A Citizen's Guide to Beating Donald Trump

December 15, 2019
Barack Obama's former campaign manager and senior adviser weighs in on what it will take to defeat Donald Trump and repair some of the damage caused by the previous election's "historically disturbing and perhaps democracy-destroying outcome." Plouffe (The Audacity To Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory, 2009) managed Obama's successful campaigns in 2008 and 2012. His unsurprising goal in 2020 is to take down Trump, and he provides a detailed guide for every American to become involved beyond just voting. Where the author is not offering specific suggestions for individual involvement, he engages in optimistic encouragement to put readers in the mindset to entertain his suggestions. Plouffe wisely realizes that many potential readers feel beaten down by the relentlessness of Trump's improper behavior and misguided policies, so there is plenty of motivational exhortation that highly motivated readers might find unnecessary. When he turns to voting statistics, he's on solid ground. Plouffe expresses certainty that Trump will face opposition from at least 65 million voters in the 2020 election. One of the author's goals is to increase that number to somewhere between 70 and 75 million, which would be enough to win not only the popular votes for the Democratic Party nominee, but also the Electoral College by a comfortable margin. Some of that increased number can be achieved by increasing the percentage of citizens who vote, with additional gains from voters who vote for the Democratic nominee rather than symbolically supporting a third-party candidate. Plouffe also feels optimistic about persuading Obama supporters who--perhaps surprisingly--voted for Trump in 2016. As for individual involvement prior to November, the author favors direct action. Door-to-door canvassing is his favorite method, but he offers alternatives for those who cannot or will not take their opinions to the streets, including campaigning via social media. And while the author would love to change the Electoral College, he wisely tells readers they must live with it again this time around. Though cheerleading occasionally grates, Plouffe offers good fodder for readers willing to put in the effort and follow his advice.

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January 6, 2020
Plouffe (The Audacity to Win), former campaign manager for Barack Obama, delivers an underwhelming guide to what Democratic voters and campaign volunteers can do to see that Donald Trump doesn’t win a second term. Noting that the 2016 presidential election was “decided by less than 70,000 votes in three states,” Plouffe urges readers to “get down in the trenches” and convince “gettable” voters, including those who lean toward third-party candidates and former Obama supporters who switched allegiances to Trump, that the Democratic candidate will “make decision after decision aimed at bettering their lives and the lives of their families.” He withholds judgment on the Democratic primary field, but stresses the importance of the connection between the eventual nominee and his or her campaign volunteers: “It’s your spirit and commitment that are the real wind beneath the candidate’s wings.” Such banal sentiments undermine the efficacy of Plouffe’s call to action, and for a slim book, there’s plenty of filler, including tips for watching election returns and a section addressed to “Angelina, Brad, LeBron, George, Jennifer, and all you other A-listers” on the best use of their “social media assets.” Though Plouffe includes a few noteworthy insights about the 2008 and 2012 Obama campaigns, this feels like a missed opportunity by a savvy political strategist.

February 1, 2020
Even in these early stages of the 2020 presidential election, it is clear that this is going to be a hard-fought campaign with passions running high at both ends of the political spectrum. The average voter may feel at a loss as to how they might make a difference. For those on the blue side of the political fence, Plouffe, former campaign manager for Barack Obama, has written an instructive, step-by-step guide to the electoral process for the average Democrat who wants to contribute substantively towards unseating the current president. Plouffe also provides insights into lessons learned from the Obama campaign that could prove helpful to the eventual Democratic nominee. The readable and informal prose highlights useful, practical suggestions for the involved moderate Democrat as well as fascinating behind-the-scenes anecdotes that professional political operatives would do well to study. The book's political leanings are made obvious in the title and would not be welcomed by conservative voters. For Democrats, liberals, and progressives, however, this is an invaluable map for political engagement.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)