From the bestselling author of The Promise , the thrilling story of one of the most momentous contests in American history, the Battle Royale between Obama and his enemies from the 2010 midterms through the 2013 inauguration. In The Center Holds , Jonathan Alter provides the first full account of America at the crossroads. With exclusive reporting and rare historical insight, he pierces the bubble of the White House and the presidential campaigns in a landmark election that marked the return of big money and the rise of big data. He tells the epic story of an embattled president fighting back with the first campaign of the Digital Age. Alter relates the untold story behind Obamae(tm)s highs and lows, from the raid on Osama bin Ladene(tm)s compound to the frustration of the debt ceiling fiasco to his unexpected run-ins with black and Latino activists. Alter takes us inside Mitt Romney and Paul Ryane(tm)s Boston campaign as well as Obamae(tm)s disastrous preparation for the first debate. We meet Obamae(tm)s analytics geeks working out of eoeThe Cavee and the man who secretly videotaped Romneye(tm)s infamous comments on the eoe47 percent.e The Center Holds deepens our understanding of the Obama presidency and the future of the country.