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Audacity: How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Created a Legacy That Will Prevail
An unassailable case that, in the eyes of history, Barack Obama will be viewed as one of America’s best and most accomplished presidents.
Over the course of eight years, Barack Obama amassed an array of historic achievements. His administration saved the American economy from collapse, expanded health insurance to tens of millions who previously could not afford it, negotiated an unprecedented nuclear deal with Iran, helped craft a groundbreaking international climate accord, reined in Wall Street, launched a fundamental overhaul of our education system, and formulated a new vision of racial progress. He has done all of this despite a left that frequently disdained him as a sellout, and a hysterical right that did everything possible to destroy his agenda, even in instances when they actually agreed with what he was doing before Obama was the one doing it.
Now, as the page turns to possibly the most dangerous Commander in Chief in our history, Jonathan Chait, one of America’s most incisive and meticulous political commentators, digs deep into Obama’s record on major policy fronts—the economy, the environment, domestic reform, health care, race, and foreign policy—to demonstrate why history will judge our forty-fourth president as among our greatest. Chait explains why so many observers, from cynical journalists to disheartened Democrats, missed the enormous evidence of progress amidst the smoke screen of extremist propaganda and the confinement of short-term perspective. He also reveals why Obama’s accomplishments will last despite the reactionary effort by Donald Trump and the Republicans to extinguish them. And in its resounding defense of Obama’s tenure, Audacity both makes clear his victories, and what we need to fight for next.
Over the course of eight years, Barack Obama amassed an array of historic achievements. His administration saved the American economy from collapse, expanded health insurance to tens of millions who previously could not afford it, negotiated an unprecedented nuclear deal with Iran, helped craft a groundbreaking international climate accord, reined in Wall Street, launched a fundamental overhaul of our education system, and formulated a new vision of racial progress. He has done all of this despite a left that frequently disdained him as a sellout, and a hysterical right that did everything possible to destroy his agenda, even in instances when they actually agreed with what he was doing before Obama was the one doing it.
Now, as the page turns to possibly the most dangerous Commander in Chief in our history, Jonathan Chait, one of America’s most incisive and meticulous political commentators, digs deep into Obama’s record on major policy fronts—the economy, the environment, domestic reform, health care, race, and foreign policy—to demonstrate why history will judge our forty-fourth president as among our greatest. Chait explains why so many observers, from cynical journalists to disheartened Democrats, missed the enormous evidence of progress amidst the smoke screen of extremist propaganda and the confinement of short-term perspective. He also reveals why Obama’s accomplishments will last despite the reactionary effort by Donald Trump and the Republicans to extinguish them. And in its resounding defense of Obama’s tenure, Audacity both makes clear his victories, and what we need to fight for next.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2016
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About the author
Jonathan Chait
2 books36 followersJonathan Chait is a senior editor at The New Republic and a former assistant editor of The American Prospect. He also writes a periodic column in the Los Angeles Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
December 15, 2017
Jonathan Chait's new book, Audacity, is essentially a manifesto in defense of the president. I think it's well worth the read. He's gone now so maybe we can read about him without the panic that he'll turn us into Muslim Socialists.
One place that I wished he would have expanded on even more is defending the president from the new purists on the left. I know I'm going to make some enemies with this, but I feel like there isn't a single public figure that can pass muster by a new movement that keeps using words like "neoliberal" "imperialist" and "Wall street crony." Recent victims are not limited to, but include, Obama, Hillary, Cory Booker as of late, and basically anyone who holds elected office and makes compromises to get stuff done. Of course Obama was an imperialist neoliberal--he was the president of the "empire" and our economy happens to be capitalism. We can change those things and maybe we should, but Obama did not run on that platform nor would it have been possible to dismantle the system until the majority could be convinced of that. I agree that drones are bad, but I also believe that leaders get their hands dirty and do unethical things sometimes. We elect political leaders to work within a system (which is far FAR from being perfect--in fact, it's gotten much more corrupt). We don't elect revolutionaries, but good bureaucrats. We should have more revolutionaries for sure and maybe they will make our top bureaucrats better. But there is a danger in asking our politicians to be revolutionaries who promise to dismantle the system without doing the ground-up work first.
