HBO’s 2008 McCain Palin Campaign ‘Game Change’ Is Must See TV

Game Change HBO

Game Change, the movie is heading your way on March 10th at 9PM on HBO.

Did you read the book? If you missed it, this movie will be a bit of a shocker for you. Game Change was written by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann about the McCain campaign in 2008. Mark Halperin has been described as a bit of a Palin fan (he did call her a genius), and in a way, that just makes the revelations in the book all the more damaging.

From Game Change we got the Sarah comatose during debate prep stories, the Sarah rubbing her make up off in a pre-air melt down story, and others that were quite simply stunning.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

In January of 2010, I wrote about Game Change revelations echoing similar sentiments from Palin’s former allies in Alaska in an article titled The Other Sarah:

“The morning of her ill-fated CBS interview with Katie Couric, Palin – “her eyes glassy and dead” – was unresponsive to attempts to prep her as she was being made up. As they were about to set off to meet Couric, Palin announced ‘I hate this makeup’ – smearing it off her face, messing up her hair, complaining she looked fat.”

They further report that Palin went into a tailspin. She stopped eating or sleeping, and drank only a half a can of diet soda a day.

It was so bad, that “terrified staffers” contemplated asking McCain to have Palin step down. Most certainly, they determined that if McCain won, they would urge the senator to drop Palin, as it was “unfathomable” and “frightening” to them that Palin would be VP.

Now, Julianne Moore takes on the role of Palin while Ed Harris plays the John McCain who ended up disappointing many of his long time supporters with his Palin hail Mary. And Woody Harrelson takes on Steve Schmidt, upon whose head it is suggested the Palin suggestion lay. However, research shows that Palin was angling for attention from the big boys for a long time prior, courting them with her charm and some blood sport, and had several key players pushing for her. And then there’s always that odd phone call with Dick Cheney, after which Palin reversed her stance on the Alaska Pipeline, months before she was chosen.

The cast is delicious. Moore manages to capture more of Palin than anyone else has, though at times she lacks the smug violence simmering just beneath Palin’s jutted jaw and smirk. She does, however, use her body as Palin does – forcefully and aggressively jabbing at the air as she preened for the cameras. Moore found a way to relay the darkness hidden from us in 2008, and never dipped into cheap parody but brought Palin to life as a round character, full of charm and potential hampered by her vast unknowing and lack of preparation.

Courtesy of HBO:

And Trailer two, because you can’t ever have enough Julianne Moore, especially as she warns the McCain team, “It’s important that you know exactly what you’re getting,” foreshadowing the horror movie that would become the McCain team’s experience with Sarah Palin:

Julianne Moore just nailed Palin in that clip; the danger and ambition lurking beneath the beautiful face and down home gal presentation. This is going to be must-see TV.

Mark your calendars for the debut on HBO March 10th at 9PM. The real question, after you watch this, will be what in the Hell is wrong with the Republican Party and how could they have done this to America?

Sarah Jones

Listen to Sarah on the PoliticusUSA Pod on The Daily newsletter podcast here.

Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.

Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Connect with Sarah on Post,  Mastodon @PoliticusSarah@Journa.Host, & Twitter.