<p>Who is the author of Yes We (Still) Can?</p>

<p>Dan Pfeiffer is the author of Yes We (Still) Can.</p>

Politics

Yes We (Still) Can Book Summary - Yes We (Still) Can Book explained in key points

Listen to the Intro

00:00

Yes We (Still) Can summary

Name: Yes We (Still) Can
Rating: 4 (22 reviews)
Author: Dan Pfeiffer

Dan Pfeiffer

Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump

4 (22 ratings)

26 mins

Brief summary

'Yes We (Still) Can' is a political memoir by Dan Pfeiffer, former White House Communications Director under Obama administration. Pfeiffer shares insights from the campaign trail and the Obama presidency - highlighting the challenges of governing in the digital age and the impact of social media on American politics.

Topics

Media Memoirs

Table of Contents

Yes We (Still) Can
Summary of 9 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 9

What’s in it for me? Take a peek into the life of a White House staffer in the Obama administration.

Many people are still wondering how the political landscape in the United States could change so much so quickly since Barack Obama’s presidency.

Few people may be as qualified to explain the shift as Dan Pfeiffer, a man who was a high-ranking member of Obama’s team from the day he announced his candidacy and who stayed on board for six years of his presidency. As communications director, Pfeiffer was in a unique position to view the changes in the media and press that contributed to Trump’s election.

Pfeiffer holds nothing back in his distaste for the Trump administration’s approach to policy and public relations, and his account of a life in politics is equally revealing and personal.

In these blinks, you’ll find out

how the Obama administration dealt with fake news;
how future Democrats should deal with Fox News; and
the five elements that contributed to Clinton’s loss in 2016.

Dan Pfeiffer had some early political experience but began his career at the very bottom.

In 1988, US voters had to choose between two presidential candidates – Republican George H. W. Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis. At the time, Dan Pfeiffer was in the seventh grade and he volunteered to take the position of Dukakis in a mock debate. It would be Pfeffer’s first important lesson about politics.

Leading up to the debate, Pfeiffer spent hours in the library studying and reading up on the policies and agenda of the Dukakis campaign, which allowed him to face his opponent feeling confident and well prepared. But it didn’t matter – the girl playing Bush repeatedly called Dukakis weak on crime and said he wanted to raise taxes. With these two simple points, his opponent delivered a clear, compelling message that kept Pfeiffer from making any headway of his own. It was a lesson that would stay with him for a long time to come.

While Pfeiffer was good at memorizing facts, he wasn’t a stellar student. However, with the help of a strong application, he got into the prestigious Georgetown University, in Washington, DC. And since his grades were a little below their usual standards, he worked hard to prove himself.

At Georgetown, between his junior and senior year, Pfeiffer managed to get an internship in Vice President Al Gore’s office. He quickly made a name for himself by memorizing files and being able to pull up requested documents in a matter of seconds. This led to his being offered a job in the Justice Department – but Pfeiffer still had to finish up his senior year at Georgetown.

In the meantime, Al Gore was preparing his 2000 presidential campaign, and Pfeiffer was eager to get a spot on the team. After a tense waiting period, Gore’s press secretary, Chris Lehane, finally called to offer him a job on the press team. However, by the time Pfeiffer made his way to Gore’s Nashville headquarters, Lehane had been fired and there was no position waiting for him.

Nevertheless, Pfeiffer started at the bottom with other volunteers, making calls to voters alongside a senior citizen and a teenager. It was still exciting and fast-paced, and once again he quickly made a name for himself, this time by organizing a better calling system. This resulted in a job offer from the local media team.

Barack Obama was unlike any other politician, and there were five building blocks to his successful campaign.

After the Gore campaign, Pfeiffer worked a few small campaign jobs – and then he got his big break: being hired as the communications director for the South Dakota senator, Tim Johnson.

When Johnson made an improbable comeback and was reelected in 2002, some reporters called it the best-run campaign in the United States. This made Pfeiffer an in-demand operative, and soon he was working for the top Democratic senator, Tom Daschle. Eventually, Pfeiffer got a call from Obama’s staff.

Being a communications director is about delivering the president’s message and managing press relations.