In fact, I think we're about to see that danger play out because this is what right just did. They've been further along in their purity test and it turns out that the only one who passed muster was Trump. Let's see how it goes and maybe grow some revolutionaries on the left and some good leaders too.
One place that I wished he would have expanded on even more is defending the president from the new purists on the left. I know I'm going to make some enemies with this, but I feel like there isn't a single public figure that can pass muster by a new movement that keeps using words like "neoliberal" "imperialist" and "Wall street crony." Recent victims are not limited to, but include, Obama, Hillary, Cory Booker as of late, and basically anyone who holds elected office and makes compromises to get stuff done. Of course Obama was an imperialist neoliberal--he was the president of the "empire" and our economy happens to be capitalism. We can change those things and maybe we should, but Obama did not run on that platform nor would it have been possible to dismantle the system until the majority could be convinced of that. I agree that drones are bad, but I also believe that leaders get their hands dirty and do unethical things sometimes. We elect political leaders to work within a system (which is far FAR from being perfect--in fact, it's gotten much more corrupt). We don't elect revolutionaries, but good bureaucrats. We should have more revolutionaries for sure and maybe they will make our top bureaucrats better. But there is a danger in asking our politicians to be revolutionaries who promise to dismantle the system without doing the ground-up work first.
In fact, I think we're about to see that danger play out because this is what right just did. They've been further along in their purity test and it turns out that the only one who passed muster was Trump. Let's see how it goes and maybe grow some revolutionaries on the left and some good leaders too.
August 28, 2019
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Audacity: How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Created a Legacy That Will Prevail
by Jonathan Chait
Oh My I miss Obama.
In the beginning of this book the author makes the point that several people who voted for him were disappointed in the presidency of Barack Obama. I am afraid I might have been guilty of that. This book argues against that view by explaining much of the quiet accomplishments of the Obama Presidency.
This is not an easy read. Chait goes in-depth with a lot of detail in several of these chapters. But there are a lot of interesting observations which make it very worthwhile.
He spends a lot of time talking about the Republican party, especially in the last chapter “Obama’s America”. This book may eventually serve as the Epitaph of the Republican Party. He states that the Democratic Party is made of several factions, but the Republicans have withdrawn into a narrow party where everyone must heed to the same ideals or be defeated in their next election.
The most interesting chapter for me was the “To Stanch a Bleeding World”. It describes Obama’s “soft power” approach as opposed to the “Action Hero” approach of the previous president. His concessions to some of America’s enemies were seen by Republicans as “apologizing”, but they “failed to acknowledge that Obama combined his concession of America’s inconsistency in applying its ideals with a rousing defense of the ideals themselves”. His work minimizing or preventing disasters was never given any credit nor did he seek the credit.
I have no doubt that in time the Obama presidency will be counted as one of the best, and it won’t totally be based on his predecessor and successor.
The subtitle of this book “How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Created a Legacy That Will Endure” is an accurate description of this material. In the current environment my only prayer is that it Will Endure.
Audacity: How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Created a Legacy That Will Prevail
by Jonathan Chait
Oh My I miss Obama.
In the beginning of this book the author makes the point that several people who voted for him were disappointed in the presidency of Barack Obama. I am afraid I might have been guilty of that. This book argues against that view by explaining much of the quiet accomplishments of the Obama Presidency.
This is not an easy read. Chait goes in-depth with a lot of detail in several of these chapters. But there are a lot of interesting observations which make it very worthwhile.
He spends a lot of time talking about the Republican party, especially in the last chapter “Obama’s America”. This book may eventually serve as the Epitaph of the Republican Party. He states that the Democratic Party is made of several factions, but the Republicans have withdrawn into a narrow party where everyone must heed to the same ideals or be defeated in their next election.
