• Site Index « Books (From the Campaign Period)  |  Books and More (Post-Election Journalistic)   |  Books (Post-Election Academic)
  

Calvin Trillin.  Nov. 20, 2012.  DOGFIGHT: The 2012 Presidential Campaign In Verse.  New York: Random House.
"In his latest laugh-out-loud book of political verse, Calvin Trillin provides a riotous depiction of the 2012 presidential election campaign.  Dogfight is a narrative poem interrupted regularly by other poems and occasionally by what the author calls a pause for prose..."

David Freddoso.  Jan. 28, 2013.  SPIN MASTERS: How the Media Ignored the Real News and Helped Reelect Barack Obama.  Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc..
"The media dropped the ball in covering the 2012 election, writes David Freddoso, editorial page editor of The Washington Examiner, and in doing so the media failed their responsibility to keep politicians honest and the public well-informed. Freddoso, a New York Times bestselling author and former congressional reporter for National Review, fills this volume not only with outrageous examples of media bias, but also with dozens of real stories that genuinely inquisitive reporters should have relished but that overwhelmingly liberal press didn’t even bother to cover."

Jonathan Alter.  June 2013.  THE CENTER HOLDS: Obama and His Enemies.  New York: Simon & Schuster.
"In The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies, Jonathan Alter uses his unmatched access and deep knowledge of politics and history to produce the first full account of America at the crossroads. He pierces the bubble of the White House and of the presidential campaigns with exclusive reporting and rare historical insight. More than a campaign book, this is the epic story of an embattled president facing a historic moment he considered more pivotal than 2008."

L. Brent Bozell III and Tim Graham.  July 9, 2013.  COLLUSION: How the Media Stole the 2012 Election--and How to Stop Them from Doing It in 2016.  New York: Broadside Books [HarperCollins imprint].
"Unquestionably, 2012 was the year when the liberal news media did all in their power to steal the presidential election—and they arguably succeeded. Media Research Center Founder and President Brent Bozell and MRC Director of Media Analysis Tim Graham provide the dramatic and conclusive evidence to prove this point—and show conservatives how to put an end to the leftist media agenda threatening democracy itself."

Dan Balz.  Aug. 6, 2013.  COLLISION 2012: Obama vs. Romney and the Future of Elections in America.  New York: Viking Adult.
"Using sources deep inside both campaigns and on the campaign trail through primary and battleground states, Washington Post correspondent Dan Balz writes with a keen political mind and a seasoned reporter’s ear. He traces the highs and lows of the Obama presidency as well as the ruthless Republican primary as both laid the groundwork for one of the most crucial, contentious elections of our time. Collision 2012 puts the race for the White House in context and explores just what the election means for the future of the democratic process and America."

Robert Wolffe.  Sept. 17, 2013.  THE MESSAGE: The Resellling of President Obama.  New York: Grand Central Publishing.
"Drawing on unrivaled access to the key characters, THE MESSAGE tells the inside story of the Mad Men-the marketers, message-shapers, and admakers-who held the Obama presidency in their hands."

Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.  Nov. 5, 2013.  DOUBLE DOWN: Game Change 2012.  New York: The Penguin Press.
"Drawing on hundreds of interviews with the people who lived the story, Heilemann and Halperin deliver another reportorial tour de force that reads like a fast-paced novel. Character driven and dialogue rich, replete with extravagantly detailed scenes, Double Down offers a panoramic account of a campaign at once intensely hard fought and lastingly consequential.”

Don V. Cogman.  Nov. 10, 2014.  RUN MITCH, RUN: The Hard Decisions One Man Face for the 2012 Presidential Election.  Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.
"Don V. Cogman, a corporate and governmental affairs executive, shares a story that deserves to be told—the story of what it takes to run for President of the United States, the choices a potential candidate faces, and the hard decisions a candidate must make during the process. As he offers a compelling, chronological glimpse into Daniels’ quest to make the right decision for not only himself and his family but also his country, Cogman reveals intriguing, behind-the-scene details as Daniels, with the help of eight devoted individuals, wrestled with the pros and cons of a presidential run during a unique time in America’s history."

