Double Down

Game Change 2012

By: Mark Halperin, John Heilemann

Narrated by: Robert Fass

In their runaway best seller Game Change, Mark Halperin and John Heilemann captured the full drama of Barack Obama’s improbable, dazzling victory over the Clintons, John McCain, and Sarah Palin. With the same masterly reporting, unparalleled access, and narrative skill, Double Down picks up the story in the Oval Office, where the president is beset by crises both inherited and unforeseen - facing defiance from his political foes, disenchantment from the voters, disdain from the nation’s powerful money machers, and dysfunction within the West Wing.

As 2012 looms, leaders of the Republican Party, salivating over Obama’s political fragility, see a chance to wrest back control of the White House - and the country. So how did the Republicans screw it up? How did Obama survive the onslaught of super PACs and defy the predictions of a one-term presidency?

Double Down follows the gaudy carnival of GOP contenders - ambitious and flawed, famous and infamous, charismatic and cartoonish - as Mitt Romney, the straitlaced, can-do, gaffe-prone multimillionaire from Massachusetts, scraped and scratched his way to the nomination.

Double Down exposes blunders, scuffles, and machinations far beyond the klieg lights of the campaign trail: Obama storming out of a White House meeting with his high command after accusing them of betrayal. Romney’s mind-set as he made his controversial “47 percent” comments. The real reasons New Jersey governor Chris Christie was never going to be Mitt’s running mate. The intervention held by the president’s staff to rescue their boss from political self-destruction. The way the tense détente between Obama and Bill Clinton morphed into political gold. And the answer to one of the campaign’s great mysteries - how did Clint Eastwood end up performing Dada dinner theater at the Republican convention?

In Double Down, Mark Halperin and John Heilemann take the listener into back rooms and closed-door meetings, laying bare the secret history of the 2012 campaign for a panoramic account of an election that was as hard fought as it was lastingly consequential.

©2013 Mark Halperin and John Heilemann (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Those hungry for political news will read Double Down for the scooplets and insidery glimpses it serves up about the two campaigns, and the clues it offers about the positioning already going on among Republicans and Democrats for 2016...The book testifies to its authors’ energetic legwork and insider access...[C]reating a novelistic narrative that provides a you-are-there immediacy...They succeed in taking readers interested in the backstabbing and backstage maneuvering of the 2012 campaign behind the curtains, providing a tactile...[S]ense of what it looked like from the inside. (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

"Chock-full of anecdotes, secret meetings, indiscreet remarks.... No one can compete [with Halperin and Heilemann]. That’s what it means to own the franchise. It’s a small club: these two guys and Bob Woodward. And with this book, they’ve earned their admission." (Michael Kinsley, The New York Times Book Review)

"Sharp insights buttressed by startling indiscretions fill Double Down, a new account of Barack Obama’s win over his 2012 Republican rival, Mitt Romney. This gripping book - a sequel to Game Change, a best seller about Mr. Obama’s 2008 path to the White House - cements the status of the authors as unrivalled chroniclers of campaign politics." (The Economist)

Fascination inside scoop on 2012 election

This was like watching a rerun with all the behind the scenes shots as well. It read like a thriller even though we all know the outcome.

Outstanding Insight into 2012 Pres. Election

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The way in which Cris Christie positioned himself, with Pres. Obama and the Republican Party (no judgement) for future political gains, while genuinely displaying concern and compassion for the people of NJ during super storm Sandy.

Have you listened to any of Robert Fass’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Greater insight into the mindset of people around the US when it comes to the perception of what 'good' government is.

Far More in the Weeds

I previously read Dan Balz's book on the same subject but found Double Down to be much more researched and took you into the backrooms and dealings of each of the campaigns. I felt that this book allowed us to get a better idea of not just the candidates but also the players in each campaign and outside of the campaign. There were some very funny moments and some human moments, as well. Robert Fass speaks well.

If you want more juicy details, I would go with this book over Balz's book.

Excellent narrative of the 2012 election.

Would you consider the audio edition of Double Down to be better than the print version?

I have no idea.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The timeliness.

What about Robert Fass’s performance did you like?

It was fine.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

President Obama is much tougher than he shows publicly, Mitt Romney much less so, and Jon Huntsman has a whole lot of big negatives that never came out during his brief time as a potential candidate.

Any additional comments?

No.

Worthy follow up to Game Change

Any additional comments?

Helperin and Heilemann have once again provided a hugely entertaining chronicle of the spectacle we have come to know as an American Presidential election cycle. Much like their insiders take of the 2008 election in Game Change, Double Down is equal parts historical narrative, electioneering for dummies, and tabloidesque dish on the players and personalities behind both the democratic and republican campaigns. The narrative deftly jumps between team Obama's year long re-election campaign and the Republican primaries and Romney campaign. There are lots of fascinating details throughout mixed with revealing and at times, juicy tidbits about the candidates that could only have come from a retinue of insiders. The authors don't pull any punches here with either side, though some may detect a slight team Obama bias. Nevertheless, clearly the authors have done their homework here and are establishing themselves as the preeminent chroniclers of modern American Presidential politics. I found this thoroughly entertaining and informative throughout and will eagerly await a hoped for post 2016 follow up.

Addictive and Enteraining

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes if they wanted to go behind the scenes of the GOP presidential nomination.

What other book might you compare Double Down to and why?

Game Chang because this one is the sequel.

Which character – as performed by Robert Fass – was your favorite?

Newt!

Any additional comments?

The story about Obama is kinda boring. But the story about the GOP candidates is pure gold.

Good for the political junkie

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not unless they run out of things to read about 2012 election.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

This narrator was distracting. He read the book without any energy. It felt like a bored librarian at storytime. The Game Change narrator was fantastic...too bad he wasn't reused.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

Not what I expected

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No

What could Mark Halperin and John Heilemann have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I don't know, most of the book I heard on the evening news

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Robert Fass?

he was okay

Was Double Down worth the listening time?

not in my opinion

Any additional comments?

none at this time

Sophomore slump still brings it, sort of

If you could sum up Double Down in three words, what would they be?

In trying to revive the magic of Double Down some things should not have been doubled down on, such as snark and overheated writing

What did you like best about this story?

There was some new information

Which scene was your favorite?

Can't choose

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Apparently this was not a particularly memorable book

Any additional comments?

Library or remainders. Or audible sale. Even for junkies not worth the list price.

presidential elections are depressing

I liked this book, and I like the authors. (They really hammer the title in over and over. Jeez.) But after awhile, the gladiatorial spectacle of the whole campaign just got really taxing. The minutiae of the interactions and everything. I remember that campaign pretty well, and the events were familiar. The backstory was interesting. But about 2/3 through I, as a listener, changed, and just got worn out by it. Looking forward to being totally bummed by what I assume they're developing about 2016.