Small fortunes can be spent coming up with the perfect political message. But these days, a good message, or even a good slogan, can’t be manufactured – it has to be authentic. Also, you need more than words. You need a compelling story.

Central to Obama’s success was the fact that his campaign was his message. Barack Obama himself represented the hope and change that was central to the message he wanted to deliver. In other words, Obama himself was the “Change We Can Believe In” that his slogan referred to. His life and his experience as a community organizer constituted the very fabric of his authentic and inspiring story. It got people to the polls and Obama into the White House.

Changes in the media landscape have helped nurture an environment of Trumpism.

Back during the Bill Clinton administration, the president implored his communications team to “win the news cycle.” So, if the day started out poorly with a negative news item, Clinton wanted his team to put a positive spin on it or get a good story out so that, when the evening news aired, they’d be “winning.”

These days, this approach no longer makes sense.

Fake news compounded the controversy surrounding Obama’s birth certificate.

As Pfeiffer sees it, while 2014 may have been the year that Trumpism started to emerge, Trump’s tactics of helping to spread fake news began years earlier.

Back during Obama’s first term, Trump encouraged the fake news being peddled by those who doubted that the president was born in the United States. It was a movement known as birtherism. Indeed, the Obama administration had to deal with fake news on a regular basis, so Pfeiffer has some tips to help future Trump challengers deal with his absurd tactics.

Fox News is a Republican propaganda outlet that needs to be handled with care.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare, was another subject where Pfeiffer saw fake news run rampant. One day, Sarah Palin, a former candidate for vice president, posted a story on Facebook, claiming Obamacare was going to allow for bureaucratic “death panels” to form, which would decide which patients would be cared for based on their “level of productivity in society.”

Needless to say, this story was pure nonsense – and, since they’d been involved in shaping the bill, high-ranking Republicans knew it. But it didn’t matter. Jumping on the fake story gained them political points because it made things difficult for the Obama administration.

Twitter has been a transformative and powerful political tool.

If you still don’t think that Fox News is biased in favor of the Republicans, check the Fox News Twitter feed and then look at the feed of the Republican National Committee. They’re eerily similar.

For better or worse, Twitter has become a go-to forum for the daily political discussion. You may gripe that it’s ill-suited for nuanced political discussions, but there’s no denying its power in shaping the conversation.

Health issues and the desire for a normal relationship got Pfeiffer out of the White House and into podcasting.

Pfeiffer was in the hospital during that regrettable Twitter slip-up because his blood pressure was through the roof. Six years in the White House had left Pfeiffer with moments where the left side of his body would tingle and he’d lose the ability to move his leg.

He tried to work through it, but it was clear that every time he got into a heated discussion or a tense situation, he ran the risk of having another debilitating episode. Given the nature of his work, this was hard to avoid.

There were five important issues that contributed to the Democrats’ loss in 2016.

Like many others, Pfeiffer was pretty confident that Hillary Clinton would win. As Obama had said before the election, no other candidate in history had been as qualified for the job as Clinton.

Looking back on it now, however, it’s clear that there were five important issues that contributed to Clinton’s loss, though Pfeiffer missed them at the time.

Want to see all full key ideas from Yes We (Still) Can?

Key ideas in Yes We (Still) Can

More knowledge in less time

Read or listen

Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.

Find your next read

Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.

Shortcasts ^New

We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

What is Yes We (Still) Can about?

Yes We (Still) Can (2018) offers a revealing look at the dizzyingly high-pressure life of a White House communications director. In addition to his personal experiences in the Obama administration, author Dan Pfeiffer is eager to share the knowledge he gained along the way, from how to deal with the press to how to handle political opposition.

Yes We (Still) Can Review

Yes We (Still) Can (2018) is a captivating book that offers insights into the Obama administration and the future of American politics. Here's why it's worth reading:

It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the Obama White House, revealing the challenges and victories of his presidency.
Through personal anecdotes and reflections, it offers a unique perspective on the power of hope, resilience, and grassroots movements in shaping the political landscape.
The book discusses the current political climate with candidness and optimism, leaving readers feeling informed and inspired to engage in the democratic process.

Who should read Yes We (Still) Can?

