Anyone with a decent sense of morality has felt a bit of the nation’s PTSD after the admin in the office from Jan 2017-Jan 2021. I don’t think I could’ve finished this book if those people were still walking the halls of the White House. It’s a reminder that good people existed and the job mattered in a giant way before the 2016 election results and all that followed.

It stays away from being too “inside baseball.” You don’t need to be a politics nerd to find it interesting, but you’ll really enjoy it if you are, in fact, one of those nerds. Like me. Pfieffer doesn’t get lost in the weeds of the ins and outs of it all and discussed major events of the Obama presidency in a very approachable way. If you don’t pay much attention to politics, you may have wished for more info on some of those big events. But if you didn’t pay attention as it was happening, you’re probably not reading this book anyway. He doesn’t shy away from admitting personal mistakes and missteps by the campaign and administration. He isn’t afraid to note that the 2008 Obama campaign really was a drastic change from all that had come before, the first one REALLY run online in a big way that had never happened before.

If you need a reminder of why politics matter and that there are good people trying to do good things in a real way, give this one a go.

This book was so fun and interesting, although kind of sad when you look at the reason behind this book. I would highly recommend this for anyone who has already listened to Dan's podcast.

I waited a long time to read this book as I wasn't sure I could read it while Trump was president. Instead, I listened to it on Biden's inauguration day and it gave me a lot of hope for the future.

It's an engaging read that makes fun use of footnotes and reads authentically. This book is for fans of Obama, friends of the pod, or people who just want know how campaigns are run.

I'm a huge fan of Dan Pfeiffer and Pod Save America. This book is exactly what fans like me need to read in these dark times. One thing I enjoyed about this book is that it's like two books in one. One is Dan's anecdotes about working in the White House. The other is a sober analysis of what it takes to win elections in today's America.

The personal anecdotes are what one would expect from Dan. He's constantly the butt of the joke. But in each description of some hilarious truth that Dan had to learn the hard way, he transitions the conversation to a more universal point. That brings us to the second part of the book.

Pfeiffer also offers us a detailed analysis of how elections are won in this country. For those who have listened to the excellent podcast "The Wilderness", there is a lot of proscriptive advice that folks like me can use to help in local elections. He won't give away all of the secrets, of course, but he gives us a blueprint. I also liked reading about his interactions with the Republican fever swamp. For those who had their eyes open, what's happened since 2016 is not a surprise.

This book is a great read that I highly recommend. If you have any Republicans in your life who are getting discouraged by Trump's actions, pass them a copy. It really can't hurt anything.

Dan Pfeiffer is my communications guru. His political assessments are so smart and spot on. I loved this book.

Dan Pfeiffer gives readers his honest, humorous, and educated thoughts. His voice is clear, the technique conversational, and the tone optimistic. I so appreciated the way he laid out the history of the Obama campaigns and his time in the service of President Obama. If, like me, you were an Obama/Biden supporter and volunteer, Dan's writing will take you immediately back, evoking the feelings of hope and possibility. This book was not a lecture, but rather a roadmap of how we got to this place in our nation's history and how we move forward. Mr. Pfeiffer admits we (Democrats) got it wrong in 2016, which is quite refreshing.
In short, whether you are new to that voting thing, or an old hand, Yes, We (Still) Can is entertaining as well as educational. If I have one criticism, it's a personal preference, there are so many footnotes to each chapter that I became a bit lost on my kindle. The constant back and forth to the footnotes, though hugely amusing, got old after awhile.

Entertaining for sure. Sure to capture the readers attention especially in this current political state of the country.

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.

I must admit that if I’d paid for this book I’d be inclined to ask for my money back. The title suggests it’s a blueprint for the future, while it’s actually a mixture of memoir, venting and punditry on the past.

Former White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer takes us through a series of vignettes from his journey into politics, his days on the Obama campaign, some of the key issues he faced in the Obama White House, his decision to leave, what he did on his gap break (Southeast Asia, man!), his marriage, his CNN gig, Hillary’s defeat, and, finally, you get a few bullet points on what we might have learnt from all this on how to defeat Trump.

I’m a little unsure who the audience is for this. If you’re into US politics most of it will be stuff you already know – the standoffs with Republicans over Obamacare and the shutdown, the day-to-day dilemmas over how best to present Obama to a wider audience, the tan suit (remember when that was considered a presidential scandal?).

However if you’re unfamiliar with all this and coming to the book wanting to learn more, you might flounder. There is no clear explanation of the issues behind the anecdotes. The names of key people are thrown in with no explanation of who they are. Stories are set up and not paid off.

Maybe you will share Pfeiffer’s disappointment that he didn’t get the Director of Communications job in Obama’s first administration and learnt of someone else’s appointment via an email. But in the next chapter he is Director of Communications, with no clue as to how that transition took place.

Pfeiffer may have some unique insights into life inside the West Wing but if he has he isn’t sharing them. Instead he tells stories that are ostensibly self-deprecating, like when he was waiting for anaesthetic to take effect ahead of surgery and accidentally sent a tweet where he had meant to use the word ‘bigger’ but had, in his haze, replaced the ‘b’ with an ‘n’. It’s actually more of a humblebrag – I was hospitalised three times and I still wouldn’t take time off work!

I’m a big fan of the Pod Save America podcast, hosted by Pfeiffer and three fellow former Obama aides. They regularly delve into questions of the future direction of the Democrats and the strategies that they need to defeat the Republicans, as well as highlighting the work of grassroots activists and more radical approaches. I was expecting that depth and specificity from this book but I was disappointed.

Well written, engaging and entertaining, "Yes we (Still) Can" is part memoir of Pfeffier's days in as an advisor to Barrack Obama and part analysis of politics/elections today. Several well taken points on how to move forward in the age of Trumpism and social media. Highly recommend.

An adrenaline-charged, terrific read by Dan Pfeiffer, Obama's Director of Communications and later Senior Advisor. From the early days (he was one of Obama's first hires) to his last day in the White House, Pfeiffer details his life in the "fishbowl." When I read Alyssa Mastromonaco's recommendation, I knew I'd enjoy Pfeiffer's wit, insight and wisdom. Mastromonaco's book Who Thought This Was a Good Idea, is also first-rate. Highly recommend. Who knew politics could be so exciting? Don't miss this outstanding memoir.

As a fan of Pod Save America, this book was everything I expected it to be-interesting, informative, and peppered with fun anecdotes about Pfeiffer's time in the White House.