Too Close to Call

The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election

By: Jeffrey Toobin

Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin

From the best-selling author of A Vast Conspiracy and The Run of His Life comes Too Close to Call - the definitive story of the Bush-Gore presidential recount. A political and legal analyst of unparalleled journalistic skill, Jeffrey Toobin is the ideal writer to distill the events of the 36 anxiety-filled days that culminated in one of the most stunning Supreme Court decisions in history.

Packed with news-making disclosures and written with the drive of a legal thriller, Too Close to Call takes us inside James Baker's private jet, through the locked gates to Al Gore's mansion, behind the covered-up windows of Katherine Harris's office, and even into the secret conference room of the United States Supreme Court. As the scene shifts from Washington to Austin and into the remote corners of the enduringly strange Sunshine State, Toobin's book will transform what you thought you knew about the most extraordinary political drama in American history.

The Florida recount unfolded in a kaleidoscopic maze of bizarre concepts (chads, pregnant and otherwise), unfamiliar people in critically important positions (the Florida Supreme Court), and familiar people in surprising new places (the Miami relatives of Elián González, in a previously undisclosed role in this melodrama). With the rich characterization that is his trademark, Toobin portrays the prominent strategists who masterminded the campaigns - the Daleys and the Roves - and also the lesser-known but influential players who pulled the strings, as well as the judges and justices whose decisions determined the final outcome. Toobin gives both camps a treatment they have not yet received - remarkably evenhanded, nonpartisan, and entirely new.

The post-election period posed a challenge to even the most zealous news junkie: how to keep up with what was happening and sort out the important from the trivial. Jeffrey Toobin has now done this - and then some. With clarity, insight, humor, and a deep understanding of the law, he deconstructs the events, the players, and the often Byzantine intricacies of our judicial system. A remarkable account of one of the most significant periods in our country's history, Too Close to Call is endlessly surprising, frequently poignant, and wholly addictive.

©2001 Jeffrey Toobin (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Wow......

The wrong man was elected president. An amazing account of how the 2000 election recount unfolded and ultimately yielded Pres. Bush.

A Good Writer

I don't agree with many of Toobin's opinions and conclusions, but I have enjoyed his books on OJ Simpson, Patty Hearst, and this one on the incredible Florida 2000 recount. The narration is first rate.

Tells the local story in detail

If you're obsessed with the 2000 Presidential Election and the Supreme Court decision in Bush v Gore, this book is for you. It pairs very well with the HBO docu-drama Recount, which shows the machinations at the top of the Republican and Democratic camps. It provides an overview of the main national players at the head of the recount.

Too Close to Call focuses on the local level and tells the tale of the people who were actually recounting the votes (or not). The personalities are fascinating and the background given on local Floridian politics goes a long way to explain why the various seemingly inexplicable decisions were made. Tobin discusses each court decision just enough that it is clear to non-lawyers like me what happened and why it was significant. He thankfully rarely gets bogged down in too much detail.

I have a very strong opinion about what happened in 2000, but the book seemed balanced and fair to both sides to me. Both sides get equal time and equal criticism. No one comes out of this book as a hero or a villain.

The narrator, Eric Jason Martin, is new to me. His voice and delivery are interesting without being overly theatrical or detracting from the story.

Overall, if you are looking for a brief overview of the mess in 2000, read Wikipedia. If you want to understand what happened on the ground in Florida, you will enjoy this book.