Introduction: Bending the arc -- Before the shellacking -- The deal that worked -- A complete win -- A quiet victory -- The strategy -- Leaning forward -- The battle begins -- Leading from behind the scenes -- The end of the beginning -- Mission accomplished -- Return of the hostage takers -- The big cross -- Obama unleashed -- The battle ahead.
Summary
The dramatic tale of a pivotal period in the Obama presidency, from the game-changing 2010 midterm elections to the beginning of the critical 2012 campaign season--a tumultuous time that tested the president as never before and set the stage for a titanic clash over the future of the nation. After Barack Obama's first two years as president--during which he navigated the United States through its severest economic crisis since the Great Depression while managing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq--he was faced with a bitterly divided nation and an emboldened political opposition dedicated to impeding his presidency. What followed was a year of political crises and fierce battles that would transform Obama and profoundly shape the terrain for the next election. Here, political journalist David Corn chronicles and examines this crucial time in the Obama presidency and its impact on the nation's future.--From publisher description.