The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies Hardcover – June 4, 2013

Things were not looking good for President Obama at the time of the 2012 election: the economy was still struggling, no one seemed to really understand how Obamacare would work, and the Republicans’ number-one objective remained obstructing the president’s programs. Even Bill Clinton thought Obama would lose. So what turned it around? In a narrative that is as engaging as it is informative, veteran political writer Alter offers a mix of answers: Republican overreach, too many primaries, demographics, the Obama campaign’s smart use of twenty-first century technology, and the unexpected moments that always seem to shake up elections (Clint Eastwood, meet Hurricane Sandy). Oh, and the ability of the Democrats to paint Romney as a one-dimensional rich kid, a position that was cemented by the famous recording of him denigrating 47 percent of the American people. Because Alter has so much to cover here, some of the issues get shorter shrift than others, but all the important points are hit: the introduction of Tea Party politics; the absence of the president’s “schmooze gene”; campaign trail highs and lows; the debates, especially the first one with Obama MIA; and plenty about both policy and politics, which sets up a solid framework for the dishier parts of the story. (No one seems to like Valerie Jarrett except the Obamas.) Containing analysis as well as reportage and with most of the quotes sourced, this makes for good history as well as a good read. --Ilene Cooper

“An elegant, intelligent, crisply constructed account … It will be required reading for any serious student of the Obama presidency, present or future. … One of America’s most highly respected political journalists, Alter … makes a singular contribution by capturing Obama’s famously inscrutable political persona and demystifying it in the context of his daily work as president. … Alter has gained access to key people within the president’s orbit, enabling him to create a rich portrait of [Obama].” (The Washington Post)

“Highly informed, energetically reported…. Alter gives us a lucid picture of the toxic, highly partisan political environment in which today’s controversies are occurring.” (The New York Times)

“Alter's book abounds in such peeks inside the competing campaigns…excellent reporting.” (Los Angeles Times)

“A calm, virtuoso work of journalism. Alter brings a clear eye to recognizing both the shortcomings and the victories of the 2012 Obama campaign and the administration before and after the election…. one of the best books about our befuddling, original, American version of democracy.” (The New York Daily News)

“Common-sense politics devolve into a season of craziness in this engrossing account of the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign. Journalist Alter follows up his bestselling The Promise: President Obama, Year One with a savvy dissection of the 2010–2012 election cycle and related political dogfights.…Lucid, entertaining, and alive to the reality behind the posturing, Alter’s report reveals the high stakes and far-reaching import of the 2012 decision.” (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review)