The Wilderness

January 25, 2016
Following their defeat in the 2012 presidential election, the Republican Party began wandering a political wilderness, looking for a prophet who could lead them into the promised land in 2016. Drawing on over 300 interviews with the current GOP candidates, Coppins, senior political writer at BuzzFeed News, provides a dizzying, brilliant guide to the behind-the-scenes chaos, along with fully drawn portraits of the men and women who would be president. Jeb Bush, for example, shows a lifelong tendency to ignore the rules and use blunt force to get what he wants. Bobby Jindal transforms from a wonkish technocrat into a "Christian culture warrior and small-government absolutist." Carly Fiorina might have swapped places with Sarah Palin as the party's female candidate of choice, but must strive to avoid being seen by the party establishment as "playing the gender card." Rand Paul clashes with his father, Ron, over ideology. Donald Trump emerges as a showman, willing to speak his mind on any issue. As this book trenchantly shows, the Republican Party is still searching for a way out of the wilderness. Coppins is a superb guide for voters seeking clarity about the ideas and styles of the current Republican candidates.

December 15, 2015
BuzzFeed political writer Coppins turns in a resounding study of the "clash of egos and personalities" that is the Republican primary scramble. And what a clash it is. The author's ground zero is the defeat of Mitt Romney in the 2012 race, refracted through the viewpoints of the different players: Paul Ryan, "fucking livid" at his running mate's devastating 47 percent gaffe; Jeb Bush, wealthy, unambitious, and resistant to Florida Republicans' ardent wish for him to occupy the job that his "dull-witted older brother had unjustly landed"; Marco Rubio, a "youthful, dynamic, Spanish-speaking superstar just waiting to take center stage and begin rectifying Romney's failures"; and many others. The darkest horse is the ubiquitous Donald Trump, busily carving out a third party in full view of the GOP. Having crossed Trump by reporting the facts--among them, Trump's contempt for Romney, who, Trump growled, "had a really shitty plane...not presidential at all"--Coppins has a prime spot on the candidate's enemies list. He is doubtless not Rubio's favorite journalist, either; among other things, the author airs Rubio's snide boast, "I can call up a lobbyist at four in the morning, and he'll meet me anywhere with a bag of forty thousand dollars in cash." That's just one of several scoops that ought to bring this book considerable buzz. Supporters of Trump, Rubio, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie, Sarah Palin, and a dozen or so other players in GOP politics aren't going to like it. However, though it's pretty clear that Coppins isn't wowed by any of the slate, he seems fair-minded. A few of his subjects, including Paul Ryan and Rand Paul, emerge as more substantial and more interesting than they are generally conceived to be, even as Ryan quietly seethes over the insubstantiality of the others, some of whom emerge as much worse than one might think: think Ted Cruz. Solid reportage though without much flair; one wishes Christopher Hitchens were still around to bring these revelations to life. Still, the book is a must for politics junkies.

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Starred review from April 1, 2016

Chronicling the intraparty struggle that has roiled Republicans since the 2012 election, Coppins interviews party leaders and playmakers, including current and former 2016 presidential contenders. Coppins views the Republican Party as in flux, having not yet found its consensus leader who could unite the party's factions. (LJ Prepub Alert, 6/8/15)

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015

With all the candidates vying for the Republican nomination for the U.S. presidency, wouldn't it be nice to have some insight about them from someone in the know? The senior political writer at BuzzFeed, covering national politics, the Republican Party, and the major figures in the conservative movement, with deep contacts in that camp, Coppins is your man. With a 40,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.