# I watched Game Change....Awe, man... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 12, 2012, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545 "2012-03-12T12:55:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/41 "2012-03-14T17:29:42Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Written by Danny Strong. Yeah, Jonathan from **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**! Awesome. Emmy nominated Jonathan from Buffy, mind you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/42 "2012-03-14T19:23:52Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Hmmm . . .me gusta. I think I may be picking that up for my Kindle. I mean, unless someone comes in and tells me it’s an abomination of writing or something :D. Rachel Maddow described it on her show as “terribly written”. ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/43 "2012-03-14T23:23:45Z")
One thing that bugged me a bit was how Moore’s Palin seemed to be speaking through a forced grin, or clenched teeth, even in private. I’ve never noticed Palin herself having such an affectation when speaking in public. I found Palin’s character to be very sympathetic and was cheering with her advisors when she finally got through the prep for the Biden debate. I would have voted for her. ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/44 "2012-03-14T23:29:28Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Hmmm . . .me gusta. I think I may be picking that up for my Kindle. I mean, unless someone comes in and tells me it’s an abomination of writing or something :D. > > Thank you! Yeah, most of the book was about Obama and the Democrats, not Palin. The movie is about Palin because we all love her. It’s a bit of a misnomer. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/45 "2012-03-14T23:37:55Z")
> [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](#): > > Yeah, most of the book was about Obama and the Democrats, not Palin. The movie is about Palin _because we all love her_. Only in the sense that we _love_ Freddy Kruger. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/46 "2012-03-15T13:01:55Z")
> [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](#): > > Yeah, most of the book was about Obama and the Democrats, not Palin. The movie is about Palin because we all love her. It’s a bit of a misnomer. Sarah doesn’t even show up in the book until after page 350 and it’s a 425 page…thereabouts ( I lent out my copy so I can’t check exactly ) book. The John Edwards affair is also in there. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/47 "2012-03-15T16:18:26Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Sarah doesn’t even show up in the book until after page 350 and it’s a 425 page…thereabouts ( I lent out my copy so I can’t check exactly ) book. > > The John Edwards affair is also in there. Do you think it’s worth a read? ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/48 "2012-03-15T18:07:31Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Do you think it’s worth a read? I’m not much of a political person, but I read it and found it to be very revealing - and from what I’ve heard, it’s very accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/49 "2012-03-16T03:10:18Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > It’s the last that makes it interesting. Two of the main characters, Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace, have attested to the accuracy of the story. Coupled that with the fact that it doesn’t make either of them look particularly _good_ (like, wasn’t vetting the candidates your job?). Then add McCain not actually saying that it was inaccurate or specifically denying the story. The only one who is denying everything is the one who historically shown to have the least credibility… Good point. Just finished watching the movie tonight, and I liked it very much. Harris, Moore and Harrelson all did a great job. I appreciated that no one was shown as a total villain, and no one was a total hero. Palin was clearly shown to be someone who loved her family and was a patriot, but just was in 'way over her head and reacting angrily when she realized that. Her pride was hurt when she was so obviously being “handled” by her minders. That’s a human reaction. The movie also gave her props for supporting families with disabled children, and some of the crowd reactions to her as someone who spoke from the heart (or seemed to) had the ring of truth. The scene where Schmidt told her she wouldn’t be giving a VP concession speech was all kinds of awesome. And then when she tried an end run with McCain himself… wow! If looks could kill, the Secret Service would wrestle Schmidt to the ground. I have to say, it was a bizarrely meta moment when Julianne Moore was watching Tina Fey impersonate Sarah Palin on SNL. An actress playing a politician in a drama, reacting to another actress playing the same politician in a comedy! Whew. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/50 "2012-03-16T04:43:24Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > The scene where Schmidt told her she wouldn’t be giving a VP concession speech was all kinds of awesome. And then when she tried an end run with McCain himself… wow! If looks could kill, the Secret Service would wrestle Schmidt to the ground. The movie made me feel much more sympathetic to John McCain, a man I had respected before this recent Presidential campaign. The look on his face of “What have I done?” when the crowd at his speech starts yelling “Kill him!” and “He’s a terrorist!” when McCain mentions Obama was classic. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/51 "2012-03-16T05:13:45Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Hmmm . . .me gusta. I think I may be picking that up for my Kindle. I mean, unless someone comes in and tells me it’s an abomination of writing or something :D. > > Thank you! I liked it. It’s a really easy read, almost a summer beach page-turner. But I thought it was interesting and enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/52 "2012-03-16T15:57:44Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > …Two of the main characters, Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace, have attested to the accuracy of the story. Coupled that with the fact that it doesn’t make either of them look particularly _good_ (like, wasn’t vetting the candidates your job?). Then add McCain not actually saying that it was inaccurate or specifically denying the story. The only one who is denying everything is the one who historically shown to have the least credibility. News report today claimed that a memo was uncovered showing Schmidt began the cover up of his incompetence before the election was over. Blaming Palin for his stupidity was undoubtedly part of this plan. I don’t find him any more credible than Palin. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/53 "2012-03-16T18:03:00Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > News report today claimed that a memo was uncovered showing Schmidt began the cover up of his incompetence before the election was over. Nobody said that everyone involved didn’t screw up in a major way. They made a decision in haste and had a long time to regret it. Link? His primary act of incompetence was recommending Sarah Palin. As I said earlier, the choice has pretty much destroyed his career. He’s reduced to being token Republican on MSNBC. I don’t know if I would judge a last-minute attempt to deflect blame too harshly. > [@](#): > > Blaming Palin for his stupidity was undoubtedly part of this plan. I don’t find him any more credible than Palin. I do, if only because he has admitted that he screwed up. Palin appears to be one of those people blissfully unaware of her own lack of competence. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/54 "2012-03-16T18:12:05Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > News report today claimed that a memo was uncovered showing Schmidt began the cover up of his incompetence before the election was over. [If you’re talking about this story](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74094.html), you’re not representing it accurately. It’s a defense of Schmidt via spin, not a coverup, and Schmidt himself says he was not involved (and I’m not seeing any evidence that he was). > [@gaffa](#): > > Palin appears to be one of those people blissfully unaware of her own lack of competence. If she’s unaware of it, it’s because she thinks it doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/55 "2012-03-16T19:32:52Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > [If you’re talking about this story](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74094.html), you’re not representing it accurately. It’s a defense of Schmidt via spin, not a coverup, and Schmidt himself says he was not involved (and I’m not seeing any evidence that he was). Came in to post that. And I don’t see your point. The effort was underway before the campaign was over to shield Schmidt. Putting the blame on others would have had to have been part of that plan. Palin is an idiot, and her lies transparent. Schmidt was the polished politico who could manufacture and disseminate self serving lies. I’m not defending Palin in any way, shape, or form. But casting an aura of honesty over Schmidt is ludicrous. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/56 "2012-04-06T15:38:28Z")
I saw the movie last night, and I didn’t find myself feeling sorry for her very much. That’s partly because the characterization is shallow and it’s just not a well-written movie, and I found myself not really trusting Schmidt’s take on things. Sometimes you can understand why she’s struggling, other times she’s just sort of a nut with no evident reasons or motivations. She’s sympathetic when you see how much she misses her family, and is places she is sympathetic because she’s thrown into this enormous and overwhelming experience, surrounded by people who disapprove of her and condescend to her and being criticized by almost everyone. But like I mentioned upthread, it’s also true that she wanted this job - it was not just thrust upon her; she wanted it and courted Republican leaders so it would be offered, which is something the film omits\*, and that completely changes the context - and of course she accepted the VP spot when it was offered to her. I have trouble feeling sorry for someone whose judgment was overwhelmed by self-entitlement and ambition even though the results were personally hurtful to her. And even though the filmmakers focused on the McCain campaign, I still thought they bit off more than they could chew. It was too much story for two hours. It felt like there were a dozen scenes where one adviser after another randomly proclaimed “She’s amazing!” - and rarely did they really establish what was amazing or why it was amazing. There were parts of the movie that worked, though: the acting was good, and I thought it was interesting to see the campaign from this particular point of view. You did get to see how high-strung the poilticians can be, including the scenes where McCain becomes weirdly indecesive on how to deal with his own running mate. \*The scene with Peter MacNicol Googling other Republican women was also very silly. My girlfriend, who pays attention but is no politico, watched it and said something like “Yeah, right, like he wouldn’t already know Meg Whitman is pro-choice.” ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/57 "2012-04-06T15:49:41Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > I’m listening to it on CD right now. The bits on Edwards are pretty juicy - among other things his wife is revealed to be not nearly as saintly as she was portrayed in the media. Also surprised at just how deluded Edwards was - he still thought he could wiggle his way into a cabinet post even after news of his affair broke. > > But the Clinton/Obama battle actually takes up most of the book, and the McCain campaign isn’t even mentioned until well past the halfway point. Anyway, it does paint a pretty interesting picture of what happened in the Clinton camp. Some of the more gossipy bits touch on the Clintons’ animosity toward Obama. Bill, especially, unloaded on pretty anyone willing to listen, even George W. Bush, on how much of an asshole he thought Obama was. So… why didn’t Jay Roach and HBO think any of THAT was worth showing? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/58 "2012-04-06T15:57:21Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > So… why didn’t Jay Roach and HBO think any of THAT was worth showing? Wikipedia mentions this briefly: > [@](#): > > Although Strong and Roach based the film on the part of the book dealing with the McCain–Palin campaign, they had also considered a film dealing with Obama’s primary battle against Hillary Clinton – an idea ultimately dropped due to the length and complexity of that story, among other reasons. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/59 "2012-04-09T14:05:26Z")
Finally saw this last night, and I thought it was pretty well-done. I haven’t read the source book (tried and just couldn’t get into it), but knew from early on that the movie wasn’t going to try to cover the entirety of it’s scope. Even if you didn’t know that going in, the minute you see they aren’t using an actor for Obama, you should realize, “okay, they’re scaling back a bit.” I will confess that I’ve never looked at Sarah Palin and thought there was anybody at home inside her head, and this film made me open to believing that she’s actively nuts. More so than normal presidential candidates, I mean. Like, Nixon-nuts. The only two people this film left me with any sympathy for were McCain, whom I had some respect for already, and Nicolle Wallace, whom I previously believed to be only a character on _Criminal Intent_. > [@Chefguy](#): > > I read the book, so the movie held no surprises other than placing Mt. McKinley in Palmer, Alaska (the scene when Sarah is at the state fair and gets the call: the state fair is in Palmer, which is a couple hundred miles from Denali). Maybe it was a sly joke about the distance between Alaska and Russia. 😉 > [@Dogzilla](#): > > Wacilla, AK Nitpick: Wasilla, AL. AK is Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545/60 "2012-04-09T14:18:43Z")
Nitpick of your nitpick: AL is Alabama. AR is Arkansas. AK is Alaska. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-game-change-awe-man/615545.md?page=4)