The most interesting chapter for me was the “To Stanch a Bleeding World”. It describes Obama’s “soft power” approach as opposed to the “Action Hero” approach of the previous president. His concessions to some of America’s enemies were seen by Republicans as “apologizing”, but they “failed to acknowledge that Obama combined his concession of America’s inconsistency in applying its ideals with a rousing defense of the ideals themselves”. His work minimizing or preventing disasters was never given any credit nor did he seek the credit.
I have no doubt that in time the Obama presidency will be counted as one of the best, and it won’t totally be based on his predecessor and successor.
The subtitle of this book “How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Created a Legacy That Will Endure” is an accurate description of this material. In the current environment my only prayer is that it Will Endure.
December 31, 2016
This book is the biggest collection of lies and psuedo-truths I have ever read. It is nothing more than mere propaganda for a failed presidency.
March 21, 2017
Quick, thoughtful read. This slender volume, which I believe is the first post-Obama look back at all eight years (it is based on reporting Chait did during those eight years, which is how it was able to appear on shelves so quickly and not be an incoherent mess), does not, as the introduction warns, aim to be a complete record of the Obama White House, or a juicy tell-all drama. Instead, Chait takes the stance that (1) Obama accomplished more than we gave him credit for, and (2) his efforts will survive Trump. He makes his argument in clear, concise language, resorting to slight hyperbole only when describing the tone of Obama's critics (Smith "scoffed," Jones "sneered," that sort of thing).
In addition to outlining the good Obama did -- usually without much praise or even acknowledgement in the press -- Chait takes a look back at other liberal Presidents who were attacked by their base for not being liberal enough (but who now are held up as paragons of what a perfect liberal President should be), and traces the evolution of the Republican party from the "southern strategy" to the churning cesspool of racism which elevated a moronic demagogue to President, in what, Chait argues, will be seen before too long as the party's death throes.
I recommend this book for all. Not just for a greater appreciation of what Obama accomplished -- even with an irrationally hostile House & Senate to contend with -- but also for a small morsel of hope I think we could all use right about now.
In addition to outlining the good Obama did -- usually without much praise or even acknowledgement in the press -- Chait takes a look back at other liberal Presidents who were attacked by their base for not being liberal enough (but who now are held up as paragons of what a perfect liberal President should be), and traces the evolution of the Republican party from the "southern strategy" to the churning cesspool of racism which elevated a moronic demagogue to President, in what, Chait argues, will be seen before too long as the party's death throes.
I recommend this book for all. Not just for a greater appreciation of what Obama accomplished -- even with an irrationally hostile House & Senate to contend with -- but also for a small morsel of hope I think we could all use right about now.
February 7, 2017
The broad strokes of this story won't surprise anybody who has been reading Chait's writing on Obama for the past eight years. However, I appreciated him re-visiting his arguments in the light of Trump's victory. Chait is still broadly optimistic about Obama's legacy, which may not feel right to many people after the recent election; but I think he generally makes a strong case (to which I am admittedly already sympathetic).
There are some arguments about the Obama administration that I wish he had engaged with. There is very little here about domestic surveillance or drone warfare, which takes on a different cast given the Trump administration. He does talk about Dodd-Frank, but doesn't engage in the contemporary liberal argument that D-F was too vulnerable to sabotage by a future Republican administration. And there isn't much about Obama and the politics of trade agreements, where he was largely abandoned by both parties.
Worth a read, though, particularly given the current political climate.
There are some arguments about the Obama administration that I wish he had engaged with. There is very little here about domestic surveillance or drone warfare, which takes on a different cast given the Trump administration. He does talk about Dodd-Frank, but doesn't engage in the contemporary liberal argument that D-F was too vulnerable to sabotage by a future Republican administration. And there isn't much about Obama and the politics of trade agreements, where he was largely abandoned by both parties.
Worth a read, though, particularly given the current political climate.
