The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies

(Paperback)

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From the bestselling author of The Promise, the thrilling story of one of the most momentous contests in American history, the Battle Royale between Obama and his enemies from the 2010 midterms through the 2013 inauguration.

In The Center Holds, Jonathan Alter provides the first full account of America at the crossroads. With exclusive reporting and rare historical insight, he pierces the bubble of the White House and the presidential campaigns in a landmark election that marked the return of big money and the rise of big data. He tells the epic story of an embattled president fighting back with the first campaign of the Digital Age.

Alter relates the untold story behind Obamas highs and lows, from the raid on Osama bin Ladens compound to the frustration of the debt ceiling fiasco to his unexpected run-ins with black and Latino activists. Alter takes us inside Mitt Romney and Paul Ryans Boston campaign as well as Obamas disastrous preparation for the first debate. We meet Obamas analytics geeks working out of The Cave and the man who secretly videotaped Romneys infamous comments on the 47 percent.

The Center Holds deepens our understanding of the Obama presidency and the future of the country.

Reviews

Highly informed, energetically reported. Alter gives us a lucid picture of the toxic, highly partisan political environment in which todays controversies are occurring. * The New York Times *
Alter's book abounds in such peeks inside the competing campaignsexcellent 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 20102012 election cycle and related political dogfights.Lucid, entertaining, and alive to the reality behind the posturing, Alters report reveals the high stakes and far-reaching import of the 2012 decision. * Publishers Weekly, Starred Review *

Author Bio

Jonathan Alter is an award-winning historian, columnist and documentary filmmaker. An MSNBC political analyst and former senior editor atNewsweek, he is the author of threeNew York Timesbestsellers:The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies;The Promise: President Obama, Year One; andThe Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope.