Collision 2012

Praise

“Dan Balz’s Collision 2012 is the best presidential campaign chronicle in many years. It is a great book, in part because it isn’t about what happened as much as about how people in the campaigns were thinking. It is unusual in that it gives proper place to the impact of thought on political outcomes.”
–Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal

“The behind-the-scenes reporting throughout—heck, the Christie chapter alone—makes the book a must-read… It was a fascinating ride, which Balz captures vividly in this most worthy sequel to The Battle for America 2008.”
–Al Kamen, The Washington Post

“This is more than a look back at the last presidential race. It is a close look into the campaign. I lived it every day, but I’m already learning a lot from Dan’s deep reporting. It will go on my shelf as a Bible of the great 2012 race.”
–Jeff Zeleny, ABC News

“Coming from one of the most respected reporters in politics, Balz’s account is perhaps the most highly anticipated of the 2012 campaign retrospective genre.”
–Huffington Post

“With a sharp eye for detail, crisp and often evocative prose, an understanding of politics and politicians, and the experience gained over decades as a thoughtful old-school journalist, Balz recreates the rhythms of the grueling presidential year of 2012.”
—The Washington Times


“This book explains how the Obama technical model will be standard operating procedure for both sides in 2016 — and how in 2012, the Romney team never knew what hit it.”
—The Washington Post, Howell Raines

“I could go on and on. Balz’s new book, Collision 2012: Obama vs. Romney and the Future of Elections in America, is so full of anecdotes and revelations that it is hard to stop. But I will. Because even though I think this is one of the best political books I have ever read, harkening back to the “Making of the President” books in terms of its richness of detail and analysis, it is not a collection of anecdotes.”
—Roger Simon, Politico

As the Washington Post’s chief correspondent, Dan Balz is one of a handful of old media lions who can still shape the conventional wisdom; as such his new campaign book Collision 2012 is as close to an account-of-record as we’re likely to get.”
—Alex Halperin, Salon.com