Inside the Circus--Romney, Santorum and the GOP Race: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) [Kindle Edition]

Mike Allen (Author), Evan Thomas (Author), Politico (Author)

Book Description

Two of America’s most perceptive political reporters join forces for an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the race for the White House in POLITICO’s Playbook 2012, a series of four instant digital books on the 2012 presidential election. The second edition, Inside the Circus, pulls back the curtain on the pursuit of the Republican nomination, as operatives jockey for position and strategists vie to fashion a message that can win over all factions of the fractious GOP.
 
Over the course of a long winter and into the spring, the contest for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination gathered steam and bubbled over with drama. At times it seemed more like a soap opera or reality show than a political campaign. Inside the Circus, the latest real-time digital dispatch from acclaimed political correspondent Mike Allen and award-winning journalist and author Evan Thomas, chronicles each turn in this endlessly surprising race with reporting straight from the campaign war rooms of Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and the other GOP contenders.
 
What was the thinking inside the Romney brain trust as what was once expected to be an easy ride to the nomination turned into what some have called a “long slog”? How did Newt Gingrich throw the preternaturally poised Romney off his game in South Carolina—and who convinced the former Massachusetts governor it was time to start punching back? Why were the other campaigns caught flat-footed by the rise of Rick Santorum and what does his unlikely ascent mean for the prospect of a brokered convention? From the Iowa caucuses to Super Tuesday and beyond, Allen and Thomas answer all the questions the headlines, polls, and delegate counts can’t address. The stakes are high, the plotlines are still unfolding, and Inside the Circus is your fly-on-the-wall guide to the most fascinating Republican presidential race in recent memory.

Product Details

• File Size: 1783 KB
• Print Length: 76 pages
• Publisher: Random House (April 3, 2012)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007JC2942
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,997 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #21 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Elections & Political Process > Elections
  • #79 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Elections & Political Process > Elections

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "PLAYBOOK 2012", 2nd INSTALLMENT, THE LONG, INTERESTING REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN April 3, 2012

By RBSProds TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Four ENGAGING Stars! This is the second installment of the behind-the-scenes "Playbook 2012" called "Inside The Circus--Romney, Santorum, and the GOP Race (POLITICO Inside Election 2012) written by authors Mike Allen and Evan Thomas (conceived and edited by Pulitzer Prize-winning author/historian Jon Meacham). It gives interesting viewpoints on the Republican campaign with material that begins with the Iowa Caucus period, and while much is based on information that politically-astute observers and readers of the daily political news will already know, the good parts of this book are the frank uncensored quotes, factoids, anecdotes, and interesting personages that do not make the daily print, TV, or internet news. Along the way, the book touches on: the "Mitt Whisperer", "Dirty tricks and underhanded attacks", Santorum's frank viewpoints, the friendliness of the Romney and Paul families, Huntsman's ultimate weaknesses, the political ads of Stuart Stevens, the brief involvement of debate specialist Brett O'Donnell, Huntsman's disappointment with McCain, the Santorum campaign's Hogan Gidley, the super PAC effects on Santorum and Gingrich, the deep pockets of Sheldon Adelson and Foster Friess, Karen Santorum's advice to Rick, Obama and super PAC, 'The Long Slog", and much more. Some input is based on high level, unnamed advisers and operatives, and there are cases where these sources directly and enthusiastically challenge assertions by the authors. In all, a good picture of the surprisingly competitive Republican campaign from Iowa to March 2012. For those who have or have not kept up with the campaign news, this is an excellent way to get an insider's view on the issues, personalities, goals, and campaign execution of the Republican candidates. Very Definitely Recommended. Four INTERESTING Stars! (eBook, 1806 KB; This review is based on a Kindle download, reviewed in text and text-to-speech modes. The first edition of "Playbook 2012" is Playbook 2012: The Right Fights Back (Politico Inside Election 2012) (Kindle Single). There are two more expected editions of Playbook 2012.)

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disapointing April 10, 2012

By V. Patterson

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I enjoyed the first installment in this series - The Right Fights Back - but this one was simply not as good. I'm not really looking for analysis or anything - just behind the scenes stories. (Some might call that gossip, but I find it fascinating to hear the stories we don't see.) Unfortunately, there is a lot less of it in this volume and much of it was leaked to the press ahead of time to try and drum up interest in this chapter. Honestly, I find the fact that Rick Perry was singing in the rest room to be less weird than some of the stuff he was doing on TV (like his infamous appearance in New Hampshire.) I had expected more behind the scenes stuff from the Gingrich campaign - did they simply not have a good source there? Really, it's a problem throughout the book - perhaps people have decided to be a lot more careful since they know the stories will be published before the election is over.
But I also found the way it was organized to be not great - it really jumps around in a non-logical way. It doesn't have to be totally linear, but I just didn't think that it was well put together.
I still gave it three stars, though two and a half would have more accurately reflected how I felt about it. I also thought the title was an unfortunate choice - 'circus' in this context has negative connotations and could lead to unnecessary charges of bias. I really do hope the next one - which I assume will cover from now through the conventions - will be better. It's an interesting experiment and I'm happy to support it, but the reporters need to do a better job of digging up stories if they want this to be considered a success.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice analysis in the cold morning light March 16, 2013

By Cheryl D.

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Good analysis with a clear eye as opposed to the heat of the moment during the campaign. Nice reporting job!!