What will I learn about: why Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign failed to develop a compelling narrative, resulting in contrived speeches that reinforced public perceptions of entitlement?

Discover why Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign failed to develop a compelling narrative, resulting in contrived speeches that reinforced public perceptions of entitlement.

What will I learn about: the devastating, long-term impact of the FBI email investigation and how subsequent, unrelated leaks kept the scandal alive in the minds of voters?

Understand the devastating, long-term impact of the FBI email investigation and how subsequent, unrelated leaks kept the scandal alive in the minds of voters.

What will I learn about: Learn how the Clinton team severely underestimated Bernie Sanders's concrete policy proposals and failed to anticipate the powerful anti-establishment sentiment driving his popularity?

Learn how the Clinton team severely underestimated Bernie Sanders's concrete policy proposals and failed to anticipate the powerful anti-establishment sentiment driving his popularity.

What will I learn about: Uncover the crippling effects of internal power struggles, where a toxic environment of self-interest and rival factions diluted the campaign's overall effectiveness?

Uncover the crippling effects of internal power struggles, where a toxic environment of self-interest and rival factions diluted the campaign's overall effectiveness.

What will I learn about: Recognize how an overconfidence in the Democratic 'Blue Wall' and a heavy reliance on data analytics created a blind spot to the campaign's critical vulnerabilities?

Recognize how an overconfidence in the Democratic 'Blue Wall' and a heavy reliance on data analytics created a blind spot to the campaign's critical vulnerabilities.

Shattered

Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign

Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes

★ 3.7 / 5(27 ratings)

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Politics

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Have you ever wondered how one of the most seasoned politicians in American history lost the presidency to a reality TV star despite a massive data advantage?
💡Are you curious about the secret internal power struggles and strategic blind spots that quietly derailed the Clinton campaign from within?
💡Did you know that behind the polished public image, the Clinton team was plagued by a fundamental flaw that they failed to address until it was too late?

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Key Takeaways from Shattered

✓Discover why Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign failed to develop a compelling narrative, resulting in contrived speeches that reinforced public perceptions of entitlement.
✓Understand the devastating, long-term impact of the FBI email investigation and how subsequent, unrelated leaks kept the scandal alive in the minds of voters.
✓Learn how the Clinton team severely underestimated Bernie Sanders's concrete policy proposals and failed to anticipate the powerful anti-establishment sentiment driving his popularity.
✓Uncover the crippling effects of internal power struggles, where a toxic environment of self-interest and rival factions diluted the campaign's overall effectiveness.
✓Recognize how an overconfidence in the Democratic 'Blue Wall' and a heavy reliance on data analytics created a blind spot to the campaign's critical vulnerabilities.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Shattered

Mind Map

Shattered

The Candidate & The Message+

The Email Scandal+

Campaign Infighting+

Overreliance on Data Analytics+

Underestimating Opponents+

The Election Loss+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9

What was identified as a critical flaw in Hillary Clinton's early campaign strategy and messaging?

A. She focused too heavily on foreign policy instead of domestic economic issues.
B. She lacked a clear, compelling narrative explaining exactly why she was running for office.
C. She relied too much on Barack Obama's speechwriters, causing her to sound inauthentic.
D. She proposed overly radical policies that alienated her moderate base.

Question 2 of 9

How did Hillary Clinton's infamous private email server scandal originally come to light?

A. Through a 2014 congressional committee investigation into the terrorist attack in Libya.
B. From a whistleblower inside the State Department who leaked the server details.
C. During a routine cybersecurity audit by the FBI of Obama administration officials.
D. After Russian hackers breached her server and released the contents to Wikileaks.

Question 3 of 9

Why was Hillary Clinton in a uniquely difficult position when it came to campaigning against Bernie Sanders in the primaries?

A. Sanders had significantly more funding from Wall Street banks than she did.
B. She could not heavily criticize him without risking the loss of his supporters, a lesson she learned from her 2008 race against Obama.
C. His reliance on data analytics was vastly superior to her campaign manager's traditional strategy.
D. He had secured the endorsement of several key establishment leaders that she needed.