films...
AJ Schnack, producer, with co-producer and co-cinematographer Nathan Truesdell, collaborator Shirley Moyers, filmmakers Bill and Turner Ross.  Premiered at 2013 Hot Docs Film Festival, April 25 to May 5, 2013.  CAUCUS.  (1, 2)
"From April 2011 until January 3, 2012 (Caucus Night), we traveled all over the great state of Iowa filming the seven men and one woman who would seek to win Iowa's "first in the nation" Caucus.  During that time, our cameras captured moments that you've never seen, no matter how much you watch the news, of the Republican hopefuls...  Inspired by PRIMARY, one of the great works of documentary (and one created by many of our heroes), we went to Iowa to capture an intimate, observational portrait of the current political campaign."  ...Schnack's feature documentary credits include CONVENTION (2009), which premiered as the Centerpiece Film at the AFI Silverdocs Film Festival and was acquired and released by IFC Films/Sundance Selects.

Greg Whiteley, producer, and Seth Gordon, executive producer.  Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 17, 2014 and on the Netflix Internet TV network on Jan. 24, 2014.  MITT.  Los Gatos, CA: Netflix, Inc. (1, 2)
"...follows Romney's presidential aspirations beginning Christmas 2006 to his initial run to become the Republican nominee in 2008 and through his Presidential concession speech in 2012.  Given unprecedented access by Mitt and his family, Whiteley travels alongside the campaign through interactions with potential voters, preparations for the debates, personal moments with his family, and concluding with final presidential election night results."

John Fitzgerald Keitel, director.  Premiered at the Monadnock International Film Festival on April 4, 2014. FRED.  (1, 2)
"When Fred Karger began running for President of the United States in February 2010 filmmaker John Fitzgerald Keitel was at his side. John spent the next two years documenting his historic campaign as the first openly gay candidate for president from either major political party. Now a one hour documentary, FRED is out and gives audiences an inside look at the roller coaster campaign. Follow Fred from the towns of New Hampshire to the Iowa State Fair.  Watch as he takes on Fox News and Mitt Romney. See the reaction from Republican rank and file voters to any openly gay GOP candidate from New Orleans to New York, from Gay Pride Parades to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference as he fights for inclusion in the debates, takes on his opponents and campaigns to let lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans know that anything is possible."


Strictly e-books

Dan Balz.  Nov. 8, 2012.  OBAMA VS. ROMNEY: "The Take" on Election 2012.  New York: Diversion Books.
Obama vs. Romney is a collection of 50 dispatches from the campaign trail, by one the preeminent political journalists of our times. Balz recounts the back-and-forth slugfest of 2012 in a single seamless narrative, including his hundreds of interviews with behind-the-scenes players who crafted both Obama’s scorched-earth re-election game plan and Romney’s audacious strategy for unseating a president. The result is a complete inside story of the campaign from the early days in both parties, through the dramatic ending that wasn’t written until the very last hours of the election. [Kindle]

Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Martin.  Dec. 17, 2012.  THE END OF THE LINE: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election.  New York: Random House.
"The fourth and final eBook in POLITICO’s Playbook 2012 series once again provides an unprecedented minute-by-minute account of the race for the presidency. The End of the Line follows President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney as their campaign teams go all-in to win in the critical final weeks of the 2012 election." [Kindle]

Michael Hastings.  Jan. 15, 2013.  PANIC 2012: The Sublime and Terrifying Inside Story of Obama's Final Campaign.  New York: A BuzzFeed/Blue Rider Press Book.
"With access to the Obama re-election machine, Michael Hastings reports  the behind-the-scenes story of the campaign trail: from Obama’s self-destructive performance at the first debate to the harrowing days of Hurricane Sandy, all culminating in his triumphant victory late in the evening on November 6th. Along the way, Hastings gives a first hand account of the excitement and madness traveling with the White House press corps, bringing to life a series of unforgettably strange moments from the trail. From one of the sharpest, funniest, and most controversial young American journalists writing today comes Panic: 2012 – the definitive account of how President Obama almost blew it." [Kindle]

Chris Ward, Marc Shapiro, CW Cooke and Joshua LaBello.  April 2013.  POLITICAL POWER: Election 2012.  Vancouver, WA:  Bluewater Productions.
"Political Power: Election 2012” [is] a collected edition of the popular subjects of the election. Check out the stories of Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul and the Tea Party Movement in one new graphic novel.