February 23, 2017
Normally I would enjoy a book like this. But I had to ask myself, what was the rush? Did the author and/or publisher want to be the first out with a book like this? Not only is there no index, which I appreciate in a nonfiction work, but there were no notes whatsoever. In a time when fake news is running rampant, why? I also was put off by the somewhat over-the-top tone of the first half to two-thirds of the book. The author is a journalist, so perhaps some of it came from columns or articles written contemporaneously with the events related? But wouldn't a more measured re-write have been better? And why write a book like this anyway without some passage of time? (he book was getting some good publicity, which is why I decided to read it.) The last portion of the book is devoted to a short history of the current conservative movement that makes up the Republican party. Interesting, but it felt like a throw-in simply to make the book longer.
February 10, 2017
Remember the Hitler videos that were popular a few years ago? I was like a live-action version of one on November 9, 2016, lamenting that all of the energy poured into passing the Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank, and other seminal Obama-era achievements was a waste.
If you felt like me, Audacity will help remind you of both the importance and the durability of the legacy Obama left after eight years. In a nutshell: Obama changed the climate of America, altering the terms of the argument about health care from "Why should we fix things for the uninsured?" to "Do you have a better plan for covering everyone?" That change, and others like it, will prove more important decades from now than the current Trump tempest, which is more a reactionary tornado--it will do some damage as it tries to spin things backward, but it will pass--than a sign of a permanent reordering.
The next few years will be tough. This book will remind you that things will get better--and inspire you to defend the ways they've already improved.
If you felt like me, Audacity will help remind you of both the importance and the durability of the legacy Obama left after eight years. In a nutshell: Obama changed the climate of America, altering the terms of the argument about health care from "Why should we fix things for the uninsured?" to "Do you have a better plan for covering everyone?" That change, and others like it, will prove more important decades from now than the current Trump tempest, which is more a reactionary tornado--it will do some damage as it tries to spin things backward, but it will pass--than a sign of a permanent reordering.
The next few years will be tough. This book will remind you that things will get better--and inspire you to defend the ways they've already improved.
August 2, 2022
A good book in defense of Obama and what he did during his time as President. As Mr. Chait points out in the chapter on the environment, Presidents have the unfortunate responsibility of working to fix and strengthen long term goals that may not be the immediate needs of the country today. He points to several things Obama did right in the face of unanimous Republican opposition and has stood (mostly) the test of time (This book was published in 2017, Trump did undo some things Obama did, but either Trump failed to do so, or Biden put them back in place). Overall, it was a nice and easy read despite most of the chapters being about 40 or so pages each. (Notably, Foreign Policy, Obamas weakest area, only gets 20). This could have been a series of Articles that Chait could have written, but it was nice to put this in a book instead.
October 30, 2017
Jonathan Chait's Audacity is a fascinating read. I read the newspapers and news weeklies throughout Obama's presidency and realize that the big picture often gets lost in the details of everyday governing and the tumult of politics. Chait outlines that big picture and presents a detailed and believable argument that Obama's presidency was more successful than most people realize. He devotes chapters to the obvious strengths of the eight year administration: the handling of the economic meltdown (and the opposition and uninvolvement of the right), the successful passage of the ACA (which we are reminded was never a sure thing at any point), the grappling with climate change and alternative energy sources (again the right sat this one out) and the restoration of American prestige abroad (acknowledging the bad outcomes in place like Syria).
Chait devotes large sections of the book to the unreasonable expectations of liberals when it comes to the presidency and gives strong examples of how liberal icons like FDR, Truman, LBJ and others were bashed by the left and thought disappointing while they governed. It is only with the passage of time and the burnishing of reputation (with a dash of myth making) that these figures are revered.
Chait closes the book with a withering dissection of the GOP and how they have abandoned their conservative values, how they values have always had a racist component, and how demography will be their destiny and their undoing. Audacity is a fine first salvo in the post-Obama conversation and I am looking forward to forthcoming insider memoirs (plus Obama's own remembrances) to get the full story.
Highly recommended.
Chait devotes large sections of the book to the unreasonable expectations of liberals when it comes to the presidency and gives strong examples of how liberal icons like FDR, Truman, LBJ and others were bashed by the left and thought disappointing while they governed. It is only with the passage of time and the burnishing of reputation (with a dash of myth making) that these figures are revered.
