http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uui...8EE1E9062F808C8

 

 

'Renegade' CliffsNotes

By: Jonathan Martin

June 2, 2009 12:22 AM EST

 

The flood of books devoted to the 2008 campaign and President Barack Obama begins in earnest this week with the release of “Renegade, The Making of a President,” by former Newsweek reporter Richard Wolffe.

 

Wolffe’s account of the Obama campaign isn’t to be officially released until Tuesday, but POLITICO obtained a copy earlier this week.

 

Herewith are some of the book’s most fascinating nuggets:

 

No Shrum Moment:

 

Before the election had been called, but when it looked promising for Obama the then-candidate called his top adviser, David Axelrod.

 

“What’s going on?” Obama asked.

 

“Look, I’m not going to say congratulations yet, but boy, it looks awfully good,” Axelrod replied.

 

Axelrod, Wolffe notes, wanted to avoid a repeat of 2004, when John Kerry’s top adviser, Bob Shrum, told the Massachusetts senator prematurely on election night that he wanted to be the first to say, “Mr. President.”

 

Pritzker Veers Off-Message (A little):

 

The impressive fundraising Obama demonstrated in 2007 was largely a result of the usual high-dollar contributors – not the small-dollar donors the campaign liked to hold up to the press.

 

“It wasn’t the Internet,” admitted Penny Pritzker, Obama’s national finance chair.

 

Talking To Himself:

 

The revamped stump speech Obama gave to Iowa Democrats at their Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in November of 2007 was borne out of a speech Obama scribe Jon Favreau had written for the candidate earlier that month in South Carolina.

 

Favreau trimmed the original version and sent it to Obama who had to memorize it for what became a pivotal moment leading up to the Iowa caucuses.

 

Aides were concerned that Obama was not prepared to give the speech, but he largely got it right on his first run-through a day before the dinner.

 

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“None of Obama’s aides knew that the candidate had been rehearsing in his Des Moines hotel room all week,” Wolffe writes. [Press secretary Robert] Gibbs had walked by his room a couple of times, heard a loud television behind the door, and wondered what was going on. Obama had turned the volume up to practice the speech to himself, out of sight and earshot of even his closest staff.”

 

Michelle As Strategist:

 

The morning after Obama lost the early-March Ohio and Texas primaries, campaign manager David Plouffe suffered through an uncomfortable car ride with the candidate and his wife, Michelle Obama.

 

The future first lady, writes Wolffe, “threatened not to return to the campaign trail until they had come up with a new strategy.”

 

Says Plouffe: “I think she was pissed at both of us.”

 

A Rev. Wright Sit-down:

 

After Obama gave his race speech in Philadelphia primary but before his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, would make his now-infamous appearance at the National Press Club, the candidate went to Chicago to meet with Wright.

 

Obama was trying to dissuade Wright from a “comeback tour” and told his former pastor to expect a “media circus” if he reemerged.

 

Wright, Wolffe writes, wanted to tell his side of the story and felt like he was “the aggrieved party.”

 

Tough Words For Bill Clinton:

 

His wife is now Obama’s secretary of state, but Obama had some tough words for the actions of former President Bill Clinton during the campaign.

 

“We had to figure out how to deal with a former president who was just lying, engaging in bald-faced lies,” Obama explained to Wolffe.

 

When the then-candidate was asked if Clinton got in his head, he replied: “Yes, but I got into his.”

 

Later, when considering who to name as his running mate, Obama told aides that if Hillary Clinton would help politically she ought to be considered.

 

“But I’m concerned about Bill Clinton being a loose cannon,” Obama said, according to Wolffe.

 

Joe Biden Wants His Damn Calls Returned

 

When Sen. John McCain wouldn’t return the phone calls of Sen. Joe Biden, the never-subtle Delawarean sought out his longtime colleague.

 

In New York City with Obama and McCain where the two were both appearing at a public service event on the anniversary of 9/11, Biden was rebuffed by McCain’s aides backstage when he asked to see the GOP nominee.

 

So, Wolffe writes, Biden went to McCain’s green room door and knocked.

 

“’John McCain,’ he shouted, according to Wolffe. “'It’s Joe Biden. The next time I phone you, take the damn call.’”

 

Rendell Drinks The Obama Kool-Aid — Literally

 

After Obama locked up the nomination, Pennsylvania Gov. and ardent Clinton supporter Ed Rendell got a note from an Obama supporter attached to a can of Kool-Aid telling him to drink up.

 

So the next day at a Philadephla fundraiser for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, the ever-demonstrative governor poured it into a glass of water and proclaimed: "Now I feel that Senator Obama is the most wonderful person ever to have lived in the United States of America. The smartest, most sensitive most decent and honorable man. Now I understand what you guys have been feeling for the last six months."

 

“The Old Man”:

 

Plouffe told Wolffe that they never considered going after the 72-year-old McCain on his age, but the author notes that some in Obama’s high command enjoyed references to the GOP nominee’s age and one staffer had a nickname for the Republican: “the old man.”