Roger Simon.  May 13, 2013.  RECKONING: Campaign 2012 and the Battle for the Soul of America.  Hermosa Beach, CA: Sumner Books.  [Kindle]
"As chief political columnist for Politico and a syndicated writer for Creators, Simon had a front-row seat for the race, from the early days of fundraising and exploratory committees, through the Republican primary circus, and into the general campaign and the election's frenetic finish. In this collection of columns, Simon gives a vivid roadmap of the election that was, with all its twists and turns, gaffes and gambles."

Gabriel Schoenfeld.  May 14, 2013.  A BAD DAY ON THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: An Insider's Account.  New York: InterMix (Penguin Publishing.
"In A Bad Day on the Romney Campaign, Gabriel Schoenfeld, a senior adviser to presidential nominee Mitt Romney for nearly two years, is the first insider to speak out about the failures of the 2012 campaign...  Why did Romney lose? The book illuminates the chain of errors that ultimately contributed to Romney's defeat. Schoenfeld's original concept--zeroing in on a single gaffe on a single day, examining its genesis and its profound ripple effects--makes for a uniquely fascinating contribution to our understanding of American politics and the challenges facing a Republican party..."  [Kindle]

Larry J. Sabato, ed.  Jan. 2013.  BARACK OBAMA AND THE NEW AMERICA: The 2012 Election and the Changing Face of Politics.  Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
"Larry Sabato, one of the leading experts in American politics, has brought together respected journalists and academics from across the political spectrum to examine every facet of the 2012 election, and what its development and outcome will mean for the nation moving forward. In frank, accessible prose, each author offers insight that goes beyond the headlines, and dives into the underlying forces and shifts that drove the election from its earliest developments to its dramatic conclusion."

Michael Nelson, ed.  March 26, 2013.  THE ELECTIONS OF 2012.  Washington, DC: CQ Press [SAGE Publications].
"Bringing together top-flight scholars to reflect on and analyze all aspects of the 2012 elections, editor Michael Nelson’s The Elections of 2012 can be counted on to deliver a nuanced breakdown of the outcomes, implications, and consequences of yet another momentous political contest. Whether discussing particular races or taking a broader look at national trends, contributors captivate students with stories and political drama, yet weave in important scholarship and expert analysis. Each chapter, written specifically for this volume, offers readers historical perspective, as well as a forward look to implications for the political system."

James W. Ceaser, Andrew E. Busch and John J. Pitney, Jr.  April 2013.  AFTER HOPE AND CHANGE: The 2012 Elections and American Politics.  Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
"As they have every four years since 1992, James W. Ceaser and Andrew E. Busch—joined in 2008 by John J. Pitney Jr.—once again provide the most comprehensive and authoritative account of the national election, including the presidential nomination process and election and congressional elections. As always Ceaser, Busch, and Pitney combine a concise account of the elections as well as its broader context for American politics and institutions."

William J. Crotty, ed.  April 30, 2013.  WINNING THE PRESIDENCY 2012.  Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers.
"In this first scholarly reflection on the 2012 elections, a distinguished cast of contributors enlightens students, scholars, and serious political readers about the issues involved in one of the most polarizing presidential elections in history. Characterized by diversity, liveliness, and data-informed analysis, this new book captures the highlights of 2012, looking ahead as well as to its antecedents."

Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier and Steven E. Schier, eds. May 1, 2013.  THE AMERICAN ELECTIONS OF 2012.  Florence, KY: Routledge [Taylor & Francis Group].
"This book assembles leading political scientists and political journalists to explain the 2012 election results and their implications for America’s future...  In addition to assessing election results, the book examines the consequences of the large ambitions of the Obama presidency and the political and policy risks entailed in the pursuit of those ambitions. It also explores Congressional elections and policymaking since 2008, and how they affected election results in 2012. The book promises a more coherent focus than that evident in similar edited works, achieved through a limited number of chapters and clear definition of chapter content."

Christopher Liddell, Daniel Kroese and Clark Campbell.  May 1, 2013.  ROMNEY READINESS PROJECT: Retrospective & Lessons Learned.  R2P, Inc..
"While Obama's re-election prevented a Romney transition from occuring, it is hoped that the content of this book can provide valuable insight to future transition teams of both parties." 