Chait closes the book with a withering dissection of the GOP and how they have abandoned their conservative values, how they values have always had a racist component, and how demography will be their destiny and their undoing. Audacity is a fine first salvo in the post-Obama conversation and I am looking forward to forthcoming insider memoirs (plus Obama's own remembrances) to get the full story.
Highly recommended.
March 30, 2020
Labor camps, torture, veterans dead or maimed for life, a private kill list "for democracy of course", a strong state that we can see with Trump what it can do, and a wife as a second president, this time an unelected busybody. The only difference with Stalin: he was too late to mummify FDR and put him in a worthy mausoleum in Washington D.C. This is his emotional hagiography.
February 15, 2017
After the 2016 presidential election, I told myself that's it: I'm going to stop reading political prediction analysis. (“Donald Trump's chances of winning are approaching zero” was an article the Washington Post published two weeks before the election.)
However, it was a couple of weeks into the Donald Trump presidency and I was feeling bummed. Trump and his team seemingly set fire to everything Barack Obama spent the last eight years accomplishing. I needed comfort. So enter moderate liberal journalist Jonathan Chait and his book Audacity: How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Created a Legacy That Will Prevail. Chait makes a pretty direct and somewhat surprising proclamation: Barack Obama is one of the most accomplished presidents of all time. And despite the madness of the last month, I think he's right.
Chait's book is persuasive, even though it's apparent that he wrote a majority of it thinking Hillary Clinton was going to win. Within each chapter, Chait breaks down one of Obama's accomplishments, from passing the stimulus to transitioning the country into using clean energy. He then describes how, for the most part, these accomplishments are safe from being overturned. Some of the policies seem safer than others. (Despite what Paul Ryan is saying, the Affordable Care Act isn't going anywhere.)
What Chait does a particularly good job doing is providing historical context. One of the subjects he tackles is the disappointment that liberals have had with Obama, who was more of a moderate than they expected. He argues that, historically, liberals tend to be disappointed with their president when they are governing and that they grow to appreciate them more as time goes on. This could be seen with almost every single democratic president over the last 100 years.
Chait also uses history to explain Trump: progress doesn't always go in a straight line. Chait makes the argument that Trump is the last hateful breath of an America that's completely on the fringes. He does this by comparing him to ex-California governor Pete Wilson who was anti-immigration. Ultimately, his policies, which were unpopular, led to latinos and younger voters in the state abandoning the republican party. California is now a reliably blue state.
Behind all of Chait's arguments is the idea that we're living in a more inclusive, accepting and liberal America. Obama overwhelmingly brought out a younger, more diverse voter and this voter is not interested in the radicalized and antiquated ideas of the right. To me, this argument holds up. Trump is a historically disliked president and we’re seeing resist trump movements pop up all over the country. A couple of weeks ago Trump signed off on an executive order initiating a Muslim ban. Thousands of people around the country were protesting within hours.
However, it was a couple of weeks into the Donald Trump presidency and I was feeling bummed. Trump and his team seemingly set fire to everything Barack Obama spent the last eight years accomplishing. I needed comfort. So enter moderate liberal journalist Jonathan Chait and his book Audacity: How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Created a Legacy That Will Prevail. Chait makes a pretty direct and somewhat surprising proclamation: Barack Obama is one of the most accomplished presidents of all time. And despite the madness of the last month, I think he's right.
Chait's book is persuasive, even though it's apparent that he wrote a majority of it thinking Hillary Clinton was going to win. Within each chapter, Chait breaks down one of Obama's accomplishments, from passing the stimulus to transitioning the country into using clean energy. He then describes how, for the most part, these accomplishments are safe from being overturned. Some of the policies seem safer than others. (Despite what Paul Ryan is saying, the Affordable Care Act isn't going anywhere.)
What Chait does a particularly good job doing is providing historical context. One of the subjects he tackles is the disappointment that liberals have had with Obama, who was more of a moderate than they expected. He argues that, historically, liberals tend to be disappointed with their president when they are governing and that they grow to appreciate them more as time goes on. This could be seen with almost every single democratic president over the last 100 years.
