The Long Alliance

the imperfect union of Joe Biden and Barack Obama
Gabriel Debenedetti

‘[A] treat … readers interested in behind-the-scenes details and vividly depicted moments from the past two decades of American politics, starring some of its most pivotal players, will be riveted.’

The Washington Post

‘Gabriel Debenedetti is simultaneously one of the smartest and most dogged reporters in Washington, and he has pieced together a master narrative of the complex relationship between two presidents whose partnership held together through a series of economic and political crises. The Obama-Biden dynasty has won three of the last four presidential elections, and Debenedetti’s story reveals the whole scope of its birth, growth, and struggle to save democracy.’

Jonathan Chait, New York Times bestselling author of Audacity: how Barack Obama defied his critics and created a legacy that will prevail

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‘Gabriel Debenedetti's reporting on the Biden-Obama relationship is a tour-de-force, weaving together the political and personal dynamics that have bonded these two presidents and, at times, led to significant tension. It is a gripping tale of power in modern America and how it really works, told by someone who knows the players and inside stories better than anyone.’

Robert Costa, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Peril

‘What progress is possible in a country defined by partisan stalemate? This is the immersive, indelible account of a twenty-year working friendship almost precisely coincident with the emergence of a new and often maddening American politics. Barack Obama and Joe Biden assumed their presidencies with different political strengths, instincts, and ideals, but though each believed he could outmanoeuvre opposition and achieve lasting generational change, each also quickly found himself contemplating legacies which, though historic, could seem painfully piecemeal — including to the presidents themselves.’

David Wallace-Wells, New York Times bestselling author of The Uninhabitable Earth

‘Just when you thought there was nothing else to say about Biden and Obama, Washington’s most thoughtful observer, Gabriel Debenedetti, sheds new light on the friendship, alliance and differences between the two men who helped shape modern America. The Long Alliance delivers illuminating insights and intimate, riveting, sometimes unsparing details, and takes you inside the corridors of power and the struggle for America's future.’

Kim Ghattas, author of New York Times bestselling The Secretary and New York Times 2020 Notable Book Black Wave

‘Gabriel Debenedetti has written the definitive account of one of the most important — and, until now, poorly understood — relationships in 21st Century American politics. With rich new reporting, Debenedetti details the machinations that helped Joe Biden to parlay a hopeless presidential bid into a spot on Barack Obama’s 2008 ticket and a level of national prominence he’d never before known. More importantly, he illustrates the rocky and uneven evolution of their partnership during the Obama presidency. We see a genuine personal bond develop and deepen even as the president remains skeptical, dismissive even, of his handpicked vice president’s actual political talent — arguably leading to the twist of history that makes Donald Trump president and leaves it to Biden, four years later, to prove to the world — and to his former boss — just what he is capable of.’

Steve Kornacki, NBC News National Political Correspondent and author of The Red and the Blue

‘Gabriel Debenedetti masters the crosscurrents of the Democratic party as well as relations between two presidents.’

The Guardian

‘[A]n engrossing study of the political and personal relationship between Joe Biden and Barack Obama … Doggedly reported and clear-eyed about its subjects’ strengths and weaknesses, this is an illuminating portrait of a consequential political partnership.’

Publishers Weekly

‘Carefully constructed … A readable portrait of a political partnership that may be seen as one of the most productive in US history.’

Kirkus Reviews

‘Debenedetti has written an engaging and thorough book about the Obama–Biden bond – an underexplored but fascinating subject. By delving into the relationship between two presidents, and suggesting reasons for its success, The Long Alliance also offers insights into how political power may be managed and shared. It is a thought-provoking book.’

Varun Ghosh, Australian Book Review

‘[A] careful chronicling and insightful examination … [Debenedetti] is an excellent reporter and he provides a satisfyingly detailed account of the 2020 presidential campaign from both leaders’ perspectives.’

Jason Zengerle, The New York Times Book Review

New York Magazine national correspondent Gabriel Debenedetti provides an inside look at the complicated, co-dependent, and at-times rocky relationship between Joe Biden and Barack Obama, which has shaped Democratic politics over the past 16 years.

Delving deeper than the bromance narrative that’s held the public eye, The Long Alliance examines the past, present, and future of this historic partnership — its twists and turns, ruptures and reunions, and the pivotal moment in each man’s legacy at which we’ve arrived.

Obama needed Biden’s experience to help him win in 2008, and he relied on him heavily during his first years as president. But their relationship soured over policy disagreements and Biden’s blundering approach to Congress and voters. Then Obama’s decision to support Hillary Clinton’s nomination in 2015 created a rift that lasted for years. Now, in an ironic twist, President Biden is in the position to restore Obama’s legacy — one that Donald Trump spent years trying to dismantle — and to implement a progressive agenda that the former president could only have dreamed of.

The real tale of this relationship is significantly more complex, dramatic, and consequential than is generally believed. The original mismatch between the know-it-all worshipper of legislative procedure and the hot-shot political Messiah moulded not just four different presidential campaigns and two different political parties, but also wars, a devastating near-depression, the lives of millions of immigrants, and movements for social equality. Now their relationship is shaping a second presidential administration, and the future of America.

The Washington Post

Jonathan Chait, New York Times bestselling author of Audacity: how Barack Obama defied his critics and created a legacy that will prevail

View all reviews

Robert Costa, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Peril

David Wallace-Wells, New York Times bestselling author of The Uninhabitable Earth

Kim Ghattas, author of New York Times bestselling The Secretary and New York Times 2020 Notable Book Black Wave

Steve Kornacki, NBC News National Political Correspondent and author of The Red and the Blue

‘Gabriel Debenedetti masters the crosscurrents of the Democratic party as well as relations between two presidents.’

The Guardian

Publishers Weekly

‘Carefully constructed … A readable portrait of a political partnership that may be seen as one of the most productive in US history.’

Kirkus Reviews

Varun Ghosh, Australian Book Review

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 234mm × 153mm

Extent:432pp

ISBN (13):9781922585028

RRP:$35.00

Pub date:5 Oct 2022

Rights Held: UK & Commonwealth

High-res cover:Download Image

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AUTHOR

Gabriel Debenedetti

Gabriel Debenedetti is the national correspondent for New York Magazine, where he writes about politics and national affairs. Prior to joining the magazine in early 2018, he wrote about the 2016 campaign for Politico, traveling the country covering Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and the Democratic Party. Before that, he reported on the Obama White House, the 2012 presidential election, and Capitol Hill for Reuters. He frequently appears on MSNBC, CNN, CBS News, the BBC, and NPR, and writes political reviews for The New York Times Book Review. His writing has also appeared in The Economist and The New Republic.