Institute of Politics, ed.  June 2013.  CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT: The Managers Look at 2012.  Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
"In this book, a distinguished group of presidential campaign staff, journalists, and political observers take us inside the 2012 race for the Republican nomination and general election, guiding us each of their campaigns from the time each candidate announced his or her intention to seek the presidency through the primaries, conventions, and up to election day. Meeting under the auspices of the Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, the candid discussion allows us to see the motivations of each candidate, strategies they deployed, and lessons they learned. In addition, representatives from the major SUPERPACS share their strategies and evaluate their impact in an election characterized by unprecedented campaign spending."

Dennis W. Johnson, ed.  July 8, 2013.  CAMPAIGNING FOR PRESIDENT 2012: Strategy and Tactics.  New York, NY: Routledge.
"Like its predecessor on the 2008 race, Campaigning for President 2012: Strategy and Tactics focuses on political management. It is written by both campaigns and elections scholars and practitioners, who highlight the role of political consultants and campaigns while also emphasizing the strategy and tactics employed by the candidates, the national political parties, and outside interests.  The contributors explore the general mood of the electorate in the 2012 election, the challenges Obama faced after his first term, the primaries, money, communication, the important issues of the election, and finally the election itself. This is the most comprehensive and broad treatment of the 2012 presidential election available."

Robert E. Denton, Jr., ed.  July 2013.  THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: A Communication Perspective.  Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
"Presidential campaigns are our national conversations – the widespread and complex communication of issues, images, social reality, and personas. Political communication specialists break down the 2012 presidential campaign and go beyond the quantitative facts, electoral counts, and poll results of the election, to make sense of the “political bits” of communication that comprise our voting choices. The contributors look at the early campaign period, the nomination process and conventions, the social and political contexts, the debates, the role of candidate spouses, candidate strategies, political strategies, and the use of the Internet and other technologies."

William J. Miller, ed.  THE 2012 NOMINATION AND THE FUTURE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY: The Internal Battle.  Lanham, MD: Lexington Books [Rowman & Littlefield imprint].
"In this volume, we assess how the 2012 GOP nomination cycle is indicative of just how the Republican Party has become in the words of pundit Cuck Warren a 'Mad Men Party in a Modern Family World.'”

John Sides & Lynn Vavreck.  Sept. 2013.  THE GAMBLE: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Presidential Election.  Princeton, NJ:  Princeton University Press.
"This book represents an unprecedented effort to use a 'Moneyball' approach to tell the story of what promises to be a dramatic election campaign, drawing on large quantities of data about the economy, public opinion, news coverage, and political advertising to determine the factors that really make a difference."

Amnon Cavari, Richard Powell and Kenneth Mayer, eds.  Nov. 2013.  THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: Forecasts, Outcomes, and Consequences.  Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
"This volume includes some of the most recognized scholars in the field and innovative younger scholars who provide a fresh perspective on the election. It is a diverse and award winning group, including established and respected names in presidency studies, political psychology, and election forecasting... The contributions address a wide range of subjects, from the accuracy of pre-election forecasts, the effect of the election on relations between Obama and congressional leaders, the effect of race and religion on the outcome, the consequences for the Republican Party, and prospects for leadership in a second term."

Danielle Sarver Coombs.  Nov. 14, 2013.  LAST MAN STANDING: Media, Framing and the 2012 Republican Primaries.  Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
"Last Man Standing examines mainstream media coverage of the 2012 Republican primary season to identify and examine the frames used to make sense of the candidates and the race. Through an exhaustive analysis of candidate-related coverage from six major media outlets (The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post for newspapers; CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC for cable news networks), Coombs weaves her examination of media frames into a compelling narrative reconstruction of the 2012 primary season."

Jeffrey C. Alexander and Bernadette N. Jaworsky.  April 2014.  OBAMA POWER.  Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
"What is the source of Obama's power? How is it that, after suffering a humiliating defeat in the 2010 mid-term elections, Obama was able to turn the situation around, deftly outmaneuvering his opponent and achieving a decisive victory in the November 2012 presidential election? In this short and brilliant book, Jeffrey Alexander and Bernadette Jaworsky argue that neither money nor demography can explain this dramatic turnaround. What made it possible, they show, was cultural reconstruction..."

