National Hymns How They Are Written and How They Are Not Written

by Richard Grant White

How did a charismatic young president elected in an atmosphere of optimism and expectation lead the United States to the brink of revolution? From a chance encounter in the early 1980s to the Democratic primaries of 2007-08, syndicated columnist and political cartoonist Ted Rall was one of the first to size up Barack Obama as we know him now: conservative, risk-averse and tonedeaf. In "The Book of Obama" Rall revisits the rapid rise and dizzying fall of Obama--and the emergence of the Tea Party and Occupy movements--and draws a startling conclusion: We the People weren't lied to. We lied to ourselves, both about Obama and the two-party system. We voted when we ought to have revolted.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Comics

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

1821-1885

Reviews

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If a guy has always kowtowed to the rich and powerful to get ahead, he’s not going to stop when he moves into the White House. Give Obama this: he’s still the same Obama we elected. He hasn’t changed. We have.”

Rall may not be exactly upbeat here, but then why should he be?...Filled with anger, bitterness and frustration, at decades of continued broken promises and lies, which is only getting worse, he is on devastating form here. He is also eloquent, informed and absolutely spot on, and he has the stats, facts and the other hard facts to back it all up, with more than enough to ridicule mainstream America’s idea of the left and liberalism.

“Empty symbolism makes us feel good about the human spirit. But it doesn’t get the job done.”

His cartoons are absolutely spot on, almost every one of them is delivered like a knock-out punch. There are many memorable strips, like the one with a slovenly man, drinking booze and eating food in a messy house. His wife returns from work, holding an eviction notice, finding him sitting on the couch eating a drumstick, and he tells her, “I ate all the food, I maxed out our credit cards. We’re screwed.” And in the final panel, he tells her, “I am putting you on a diet.” Nicely summing up the reality of the credit crunch.

There are also quotes and aphorisms aplenty in this book, “The US government is neither above nor beyond the law; it is outside. It is lawless.” In many ways it’s the brevity of this book which makes it so appealing. Yet it’s not too short, we just get enough political and social angles to give us a nice balance, and the cartoon strips running throughout the pages, give plenty of comic relief too.

“Obama didn’t fool us. We fooled ourselves…Obama’s campaign relied on imagery, not ideology. He had fans, not supporters. Rall has previously worked alongside other fine US political journalists; people like Greg Palast. Rall also covers similar themes to the likes of Glenn Greenwald, both have written anti-Obama works as well as writing about Edward Snowden. This book makes an ideal companion to the likes of George Monbiot’s “Out of The Wreckage”, Naomi Klein’s “No Is Not Enough” and Thomas Frank’s “Listen, Liberal” all of which are hugely compelling in similar ways.

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

A relatively solid, if angry, critique of Obama from a Leftist/practical standpoint (ie. How does Obama's first term measure up by Liberal standards and by the standards of what he's actually done). This is in no way a conciliatory book. Rall's pissed at what's happened in the country and pissed at those who support Obama despite the current situation--all those whose arguments come down to, "well, yeah, but we gotta vote for him anyway." This book is aimed at all the people who have to listen to that and are on the fence anyway; not on the fence between Obama and Romney, but between voting at all and taking to the streets.
Which is why I had the sense that the book is preaching to the choir. Rall articulates everything that's bothered me about Obama and his apologists, but I didn't feel like I'd come away with anything new (something I did feel reading his much better and more incendiary Anti-American Manifesto). I also had a sense of an underlying contradiction. Rall relentlessly criticizes Obama for his individual political failures, but also says he was the best our system could produce, almost like he was parroting all the apologists who insist Obama didn't have a lack of vision, the Republicans made it impossible for him to do anything (which is and is not true. The Republicans publicly said they were going to stand in the way of any proposal Obama put forward. However, he didn't put forward any proposals worth noting). Rall's argument actually isn't contradictory--Obama is a mediocrity and evidence of a systemic problem that can, at best, only produce such mediocrities--but it can become unclear while reading.
Which speaks to a superficial criticism--there are lots of typos. The book feels like it was written in a rush, which is understandable, get it out while it matters, and the passion that produced it is clear. Yet it could have used one or two more looks from a copyeditor.
Noting typos in a polemic seems petty, but the mistakes--small and correctable--detract from the piece. The book seems less like a deeply-considered review of Obama in the run-up to the election--a book that those it's speaking to need at this moment--and more like a long-form inernet rant. If you want to understand why your pro-Occupy friend isn't voting for Obama, it's a good read. If you want a strong, even radical critique of America at this moment, check out Rall's Manifesto instead.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book about Obama. But think about the brave middle class Americans who have to settle for the cheaper iPhone this Xmass. Or to quote to two bit author: 'Most Americans have worn a brave face throughout the crisis, scraping together money for Christmas presents for their kids while they couch surf at their relatives’, members of the millions of “hidden homeless.”'

[Ty Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are going to attack a leader of a nation, please have a well-thought, reasoned and fact based platform behind your efforts. Ted Rall has all of it and more in his assault on the Obama presidency.

[John]

Correct conclusions for the wrong reasons.