Insane Clown President

By: Matt Taibbi

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Dispatches from the 2016 election that provide an eerily prescient take on our democracy's uncertain future, by the country's most perceptive and fearless political journalist.

The 2016 presidential contest as told by Matt Taibbi, from its tragicomic beginnings to its apocalyptic conclusion, is in fact the story of Western civilization's very own train wreck. Years before the clown car of candidates was fully loaded, Taibbi grasped the essential themes of the story: the power of spectacle over substance or even truth; the absence of a shared reality; the nihilistic rebellion of the white working class; the death of the political establishment; and the emergence of a new explicit form of white nationalism that would destroy what was left of the Kingian dream of a successful pluralistic society.

Taibbi captures, with dead-on, real-time analysis, the failures of the right and the left, from the thwarted Bernie Sanders insurgency to the flawed and aimless Hillary Clinton campaign; the rise of the "dangerously bright" alt-right with its wall-loving identity politics and its rapturous view of the racial "holy war" to come; and the giant fail of a flailing, reactive political media that fed a ravenous news cycle not with reporting on political ideology but with undigested propaganda served straight from the campaign bubble. At the center of it all stands Donald J. Trump, leading a historic revolt against his own party, "bloviating and farting his way" through the campaign, "saying outrageous things, acting like Hitler one minute and Andrew Dice Clay the next." For Taibbi, the stunning rise of Trump marks the apotheosis of the new postfactual movement.

Taibbi frames the reporting with original essays that explore the seismic shift in how we perceive our national institutions, the democratic process, and the future of the country. Insane Clown President is not just a postmortem on the collapse and failure of American democracy. It offers the riveting, surreal, unique, and essential experience of seeing the future in hindsight.

©2017 Matt Taibbi (P)2017 Random House Audio

Now I understand bettet...

...how we got to this point, both from the Republican and Democrat point of view.

Good "sequel" to SHATTERED

Really 3.5 stars, but rounded up as the audio narration fit very well, with my main issue being Taibbi's no-holds-barred blunt style; at times I would've preferred a bit of tact.

Read "Shattered" first, using this one as a complementary story of how he won after understanding better how she lost. Taibbi's epilogue does go into her loss, as part of an indictment of the Democrats in general, but this book is all about failing to "stop the 'unstoppable'." In a sentence: many voters wanted change, not more of the same establishment insiders (including Cruz) in both the primaries and general election. The book is structured as dispatches from the campaign front along the way, rather than reflective chapters.

Taibbi has no respect for Trump, or any of the Republicans, ever. Biased - check! The thing is that his "hitjob" is backed up in pointing out politicians' hypocrisy. Moreover, his prime target is not the Republicans (or even the Democratic establishment), but the media . . . or what passes for such these days. So, in that respect I recommend the book to all, except partisan Republicans. However, if you think every so often "Man, this guy can be really obnoxious!", it's not you!

Matt is the Writer for My Generation

Another outstanding release from the uncompromising journalist. I did not keep up with much reporting from the campaign as it was like watching a disaster in slow-motion. And that is using my nice words.

So Mr. Taibbi does it again--makes me laugh out loud while giving important insights and filling me in on some key things I forgot or missed.

I could not turn it off--almost finished it in one day. Definitely worth a listen to get over the shock of what happened and the orange mayhem occurring daily. Enjoy!

Depressing.

Despite in my view being a left leaning writer, Mr. Taibbi gives a balanced view of the train wreck that is Ameicam politics.

Funny & Upsetting 2016 Campaign in Slow Motion

Would you listen to Insane Clown President again? Why?

No, once was enough.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The most compelling aspect of this book is seeing the 2016 campaign through the eyes of one of our best current events writers. You once again feel like there is no way that Trump could win even though you already know he does.

Any additional comments?

I relived what was in my opinion a disaster of an election. Matt Taibbi is very insightful and this book gave me a whole new view on what was happening and it illuminated many reasons why we all should have seen this coming. It felt like a slow motion car wreck and I couldn't stop listening.

Sad

while I enjoyed the book, it's hard to not recognize house sad and prescient it is. it outlined in very clear ways how Trump managed to get elected this past election season. It pulled no punches on any candidate, which in retrospect is a good thing. The narrator of this book did a really nice job presenting the material in a manner which the author had written it.

Great Behind The Scenes Look !

Great behind the scenes look at the Riae of the American Fueher! I would highly reccommed this book!

A Must Read for All

This story is insightful and terrifying all at once. It's congenial nature lends itself to being a must read for all, with extraordinarily poignant undertones throughout.

Tabbi Explains The Flaws In The System

Would you listen to Insane Clown President again? Why?

Yes, because it is important to understand the process that produced thee madness that produced a President like Trump.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The awful way we elect a President.

What does Rob Shapiro bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The introduction in which he explains just how Trump got elected.

Any additional comments?

Tabbi tells us how the culture of the media and the presidential politicians feed off each other and become so isolated in their own little world that they are oblivious to what the people in America really want. The fact that Tabbi was so convinced that Trump could not win in most of the book is comforting, and maddening because most of us didnt believe it either. Tabbi has insight into the flaws in the system. He gets it and explains it to us and we want him to tell us how to fix the circus and all the problems in our culture that got us here, but he does not, so we are left wanting more. His political storytelling rivals Hunter S Thompson. He does Rolling Stone and America proud.

Interesting political view

I had heard Matt Taibbi in an interview talking about his book on the 2016 election. Thought he had an interesting way of putting it in perspective for those of us in shock of what had happened and how we wound here today. Loved the drinking game he had made up!!