Robert E. Denton, Jr., ed.  June 2014.  STUDIES OF COMMUNICATION IN THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.  Lanham, MD: Lexington Books [Rowman & Littlefield imprint]
"This diverse and unique collection of essays examines a wide range of communication elements and themes in the context of the 2012 election. Topics include the early campaign and Romney’s nomination battle, candidate image, the rhetoric and campaigning of Michelle Obama and Ann Romney, issues of race, persuasive appeals to voters, the use of music and social media, and Obama’s second inaugural address. Studies of Communication in the 2012 Presidential Campaignaims not only to expand the contributions and understandings of the various roles of communication in the 2012 presidential election, but also to cultivate a more active, democratic citizenry."

John Allen Hendricks and Dan Schill.  June 2014.  PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNING AND SOCIAL MEDIA: An Analysis of the 2012 Campaign.  New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
"Featuring work by an esteemed line-up of contributors, Presidential Campaigning and Social Media: An Analysis of the 2012 Campaign is the first book to provide a detailed analysis of the role that social media and social networking sites (SNS)--including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and others--played in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries and the general election campaign. Using both quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches, the book thoroughly examines the 2012 campaign's use of each form of social media technology and social networking sites and considers which strategies were effective in connecting with and motivating the electorate to vote. Presidential Campaigning and Social Media is ideal for courses in campaigns and elections."

Luke Perry.  Aug. 7, 2014.  MITT ROMNEY, MORMONISM, AND THE 2012 ELECTION.  New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
"This book examines what Mitt Romney's nomination for president means for America, Mormons, and the relationship between politics and religion. The first half of the book introduces Mormonism as a religion and a subculture to provide a foundation for understanding Mitt Romney and the 'Mormon Moment,' a recent period of Mormons ascending in popular culture. The second half analyzes the interplay between politics and religion in the 2012 presidential election. Particular focus is given to the approach of the LDS Church toward American politics and the impact of Romney's faith on his campaign and electoral prospects."

David B. Magleby, ed.  Sept. 26, 2014.  FINANCING THE 2012 ELECTION.  Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
"The amount of money flowing through U.S. politics continues to astound. 'While not all expenditures are reported,' writes David Magleby, 'our best estimate is that at least $8 billion was spent in the 2012 federal elections.' In this essential volume, the latest in a quadrennial series dating back to 1960, Magleby and his colleagues reveal where all the money came from, where it went, what were the results—and why it matters."

J.Clark Archer, Robert H. Watrel, Fiona Davidson, Erin H. Fouberg, Kenneth C. Martis, Richard L. Morrill, Fred M. Shelley, and Gerald R. Webster, eds.  Oct. 2014.  ATLAS OF THE 2012 ELECTIONS.  Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
"Bringing together leading political geographers and political scientists, this authoritative atlas analyzes and maps the campaigns, primaries, general election, and key state referenda in the 2012 elections...   Illustrated with nearly 200 meticulously drawn full-color maps, the atlas will be an essential reference and a fascinating resource for pundits, voters, campaign staffs, and political junkies alike."

Elizabeth McKenna and Hahrie Han.  Jan. 5, 2015.  GROUNDBREAKERS: How Obama's 2.2 Million Volunteers Transformed Campaigning in America.  New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
"Elizabeth McKenna and Hahrie Han argue that the legacy of Obama for America extends beyond big data and micro-targeting; it also reinvigorated and expanded traditional models of field campaigning. Groundbreakers makes the case that the Obama campaign altered traditional ground games by adopting the principles and practices of community organizing. Drawing on in-depth interviews with OFA field staff and volunteers, this book also argues that a key achievement of the OFA's field organizing was its transformative effect on those who were a part of it."

Gabriel R. Sanchez.  June 1, 2015.  LATINOS AND THE 2012 ELECTION: The New Face of the American Voter.  East Lansing, MI:  Michigan State University Press.
"In this groundbreaking volume, experts in Latino politics ask: What is the scope of Latino voter influence, where does this electorate have the greatest impact, and what issues matter to them most? They examine a key national discussion—immigration reform—as it relates to voter behavior, and also explore the influence of Latinos within key states..."

also see:

J. Gregory Payne.  Aug. 2014.  "Creating the Political Personality Spectacle in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Campaign."  American Behaviorial Scientist, Vol. 58, No. 9.


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