I was super excited to get a copy of DanPfeifer’s book Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump from Twelve Books and NetGalley in return for my honest review.
If you know and love Crooked Media and Pod Save America, as I do, you will love this book. If you aren’t familiar with them/him, and you enjoy stories by political insiders, you will love this book. If you are a fan of the 45th President, you probably won’t like it or him/them.
Dan Pfeiffer was President Obama’s communications director and he currently co-hosts the insanely popular podcast Pod Save America with Jon Favreau, who became Obama’s chief speechwriter despite being in his mid-twenties. These guys have a combination of political savvy and millenial viewpoint that are a refreshing change from the tomes that are churned by the “same old political hacks,”as my friend calls them.
After the disastrous (from his – and my—point of view) election of 2016, Pfeiffer was stunned and disheartened, because he had spent years working for Obama, and wasn’t quite prepared for the new Administration. He decided to write about the way politics had changed since Obama’s election in 2008, the role of social media and changing communication methods and styles impacted elections, and how we could keep from going crazy as we try to right the ship.
My favorite things about this book, aside from his wicked sense of humor, is the way he works hard to explain why everyone (including him!) got it wrong in 2016, and his advice to Democrats about where we can go from here. This is perfect for people who miss Obama and are appalled/disturbed/frightened by the new President. Four stars.