 

 

Rendell Drinks The Obama Kool-Aid — Literally

 

After Obama locked up the nomination, Pennsylvania Gov. and ardent Clinton supporter Ed Rendell got a note from an Obama supporter attached to a can of Kool-Aid telling him to drink up.

 

HA! That's pretty funny.

UNless they have video proof of this ever happening, there is no way I would ever believe it. Not with all the s*** Biden has made up before. McCain would have kicked his east-coast liberal ass back to the beltway.

 

Joe Biden Wants His Damn Calls Returned

 

When Sen. John McCain wouldn’t return the phone calls of Sen. Joe Biden, the never-subtle Delawarean sought out his longtime colleague.

 

In New York City with Obama and McCain where the two were both appearing at a public service event on the anniversary of 9/11, Biden was rebuffed by McCain’s aides backstage when he asked to see the GOP nominee.

 

So, Wolffe writes, Biden went to McCain’s green room door and knocked.

 

“’John McCain,’ he shouted, according to Wolffe. “'It’s Joe Biden. The next time I phone you, take the damn call.’”

UNless they have video proof of this ever happening, there is no way I would ever believe it. Not with all the s*** Biden has made up before. McCain would have kicked his east-coast liberal ass back to the beltway.

They've worked together for, what, 25 years? Probably not a stretch to say they're on familiar enough terms for that to be true.

They've worked together for, what, 25 years? Probably not a stretch to say they're on familiar enough terms for that to be true.

Also not a stretch to say Biden completely made it up.

Also not a stretch to say Biden completely made it up.

Well, yeah. He does that.

Also not a stretch to say Biden completely made it up.

Also could just be how Biden remembers things.

 

Or it could have been a dream.

Also not a stretch to say Biden completely made it up.

 

i think you are assuming that Biden told the writer this... I don't think the writer has had any direct correspondence with either Biden or Obama for this book. So it would be aides or campaign staff feeding him this info.

I hope the Teleprompter makes frequent appearances in this novel.

I hope the Teleprompter makes frequent appearances in this novel.

*yawn*

I hope the Teleprompter makes frequent appearances in this novel.

 

 

I never heard this one before.

*yawn*

 

 

I never heard this one before.

 

 

*Laughs*

 

Oh, the irony...

Also not a stretch to say Biden completely made it up.

The excerpt does make it clear if it was Biden who told the story, or if it was Wolffe who witnessed the interaction.

I never heard this one before.

What? I’ll acknowledge that it was a bit of a tired, but harmless attempt at humor, however, I actually am interested in finding out some of the behind the scenes issues behind it. There were frequent issues that emerged on the campaign trail about this very thing. One that occurred Bristol, VA comes immediately to mind.

What? I’ll acknowledge that it was a bit of a tired, but harmless attempt at humor, however, I actually am interested in finding out some of the behind the scenes issues behind it. There were frequent issues that emerged on the campaign trail about this very thing. One that occurred Bristol, VA comes immediately to mind.

Which president or presidential candidate in the modern era can you point to that completely ad libed all of their speeches?

Which president or presidential candidate in the modern era can you point to that completely ad libed all of their speeches?

Bush? He clearly didnt have anything to read half the time.

Which president or presidential candidate in the modern era can you point to that completely ad libed all of their speeches?

That’s not the question here, because we both know the answer is that no such president has ever been completely unscripted. The really “issue” (if there is one at all) is has their ever been a president in history who has had the teleprompter issue loom as large as it has during his political career then Barack Obama? The answer is no.

so if Obama was reading off note-cards or a piece of paper, would that be ok?

 

I guess I'm failing to grasp the issue here... is it the form in which he is reading the speech from or that fact that he is reading in general?

I guess I'm failing to grasp the issue here

Precisely. There is no issue just opponents grasping at straws.

Precisely. There is no issue just opponents grasping at straws.

We know - Obama really is the Messiah.

We know - Obama really is the Messiah.

Eeyore reappears briefly to tear the head off the straw man and throw it into the crowd.

 

We know - Obama really is the Messiah.

Do you have like macros that are saved in your browser so you just press a button and you automatically make these posts? Or is it automated somehow? Is there a quota involved?

Edited June 2, 200916 yr by lostfan

We know - Obama really is the Messiah.

There are plenty of things to critique a President for including Obama. But this? GMAFB.

There are plenty of things to critique a President for including Obama. But this? GMAFB.

No - he's perfect though. The right man at the right time to fix all that ails our country.

 

Everything that's f***ed up is about the past administration; everything about today and tomorrow will be fixed by "the best president ever".

No - he's perfect though. The right man at the right time to fix all that ails our country.

 

Everything that's f***ed up is about the past administration; everything about today and tomorrow will be fixed by "the best president ever".

Thanks for clearing that up. I didn't understand it the first 97,000 you've mentioned it.