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Who's ready for the oval office?
They call it a horse race, and in this election the candidates got out of the gate early. But it's still hard to tell them apart and make a choice. Mark Halperin, veteran reporter and political analyst, sizes up the White House hopefuls with intelligence, insight, and his trademark wit, offering engaging, in-depth examinations of the histories, qualifications, agendas, and personal beliefs of the major candidates—including Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson, as well as some "dark horse" contenders.
Among the features in this book:
Did you know that Mike Huckabee wrote an inspirational diet book?!?Reviewed by Flannery, 2008-04-14
So clearly I am a little late in the game seeing as how virtually all of the canidates profiled in this book are no longer in the race. Oh well. I read this book to get some basic background information about the 2008 election. I am taking Voter Registration as an independent study at my high school. Basically all the course reqiures is that the student writes a research paper about the history of civic participation and the upcoming election. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy (that is the technical term applied to an assignment that is universally considered to be really really easy). Anywhooo this book was ok. The text itself was definitely unintimidating. This ain't no Moby Dick (Alright so that reference doesn't even make sense. Whatevs). Information about each individual candidate was presented in a short biography followed by bullet lists covering (arguably) the most important facts about the Presdential hopefuls. Ummm... ok. Nice idea but, there is one litttttle problem. I can only recall the information regarding the personal details of the canidates' lives. Look this is probably just me (as usual) but I fine McCain's potential anger problem/Kucinich's marriage to a woman much younger than himself to be FAR more intresting than the various canidates' views on foreign policy. Regardless of my peculiar obsession with the salacious details of the private lives of old men whom I've never met (Hillary doesn't count. Let's face it we all know WAY to much about her personal life. This being said Im pro-Hillary. The lady rocks my socks off). Regardless of this obstacle I was able to overcome (kinda) my OCD obession and use this book as a half way decent resource. It's kinda sorta ok.
A good start! But incomplete...Reviewed by R. Alleson, 2008-02-13
I commend anyone who has come this far to check out what people are
saying about this book. It only shows that you are interested in
the future of our country! Although one book by a single author can
be helpful you should also investigate other avenues for
information on the candidates.
I would suggest giving little attention to the mass media where
sound bites are given as the whole story. Listen to what the
everyday person has to say. Look into blogs and online articles
written by those whos only motive is to toute their candidate, not
on looks or how well they speak, but on issues and a plan to better
their lives and
yours.
Check out these videos posted by real people on YouTube whos only
intention is to want something better for America.
[...]
A voter's guide for ALL electionsReviewed by Jerry Marcus, 2008-01-25
Mark Halperin has created a guide for all voters, regardless of age - for the current as well as for future political contests. This book is great for anyone who wants to understand the American election process and how we got there. Halperin tells us not only about the candidates and their views - but allows us to see how they might govern if they are victorious in their quest for the Presidency. After what we've witnessed during the past 20 years - more than ever, we better not take this choice lightly! (Jerry Marcus is author of The Salvation Peddler, The Last Pope: A Novel, and the just-released Broken Trust - The Murder Of Basketball Star Jack Molinas.)
Great book to help new voters engage in political process!Reviewed by M. L. Anderson, 2008-01-12
This book provides detailed and balanced information about each of the primary candidates, just when the media has decided that only covering the horse race is interesting. In a year when so many new voters and independents are engaging in the process, the author's easy-to-use menu of issues as well as overall human qualities gives readers a lot of information in an easy to digest format. I've purchased this for two nieces and recommended it to many others during this exciting political year.
This book vs 'A Voter's Guide Election 2008.' Both excellent.Reviewed by Gaetan Lion, 2008-01-11
I am reviewing those two books together because they cover the same
topic. And, I find a review comparing them more relevant and timely
than reviewing them on a stand alone basis. I read them
simultaneously on the coverage of the same candidates to observe if
I would get different information. I actually got very similar info
as I could not detect any political bias. But, the way these books
impart the information is different. Thus, there is no difference
in substance but there is a huge difference in style.
Within Election 2008: A Voter's Guide (A New Republic Book) the
coverage of each candidate is written by a different writer. After
a short curriculum on the candidate, these writers write out a long
narrative essay that could qualify as an article in the New Yorker.
Those essays also come across as a book summary on the candidates.
For a checklist of the candidate's specific position you have to
refer to the Appendix.
`The Undecided Voter's Guide' is structurally very different. The
entire book is written by a single author. The coverage of each
candidate is thoroughly structured as a user friendly manual or
almost a college (Presidential) application package. It starts as
the Voter's Guide with a curriculum on the candidate. Next, it
moves on to a very detailed description of the candidate's position
on all major issues. Then it goes on to a narrative section that is
less sophisticated than the one in `A Voter's Guide.' Then it
systematically covers the following headings: a) Areas of Potential
Controversy; b) Why this specific candidate can win the General
Election; c) Why this specific candidate can't win the General
Election; d) The best case for candidate X presidency; e) The worst
case for candidate X presidency; f) What to expect if candidate X
is President; g) What supporters say; h) What detractors say; i)
Facts and stories; j) Quirks, habits, and hobbies; k) The Undecided
Voter's Guide Questionnaire.
Another area where the books differ is on setting up the political
context. `A Voter's Guide' has an excellent historical analysis of
the evolutionary changes within the parties and how they shaped
Presidential elections since the late 1800s. This is one of the
last chapters in the book, and I recommend you read it first. `The
Undecided Voter's Guide' has no counterpart to this thorough
historical analysis. Instead, it briefly touches on similar themes
within the introduction. But, the latter is not even as thorough as
A Voter's Guide's own short introduction.
These two books cater to different audiences. `The Undecided
Voter's Guide' is excellent to extract a maximum amount of
information really quickly. It is an excellent tool for the
political novice. `A Voter's Guide,' although better written, does
not deliver the information quite so readily and is catered to the
more sophisticated reader. I am not talking about intelligence
here; I am talking about political engagement. An MIT engineer who
is fairly apolitical in between elections will prefer `The
Undecided Voter's Guide' to acquire efficiently the knowledge he
needs to vote. A lawyer who follows politics closely would probably
prefer `A Voter's Guide.'
In the end, I think both books are excellent. Within both, the
profiles of the candidates are very interesting and informative. If
you read at least one of the two, you are bound to be a more
informed voter than otherwise. But, you don't need to read both as
their coverage overlaps. And, they both cover the topic
objectively.