Political junkies
Concerned Democrats
Students of political science and public relations

About the Author

Dan Pfeiffer graduated from Georgetown University and then spent years on a number of political campaigns for Democratic candidates before joining Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. After working as a communications director for the Obama administration, he went on to become the cohost of the popular podcast Pod Save America.

Categories with Yes We (Still) Can

Politics

Book summaries like Yes We (Still) Can

Discipline Is Destiny

Ryan Holiday

The Power of Self-Control

Discovering Value and Creating Growth in a Disrupted World

18 min

4.5

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

John Gray

A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships

20 min

4.5

Invisible Women

Caroline Criado Perez

Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men

27 min

4.5

The Art of Talking with Children

Rebecca Rolland

Nurturing Kindness, Creativity, and Confidence in Kids

26 min

4.2

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Alex Haley

As told to Alex Haley

Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life

Escape the Complexity Trap and Get to Work that Matters

Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life.

Managing Your Emotions - So They Don't Manage You

22 min

4.3

Why We Get the Wrong Politicians

Isabel Hardman

A quick tour of British politics

24 min

4.3

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Mark Manson

A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump

The Algebra of Wealth

Scott Galloway

A Simple Formula for Financial Security

Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

13 min

4.3

The War on Normal People

Andrew Yang

The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future

24 min

4.5

Cut Costs Not Corners

Colin Barrow

A practical guide to staying competitive and improving profits

15 min

3.8

Buying Your First Home

Ilona Bray

Nolo's Essential Guide

17 min

4.0

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Dale Carnegie

Basic rules for how to make a good first impression

The 20 Skills and Competencies Everyone Needs to Succeed in a Digital World

18 min

3.9

Ikigai

Hector Garcia Puigcerver & Francesc Miralles

The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

20 min

4.6

Emotional Intelligence

Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO

Beverly E. Jones

50 Indispensable Tips to Help You Stay Afloat, Bounce Back, and Get Ahead at Work

Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence

15 min

3.4

The Last Safe Investment

Michael Ellsberg and Bryan Franklin

Spending Now to Increase Your True Wealth Forever

The feminist classic about how woman has been shaped into the “other” sex

35 min

4.4

The One Minute Manager

Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

Increase Productivity, Profits and your own Prosperity

Six Studies in World Strategy

20 min

4.3

The Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith

The most influential economic book of all time

11 min

4.3

Your Retirement Salary

Richard Dyson and Richard Evans

How to Use Your Lifetime of Pension Savings to Pay Yourself an Income in Your Retirement

22 min

3.7

All-in On AI

Tom Davenport & Nitin Mittal

How Smart Companies Win Big with Artificial Intelligence

5 min

3.0

The Anxious Generation

Jonathan Haidt

How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

20 min

4.3

The Warren Buffett Way

Robert G. Hagstrom

Investment Strategies of the World's Greatest Investor

18 min

4.5

Playing with FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early)

Scott Rieckens

How Far Would You Go for Financial Freedom?

18 min

4.2

Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits!

Greg Crabtree and Beverly Blair Harzog

Four Keys to Unlock Your Business Potential

18 min

4.3

7 Strategies for Wealth and Happiness

Jim Rohn

Power Ideas from America's Foremost Business Philosopher

20 min

4.4

I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Ramit Sethi

The easy approach to smart banking, saving, spending and investing

17 min

3.9

Autobiography of a Yogi

Paramahansa Yogananda

The Life and Teachings of One of the Great Spiritual Figures

How Successful Companies Use Price to Profit and Grow

The Story of Ideas That Fly

11 min

4.1

21st Century Investing

William Burckart and Steven D. Lydenberg

Redirecting Financial Strategies to Drive Systems Change

Proven ways to save money and build your wealth

22 min

4.2

The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need

Joanna Martine Woolfolk

Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8 A.M.)

20 min

4.5

The Art of Reading Minds

Henrik Fexeus

Understand Others to Get What You Want

How to Develop a Powerful Pricing Strategy for Your Business

8 min

3.7

The Unemployed Millionaire

Matt Morris

Escape the Rat Race, Fire Your Boss and Live Life on YOUR Terms!

22 min

3.6

People ❤️ Blinkist

Sven O.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

Thi Viet Quynh N.

Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

Jonathan A.

Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

Renee D.

Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.