I just finished "Double Down" about the 2012 elections

[DemocratSinceBirth]

I still can't believe the clowns at Team Romney discounted almost all the public polling in the waning days of the campaign that showed they were going to lose.

[redstatebluegirl]

1. It was a good book!

I agree, they looked like mental midgets.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. Most of it was a rehash with some interesting tidbits.

Christie with his tough guy personae and all his f bombs was one of the more colorful characters.

[KeepItReal]

3. Campaign staffers (high level) get *paid*!

Why stop the gravy train?

Check it out (from Sept, 2012):

Mitt Romney's campaign handed out more than $200,000 in bonuses last month to senior staffers, according to new disclosure records filed Thursday.

Richard Beeson, Romney's national political director, received a $37,500 payment on Aug. 31 in addition to his salary, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

In addition, records show at least six other top staffers each received $25,000 bonuses on the same date: campaign manager Matt Rhoades, general counsel Kathryn Biber, policy advisor Lanhee Chen, communications director Gail Gitcho, digital director Zach Moffatt and advisor Gabriel Schoenfeld. Two other employees received $10,000 bonuses.

The Romney campaign appears to be on a payroll schedule which, in normal months, would mean two paychecks per month. But in August many received three regular paychecks on the 1st, 15th and 31st, meaning that those who received the largest bonuses were paid more than $45,000 during August. Beeson and most other senior staffer make about $165,000 a year based on their salary payment levels, records show.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2012/09/20/romney-campaign-gives-bonuses-to-top-staff/

These dudes were moonwalking all the way to bank on his campaign...

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. Paraphrasing-Don't expect somebody to get something right when their living...

Don't expect somebody to get something right when their living depends on them getting it wrong.

[tblue37]

5. Bouses for the top staff--those who are connected. But the low-level staff

had their campaign credit cards cancelled right about the time Mitt finally gave his hastily cobbled together concession speech. There, in the wee hours of the morning, they were left stranded unless they had sufficient funds themselves to make their way back to wherever they needed to go.

[Takket]

6. they were relaxed because Rove was supposed to have Ohio locked down. wonder what went wrong.......

[PowerToThePeople]

8. this.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. Still wouldn't have been enough. Mitt got clobbered in the Electoral College/nt

[joeybee12]

7. Is this from the same guys who did Game Change?

Never read that, although I saw the HBO movie, Julianne Moore was brilliant, but there was a problem with the movie...they didn't portray Mclame as the worthless dodering old fool he really is.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. Same guys!

It was okay.

I like to read....

[joeybee12]

14. The movie makes me think the book's source was Woody Harrelson's character

And it was his attempt to salvage his reputation because he's the one responsible for Palin...all his POV.

[Capt. Obvious]

15. Steve Schmidt

One of many sources.

But the movie only focused on the chapter of the book about the Palin pick and the general election.

The rest of the book - most of it actually - was about the Dem fight, and then to a lesser extent, the Repub fight.

The movie starts at about 85% through the book.

I'd love to see one about the first 85%. I still read the book to the point that the binding has worn off. I skip over the Edwards chapters. The Hillary vs Obama fight is the juiciest part of the book for me. I get to relive that nomination fight which was amazing and will probably never be rivaled.

[joeybee12]

16. I thought it was half about Edwards, half about Palin...

Didn't read it, but the media really focused on those 2, mainly Edwards and what's her name, the woman I'd rather forget.

[brooklynite]

11. Of course, nobody HERE would ever question polling they disagreed with...

[Capt. Obvious]

12. Great book

The prequel is better.

[Capt. Obvious]

13. btw

Early on in my membership here I posted that I expected a reverse Kerry was going to happen.

Republicans would be so sure that they would take back the whitehouse they would ignore polls and so on... and then be devastated election night.