya yakin nyaris tak terhingga kejadian penting yang secara signifikan membelokkan arus maupun mengubah suhu pertempuran, secara pararel terjadi di seluruh negeri.

Kecermatan Evan Thomas untuk memilih kejadian yang diulas dalam buku ini juga nilai tersendiri, sehingga pembaca tidak merasa lelah dan kewalahan.

Obama, Mrs. Clinton, McCain, Palin, Biden (yang terakhir tak banyak diulas, kemungkinan karena sedikitnya skandal/berita yang ditimbulkan beliau) beserta para staf kampanye mereka, terasa sangat manusiawi di buku ini.

[Marjanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a look at the recent presidential race/election. The author focuses on the race between Clinton and Obama in the primaries, a little bit on McCain's race during the primaries, and then the race between Obama and McCain. This really is a book about Obama, but the author gives fair play to McCain too. I didn't really feel that the author was particularly unfair to either candidate and did try to discuss their strengths and weaknesses. I think most people, no matter their political beliefs would feel ok with this book. However it does focus more on Obama. The downside to this book is that it's just a re-hashing of the events of the last year, so it's really nothing most people haven't already heard, seen or read about.

[Ion Bargan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book I found interesting details from the Presidential Campaign 08' such as candidates favourite film, the atmosphere inside the Obama's team and McCain's, the reasons choosing Biden and Palin as vice president candidates, the preparations for television debates, the election day and what was after that.

I liked the author's comparison between Obama and Lincoln. Both of them came from modest families, without experience in Washington D.C. politics, but having the school life and a great desire to unite the nation in crisis periods. Obama and Lincoln as good orators wrote most of their speeches.

I recommend reading this book to anyone interested in U.S. politics and the Presidential Campaign of 2008.

[Cory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually follow politics as it frustrates me, but I really felt invested in the Obama campaign (aka I have a crush on him). This book is a pretty even-handed, behind-the-scenes look at how the campaigns were run and the election was won. There were a few spots where I was wishing for a bit more detail (the vice-presidential debate, for one) and some quotes and anecdotes showed up more than once. However, any book that can make me sympathize with John McCain and get all misty-eyed about our president is A-OK by me.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprisingly objective. I expected a little unfairness toward the McCain campaign as was traditionally the norm during the election year. It was a great snapshot into both sides of the camp. Incredible to ponder just how much the media plays a role in pushing politics and how much the staff of a campaign can make or break the candidate.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth to read!

Sangat informatif, mengungkapkan secara objektif adegan di balik layar yang berlangsung selama kampanye pilpres Amerika 2008 di kubu Obama, Clinton, dan McCain. Menarik untuk disimak, karena kita bisa membaca karakter para capres dan tim pendukungnya dari keputusan yang diambil selama kampanye dan reaksi mereka pada saat krisis.

[Kelv · Rating 1 out of 5]

Choppy and distracted text which was neither entertaining or exciting. Direct quotes added to the cohesionless. Perhaps this book would have read better if it was written in point form for some sections.

I enjoyed and appreciated the interview at the back of the book as it did give an insight into Obama and his speaking / thinking creditentials.

[Desiree Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book detailing the events of the 2008 campaigns of then Senator Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator John McCain. The book chronicles the ups, downs, fights and the surprisingly calm and well run campaign the Obama camp ran to get him to the Presidency. This was a great read which I really enjoyed. Read: May 2014

[reading is my hustle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read about Obama's campaign from its beginning stages and until he walked on stage in Chicago promising that "Change has come to America." Telling observations about McCain and Hilary's campaign too.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of Newsweek articles, giving a basic overview/recap of last year's election. Perfect material for audio, as it didn't come close to getting bogged down in details; the narrator on the other hand ... need not give up his day job.

[JRB · Rating 4 out of 5]

These articles (originally published shortly after election day) are very insightful and have something new to offer for even the closest observers of the 2008 election cycle.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a quite sense of respect for President Obama. After reading this book it has grown by leaps and bounds. God bless our President.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting "behind the scenes" view of the 2008 election. I read through this book very quickly--some of the reporting was brief (for example, very little was said about Joe Biden, etc.).

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun look behind the scenes of the Obama campaign.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned that there is no straight road that leads you to your goal. There are a lot of twists and turns but you learn how to handle them as you move onto your final destination.

[Lynn Calvin]

Amazon preorder

[Kate]

Bit boring but a happy ending. ;)

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

More great insight into the 2008 presidential campaign. Not as good as "Game Change," but a close second.

[Saila Erion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect read for a news junkie who admires President Obama.

[Sacha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was really, really interesting. I hope they do another like this for the next election.

[Tarita Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly like a long Newsweek article, but did reveal some insider observations that were interesting.