The War Room

by

James Carville and George Stephanopoulos – the unlikely duo who transformed unknown Arkansas governor “Bill Who?” into the most powerful man in the world.

It’s like “Wag the Dog” meets “The West Wing”.

I love “The War Room”.

And if you like Carville, there’s another awesome doc purely about him: “Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid” (I rank that 95/100).

Trailer for “The War Room”

Watch “The War Room”

You can watch “The War Room”:

If my links above don’t work, you can find the latest streaming options at https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-war-room

Ratings:

  • My Rating: 90/100
  • IMDB Rating: 7.610
  • Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 83/100 (Users); 96/100 (Critics)

Release Date: November 1, 1993

My Review of “The War Room”

The Setup

“The War Room” is a behind-the-scenes look at Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.

This 96-minute doc doesn’t focus on Clinton himself but on the strategists working in the shadows—James Carville and George Stephanopoulos—who turned a scandal-ridden, little-known governor into the next President of the United States.

At the time, President George H.W. Bush seemed unbeatable. He had an 85% approval rating after winning the Gulf War.

But Clinton’s team outworked, out-planned, and outmaneuvered Bush’s campaign, showing how modern elections are won—not by policies, but by message control and media manipulation.

Director’s Note: “The War Room” is directed by D.A. Pennebaker (also known for “Daybreak Express”, “Don’t Look Back”, “Monterey Pop”, “The September Issue”) and Chris Hegedus (also known for “Startup.com”, “Kings of Pastry”, “Unlocking the Cage”).

You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up

  • Gennifer Flowers Scandal – Handled Like a Crime Scene Cleanup
    Early in the campaign, Clinton is accused of a 12-year affair with Gennifer Flowers. The team doesn’t deny it outright—instead, they carefully craft a response: Bill and Hillary go on 60 Minutes and admit to “causing pain” in their marriage while dodging direct confirmation of the affair. It’s damage control at its finest—admit just enough to make it old news, then shift the conversation back to the economy.
  • Using Ross Perot as a Secret Weapon
    Perot, the billionaire independent candidate, attacked Bush harder than Clinton ever could. Clinton’s team never discouraged Perot’s candidacy—they let him weaken Bush while staying out of the crossfire.

More Highlights from the Doc

Great quote:

“Outside of a person’s love, the most sacred thing that they can give is their labor. And somehow or another along the way, we tend to forget that. Labor is a very precious thing that you have. Anytime that you can combine labor with love, you’ve made a good merger.

— James Carville

Clinton’s Team Controlled the Narrative Like Pros

  • Flipping Bush’s Strength Into a Weakness
    Bush was a Gulf War hero, but Carville and his team made voters forget about foreign policy by hammering him on unemployment, healthcare, and recession. Their phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” became the defining slogan of the campaign.
  • Rapid Response Tactics – The 24-Hour Rule
    • Whenever Bush attacked Clinton, the War Room had a counterattack ready in less than a day.
    • Example: When Bush called Clinton a draft dodger, the campaign immediately pushed the fact that Bush’s own VP, Dan Quayle, used family connections to get into the National Guard and avoid Vietnam.
  • Bush’s Team Was Completely Unprepared for the War Room
    The Bush campaign assumed Clinton would self-destruct from scandals and inexperience. Instead, the War Room—the nickname for Clinton’s strategy HQ—operated like a political SWAT team, responding to every attack within hours.

George Stephanopoulos Was a Ruthless Enforcer

  • Threatened Reporters Who Didn’t Play Ball
    At one point, Stephanopoulos tells a journalist that if they run an anti-Clinton story, they will be cut off from the campaign—meaning no interviews, no insider info, nothing.
  • Killed Negative Stories Before They Spread
    When rumors of Clinton’s womanizing started dominating headlines, Stephanopoulos called media outlets directly, pressuring them to back off and steering coverage back to Clinton’s policies.
  • Never Gave an Inch in TV Debates
    On-air, Stephanopoulos never acknowledged weakness. When confronted with Clinton’s draft-dodging claims, he instantly pivoted to Bush’s failing economy. It was all about control the conversation, never apologize.

The Dirt They Dug Up on Bush

  • “Read My Lips” – The Tax Betrayal That Wouldn’t Die
    • In 1988, Bush famously promised: “Read my lips: No new taxes.”
    • In 1990, he raised taxes anyway.
    • Clinton’s team repeated this betrayal in speeches, ads, and debates until it became THE defining issue.
  • Bush’s Clueless Rich Guy Moments
    • At a supermarket, Bush is caught on camera amazed by a barcode scanner—something Americans had seen for a decade. Clinton’s team used the footage to paint him as out of touch.
  • Iran-Contra and Savings & Loan Scandals
    • Clinton’s campaign subtly linked Bush to Reagan-era corruption by reminding voters of Bush’s connections to the Iran-Contra arms deal and bank bailouts.
    • They didn’t need voters to fully understand these scandals—just to feel like Bush was dirty.

Lesser-Known Details from the Doc

  • The War Room’s Strategy Fit on a Whiteboard — the used Steve Jobs’ “Power of Three” approach to communication:
    1. Change vs. more of the same.
    2. It’s the economy, stupid.
    3. Don’t forget health care.
      This simple but relentless messaging beat Bush’s scattered, defensive campaign.
  • Clinton’s Internal Polls Showed They Would Win Before the Public Knew
    • While media reports still showed a tight race, Clinton’s team already knew Bush was sinking fast.
  • Carville and Stephanopoulos Became Famous Because of This Doc
    • Carville went on to become one of the most famous Democratic strategists.
    • Stephanopoulos joined ABC News and became one of America’s top political journalists.

Wrap Up

The War Room changed how political campaigns operate forever. It proved that:
✅ Elections aren’t just about policies—they’re about controlling perception.
✅ The 24-hour news cycle means the best offense is an even stronger defense.
✅ The real game happens off-camera, in strategy rooms, not debate stages.

Thanks for reading!

Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc

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