Game Change
Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime is the name of a book about the 2008 Presidential election written by journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. Released on January 10, 2008, it is divided into three parts. Part 1 (the first fourteen chapters) is about the Democratic primary race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as well as the John Edwards affair. Part 2 (the next three chapters) is about the Republican primary race. Part 3's final six chapters describe the fall campaign between Obama and John McCain. I've read this book, but didn't review it. However the short review is that I though it was a fascinating read and would recommend it highly.
The authors claim that the book is based on interviews with over 300 people involved in the campaign.It tells all of the stories of an interesting campaign which included the strongest presidential campaigns ever run by an African-American candidate as well as a female candidate, it discusses factors including Democratic Party presidential candidate John Edwards' extramarital affair, the relationship between Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and his vice presidential running mate Joe Biden, the failure of Republican Party candidate Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign and the train wreck that was Sarah Palin's vice presidential candidacy.
Tonight HBO is broadcasting a movie based on parts of the book. The HBO film Game Change airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. (according to the HBO website, but anyone planning on watching it should check their local listings.) The movie focuses on the GOP campaign in the 2008 election. It has an impressive cast, starring Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, Ed Harris as John McCain and Woody Harrelson as McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt. The film was shot in Maryland and Delaware.
Even before it has aired, reaction to the film has been mixed. Sarah Palin has said that Game Change was based on a "false narrative" and that she would not see it. John and Cindy McCain also call the film inaccurate. The Hollywood Reporter has accused the filmmakers of bias, pointing out that the film's top talent and executives donated $200,000 to the Democratic party and none to Republicans.
Conversely, Steve Schmidt, the McCain campaign's chief strategist, stated: "Ten weeks of the campaign are condensed into a two-hour movie. But it tells the truth of the campaign. That is the story of what happened." He added that watching the film was like "an out-of-body experience." Nicolle Wallace, a chief Palin 2008 aide also said she found Game Change highly credible. She said that the film "captured the spirit and emotion of the campaign."
Here is a trailer from the film, which I plan to watch. (I won't be able to watch it tonight, but will PVR it and probably watch it tomorrow).
The authors claim that the book is based on interviews with over 300 people involved in the campaign.It tells all of the stories of an interesting campaign which included the strongest presidential campaigns ever run by an African-American candidate as well as a female candidate, it discusses factors including Democratic Party presidential candidate John Edwards' extramarital affair, the relationship between Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and his vice presidential running mate Joe Biden, the failure of Republican Party candidate Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign and the train wreck that was Sarah Palin's vice presidential candidacy.
Tonight HBO is broadcasting a movie based on parts of the book. The HBO film Game Change airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. (according to the HBO website, but anyone planning on watching it should check their local listings.) The movie focuses on the GOP campaign in the 2008 election. It has an impressive cast, starring Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, Ed Harris as John McCain and Woody Harrelson as McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt. The film was shot in Maryland and Delaware.
Even before it has aired, reaction to the film has been mixed. Sarah Palin has said that Game Change was based on a "false narrative" and that she would not see it. John and Cindy McCain also call the film inaccurate. The Hollywood Reporter has accused the filmmakers of bias, pointing out that the film's top talent and executives donated $200,000 to the Democratic party and none to Republicans.
Conversely, Steve Schmidt, the McCain campaign's chief strategist, stated: "Ten weeks of the campaign are condensed into a two-hour movie. But it tells the truth of the campaign. That is the story of what happened." He added that watching the film was like "an out-of-body experience." Nicolle Wallace, a chief Palin 2008 aide also said she found Game Change highly credible. She said that the film "captured the spirit and emotion of the campaign."
Here is a trailer from the film, which I plan to watch. (I won't be able to watch it tonight, but will PVR it and probably watch it tomorrow).