By The People: The Election of Barack Obama
31/01/10 19:13 Filed in: Documentary | Politics
By The People: The Election of Barack Obama (2009)
Reviewed by Mike Attebery
The 2008 election is now slipping away in the rear view mirror, but that only means the books and films recapping that historic election are just starting to pick up speed. Last summer I read the first of those tomes, Richard Wolfe’s Renegade: The Making of a President. That book hit shelves before the Health Care Reform fight had gotten really nasty, before the August recess, which brought with it the Swift Boat-style media attacks from Tea Party sweethearts like Sarah “Death Panel” Palin, and before the passing of Ted Kennedy later that same month. Now, almost six months past the first deadline for passage of a reform bill, and after a mounting number of setbacks, elections (think Massachusetts), and policy shifts, many of which occured this past week, many voters who once rooted for Barack Obama are feeling more than a bit dismayed. I’ll admit that I too have started to have some doubts about this President and particularly his administration (Rahm, I’m looking at you), which has made returning to the events of the 2008 election all the more fascinating.
The similarities between Renegade, The Audacity to Win, and this documentary are strong. The Obama campaign was probably documented in more detail, and with more access, than any prior election. His was a wired campaign, with video updates, online posts, and young campaign workers of the Facebook generation, so its not at all surprising how well the campaign was recorded. This film, produced and directed by filmmakers Amy Rice and Alicia Sams, confirms much of the information I absorbed in the above mentioned books. The difference here is that we get to see live recordings of events, the outcome of which we know all too well, playing out here with participants who do not yet know how this story ends. From the opening scene, in which we see candidate Obama reveling in the thrill of the 2006 mid-term election night, to the moment when his years long campaign comes to his close, and campaign masterminds David Axelrod and David Plouffe head to the Obamas’ hotel suite to congratulate the President Elect, we are given the opportunity to see all the major players in all of their candid glory. More than that, we also see the folks, many of them all but kids, who played such an integral part in making this unexpected campaign such a powerful, and ultimately successful force.
Let me say this up front: If you had any serious interest in the 2008 Obama campaign, and if you’ve already read either of the two books I’ve mentioned, then there’s not a whole lot of information here you aren’t already familiar with. That being said, I found the film to be a refreshing reminder of why I liked this guy, and frankly, why I could not comprehend absorbing another punch to the gut feeling like I experienced on election night 2004. This seemed like a once in a lifetime candidacy that came along at a serious turning point in our nation’s history. Something had to change. And unfortunately, looking back over the past year, things have not yet changed as much as I might have hoped, but after seeing this documentary, and especially after going through a week in which Obama delivered a State of the Union Address that seemed determined to recapture some of that 2008 magic, and especially after watching live C-SPAN coverage of Obama sparring with his GOP adversaries in front of the nation, and in my opinion deftly dismantling their talking point attack attempts one by one, I found it even more reassuring to remember how it all began. This is a truly fly on the wall documentary. The talk to the camera moments are scarce. Aside from a few moments with campaign staff and campaign planners, we don’t see many instance of Obama or any of his close confidants sitting down for question and answer sessions, instead, we get to follow behind like a member of his entourage. And frankly, as someone who have liked nothing more than to play such a part in such an event, I can’t think of any more visceral way to relive the campaign from the inside.
If you were an Obama supporter, and if you’ve been feeling a bit dismayed as of late, I highly encourage you to check out this HBO documentary and see how it leaves you feeling. Again and again throughout the film’s 116 minute runtime, it seems Obama and his team hit their stride and rise to the occasion primarily when they were on the ropes. Now, as the adminatration struggles to reposition itself and right its course, I ended the viewing feeling a little more inspired, and little more encouraged, and really excited to see how things will go on from here. Pick up your copy of By The People here.