Chait also uses history to explain Trump: progress doesn't always go in a straight line. Chait makes the argument that Trump is the last hateful breath of an America that's completely on the fringes. He does this by comparing him to ex-California governor Pete Wilson who was anti-immigration. Ultimately, his policies, which were unpopular, led to latinos and younger voters in the state abandoning the republican party. California is now a reliably blue state.
Behind all of Chait's arguments is the idea that we're living in a more inclusive, accepting and liberal America. Obama overwhelmingly brought out a younger, more diverse voter and this voter is not interested in the radicalized and antiquated ideas of the right. To me, this argument holds up. Trump is a historically disliked president and we’re seeing resist trump movements pop up all over the country. A couple of weeks ago Trump signed off on an executive order initiating a Muslim ban. Thousands of people around the country were protesting within hours.
February 15, 2017
Most judgements of a president's performance in office by a third party typically has to wait a few years. This allows for the passions of the era to give way to a more objective appraisal by journalists and historians. Mr. Chait dispenses with this convention, but somehow manages to write a fascinating argument about why Pres. Barack Obama should be considered one of our great modern presidents. Detailing each of Pres. Obama's triumphs, such as the stimulus, the bailout of the auto industry, the Affordable Care Act, and others, Mr. Chait makes a bold case for this assessment. But what sold me on this book was his penultimate chapter on the perpetual disappointment of liberals. Much of Pres. Obama's legacy has been clouded by liberal accusations that he didn't go far enough on healthcare or Wall St. reform or, really, just about anything. Mr. Chait makes an excellent historical case that every Democratic president from FDR (yes, FDR!) to Clinton has been accused of the same thing by liberal supporters, but now many of them, especially FDR, Truman, and LBJ (aside from his Vietnam policy) are lionized by liberals. In time, Mr. Chait argues, liberals will come to admire, perhaps even idolize, Pres. Obama and his accomplishments. It's an incredibly powerful argument that Mr. Chait, honestly, should have started the book with. But having read that chapter, everything before it about Pres. Obama's accomplishments does seem to be so much grater than people give him credit for. Admittedly, many will not see this as the most objective of analysis. After all, no president has been the subject of so much debate in modern times. However, I think this book will serves as the best primer for future discussions about Pres. Obama's presidential legacy, especially for when Pres. Obama inevitably releases his presidential memoir.
February 19, 2017
An in-depth vision of the Obama presidency and its long-term effect on America's future
Mr. Chait considers each of Obama's successes; prevention of a second Great Depression, health care, the environment, careful foreign policy, and financial reform, one by one, and shows how his well thought out policies will continue into the future despite the Republicans' desperate attempts to destroy them.
I felt reassured that, despite the electoral college victory of Donald Trump, the reforms of the Obama era will inevitably prevail. Even though liberals were disappointed that Obama was not able to deliver on many of their cherished goals such as single payer health care, sweeping revolution in climate science, etc., he did move the country in the right direction. The demographics of America absolutely insure that his vision will continue. The Trump administration is the last gasp of the old, failed conservatism. The shaky alliance between him and the Ryan and McConnell Congress is destined to crumble. Evolution in politics is incremental, not sudden or sweeping.
Obama's legacy is assured. He will be recognized as one of our greatest presidents.
Mr. Chait considers each of Obama's successes; prevention of a second Great Depression, health care, the environment, careful foreign policy, and financial reform, one by one, and shows how his well thought out policies will continue into the future despite the Republicans' desperate attempts to destroy them.
I felt reassured that, despite the electoral college victory of Donald Trump, the reforms of the Obama era will inevitably prevail. Even though liberals were disappointed that Obama was not able to deliver on many of their cherished goals such as single payer health care, sweeping revolution in climate science, etc., he did move the country in the right direction. The demographics of America absolutely insure that his vision will continue. The Trump administration is the last gasp of the old, failed conservatism. The shaky alliance between him and the Ryan and McConnell Congress is destined to crumble. Evolution in politics is incremental, not sudden or sweeping.
Obama's legacy is assured. He will be recognized as one of our greatest presidents.