Question 4 of 9

What was the primary source of conflict between campaign manager Robby Mook and campaign chairman John Podesta?

A. Mook wanted to focus entirely on swing states, while Podesta wanted a 50-state strategy.
B. Mook strictly relied on data analytics, while Podesta believed in traditional politics like listening to voters.
C. Mook wanted to hide Clinton's pneumonia diagnosis, while Podesta argued for total transparency.
D. Mook supported adopting Bernie Sanders's policies, while Podesta wanted to maintain a centrist platform.

Question 5 of 9

How did campaign manager Robby Mook's reliance on data analytics ultimately hurt the Clinton campaign?

A. It drained the campaign's budget by overspending on digital advertisements instead of televised debates.
B. It distracted from the lack of a strong campaign narrative and led to the rejection of traditional door-to-door campaigning.
C. It caused the campaign to focus entirely on Bernie Sanders supporters while ignoring moderate Republican voters.
D. It resulted in a confusing messaging strategy because the data was misinterpreted by the 'Super Six' committee.

Question 6 of 9

What major blunder did Hillary Clinton make in September 2016 that contradicted her 'stronger together' campaign branding?

A. She referred to a portion of Donald Trump's supporters as 'deplorables.'
B. She was caught on a hot mic criticizing Bernie Sanders's young voters.
C. She refused to shake Donald Trump's hand at the beginning of their first debate.
D. She admitted to using her private email server to hide classified Wall Street speeches.

Question 7 of 9

On October 7, 2016, three major events occurred that shook up the campaign. Which of the following was NOT one of those events?

A. News broke that Russian hackers had breached the DNC's emails.
B. The Washington Post released a tape of Trump making lewd comments about women.
C. Wikileaks announced it would release campaign chairman John Podesta's emails.
D. FBI Director James Comey sent an open letter to Congress about newly discovered emails.

Question 8 of 9

On election night, to what recent historical event did Bill Clinton compare the unexpected voting behavior of the American public?

A. The 2008 global financial crisis
B. The British Brexit vote
C. The 2000 Bush vs. Gore election recount
D. The rise of the Tea Party movement

Question 9 of 9

According to the book's conclusion, who or what is ultimately most to blame for Hillary Clinton's 2016 election loss?

A. The unprecedented interference of Russian hackers and Wikileaks.
B. James Comey's protocol-breaking October letter to Congress.
C. Rampant misogyny and the media's unfair treatment of female candidates.
D. There is no single reason, but much of the blame inevitably lies with Clinton herself and her campaign's internal flaws.

Shattered — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2Hillary Clinton had strong reasons to seek the presidency, but never built the winning campaign she needed.
3A continuing FBI probe created unending troubles for Clinton’s campaign.
4Bernie Sanders mounted a major threat that Clinton and her staff did not see coming.
5Power battles and internal rivalries undermined the Clinton campaign.
6Depending too heavily on data analytics ultimately damaged the Clinton campaign’s prospects.
7The Democratic convention and televised debates gave the Clinton campaign meaningful momentum.
8The FBI, Russian cyberattacks and Wikileaks all made election day highly unpredictable.
9Hillary Clinton was defeated by Donald Trump in the November 8, 2016 election.

Shattered Summary & Overview

Shattered (2017) takes you behind the scenes of the 2016 US presidential election campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton. In these blinks, you’ll learn what went wrong for Clinton and her team, leading a seasoned politician to come second to a reality TV star in a tumultuous and bitter race for the nation’s highest office.

Who Should Listen to Shattered?

News and politics junkies
Citizens concerned about the future of the United States and the global political order
American voters who can’t figure out what happened in 2016

About the Author: Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes

Jonathan Allen is a journalist who writes for Politico, Bloomberg, Vox and the weekly political column Roll Call. In addition to his writing, he helps run the political news platform Sidewire.

Amie Parnes is the senior White House correspondent for the Washington, DC, newspaper the Hill, where she currently covers the Trump administration.