August 11, 2017
A better title may have been USA National Politics 2009-2016. This book spends considerable time on how Republicans moved to the far right, how Obama left a legacy of mostly "moderate Republican" actions, and how liberal Democrats expressed disappointment. While the author walks the reader through research and detail, he also reports how little the USA public cares about either. The legacy includes slowing the growth of health care costs and promoting intense innovation and discovery in energy markets. The author also addresses key failures, such as Obama's foreign policies in the Middle East. The best chapters to me are the one about race and the one about the "yawning chasm between the scale of Obama's achievements and the mood of his supporters." Perfection without compromise seems to be the liberal standard. I recommend this to USA peeps across the political spectrum; it would make a great discussion in a book club if there was a wide variety of opinion and peeps were willing to listen to each other react to the book.
February 22, 2017
This is basically a rehash of Chait's columns about the 2016 election written for New York magazine (plus a bit about the previous couple of elections). He is unabashedly a fan of President Obama and lays out the reasons why his presidency was transformative. I followed the last three elections and Obama's presidency closely, so there wasn't a whole lot new to me here.
But considering what we are dealing with now, this was like a breath of fresh air. MAN, I needed this!
Chait is not afraid to criticize liberals; in fact, he points out that many of their standards for a president are based on fantasies and revisionist history. One quote really stood out to me: "Victory is never clean or total."
In other words, progress doesn't happen overnight. It is a slog and it is unrealistic to expect one man (or woman) to magically make things better.
I finished this and thought, "We've got some work to do."
I'm more than ready.
But considering what we are dealing with now, this was like a breath of fresh air. MAN, I needed this!
Chait is not afraid to criticize liberals; in fact, he points out that many of their standards for a president are based on fantasies and revisionist history. One quote really stood out to me: "Victory is never clean or total."
In other words, progress doesn't happen overnight. It is a slog and it is unrealistic to expect one man (or woman) to magically make things better.
I finished this and thought, "We've got some work to do."
I'm more than ready.
February 6, 2017
I wanted to like this book but I cannot, in good conscious, rate a book well when they use little to no citations. The book then, is just an extended opinion article which, to my mind, makes it completely baseless. Chait may have been published in a number of reputable journals but he doesn't have an academic background in politics, in policy, in anything, it seems, to make his claims any more credible than I do.
Rhetoric is a useful tool but facts are infinitely more convincing.
Rhetoric is a useful tool but facts are infinitely more convincing.
March 1, 2017
This book is a great tribute to Obama and at the same time a devastating critique of the Republican party. It really opened my eyes to the pervasive racism that manifested itself in the efforts to try and undermine Obama, but that in spite of it, made the case that his legacy, saving the economy from depression, delivering health care reform, and the investments in technologies and signing of agreements to fight climate change will stand the test of time.
March 19, 2017
This was a good book - and it was a good time to read it, here in the early days of the (ugh) Trump administration. Chait argues that Obama's legacy: 1) is far greater than people give him credit for, and 2) will be a lot more difficult to undo that people suspect. Chait makes good points to back up these ideas, though he can overlook some aspects that explain Obama's current reputation.
Chait begins by noting how ambitious Obama's original stated goals were - and even his critics noted that. Eventually, though, people came to see his legacy as much more muted, both on the left and right. Chait ain't having that. Chait argues that Obama made major changes to help bail out the economy, to engage in financial reform, health care reform, education reform (which was actually largely buried in Obamacare as an afterthought, but in there nonetheless), environmental reform, and foreign policy. Oh, and his political coalition will endure long after Trump's time, Chait maintains.
Chait argues that people don't give Obama credit because the left tends to be excessively disappointed by any compromise, and because the daily mucky-muck of the legislative process makes any/all victories impure. Chait notes that if you look back at the actual goings-on of previous Democratic heroes, their legislation was also the product of bastard child compromises. Was LBJ the best at wrangling arms to get votes? Well, funny how he lost that ability when he lost seats in the 1966 midterms. OK, that's all true - especially the part about how the legislative process sullies and muddies everything. But one thought I had: it's also true that Obama did a bad job selling his damn programs to the people. He had a nice inside game (working Washington DC to get his shit passed), but lacked a strong outside game (selling his vision to the American people). Bill Clinton made a rousing defense of Obamacare at the '12 DNC, but Obama himself fizzled at that, oddly enough. Also, Chait's own points in the book show why Obama's legacy is easy to underrate currently. A lot of the stuff was done silently and slowly under the surface, such as funding for green energy in the stimulus bill. It's already made green energy far more efficient, but unless you're really paying attention, you'd never know that, let alone link it to anything Obama ever did. Similarly, the Obamacare act had a clause allowing for direct lending for college students and undoing a lot of the worst predatory college loan practices - but how many people knew about that at all? A lot of what Obama did is buried deep in the background, and has never been well sold/explained to the people, so it's understandable if people underrate Obama's legacy.
As to why Obama's legacy will be hard to undo, Chait clearly had to do some late re-writing of this book after Trump's shocking election, but even still based on the points Chait makes, undoing Obama's legacy will still be easier to do in theory than in practice (something we're seeing a hint of with the current efforts to repeal Obamacare). Among other things: a lot of the legacy has already been accomplished. Green energy has been made more efficient. I believe he noted that in some of the sunnier spots of the world, solar power already works about as efficiently as fossil fuels. The economy was bailed out of its rut. Obamacare has given insurance to millions who previously lacked it - and any attempt to undo that will raise all manner of hell (which is exactly what's going on right now. The GOP might hate Obamacare, but the principle of using the government to help people get insurance clearly has caught on). Chait notes that Obama's environmental legacy is most at risk, because it's heavily predicated on executive orders that can be undone by other executive orders, but even there Chait holds out hope because a lot of the biggest executive orders, like his Clean Power Plan, has pushed the nation to more renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. (The Supreme Court could also kill it, but the point Chait makes is that the push is on).
Chait does note that Obama has a mixed legacy at best in foreign policy, as his efforts at dealing with Syria have been halting and at times counter-productive. But he also adds that it's an improvement over Bush. For me, that's not a great counterpoint. Also, as Chait notes there was a lack of a clear sweeping vision for Obama's foreign policy moves (or, for that matter, many of his domestic policy ones) that hurt him. Oddity: Chait never notes the more recent success at boxing in ISIS, which I've read others claim is a result of Obama's overall plan at dealing with them. That's the sort of point that would be right up Chait's alley in this book.
One main problem I had with the book overall is that it does tend to overstate Obama's effectiveness. Yes, we have pulled out of the worst of the recession, but I think it's pretty clear that it mauled a lot of small towns in ways that they haven't recovered from. As I've seen some people point out, if we're all doing so well and great right now, that why have huge swaths of small town & rural America shifted from supporting Democrats to supporting Trump? Chait looks at the aggregate whole, but often the micro-level reality is more turbulent.
Oh, and I almost forgot one other thing: Chait is also bullish on Obama's future because he wants people to take the long view. He doesn't see Trump's narrow electoral mandate as a great sign moving forward. It's focusing on declining chunks of the population: older whites and those without college educations. In the short term, this is great for the GOP. Those guys vote most often. They are far better at turning out at midterm elections. And the GOP has harnassed the white-hot anger at Democrats to some impressive victories. But it's not a path to governing, and at some point you have to do that as well. (And without Obama to kick around up top, that's going to expose their own limitations more). More than that, Chait breaks it down generationally. The Obama coalition was a profoundly young one, as he smoked McCain and Romney with younger votes, and even Hillary Clinton - a person hardly in touch with the youth of America - won big with young voters. Chait notes there's an old logic about how people start out liberal but then turn conservative, but Chait says that's a thought not backed up by much in the way of traditional voting. People are more likely to be consistent in their voting. In fact, he notes that from 1976-2000, there really was no sizable young/old voting divide. You had one in 1972, but even there McGoven lost with the young (but not nearly as badly as he did with the old). Chait doesn't mention it, but that's also during the damn Vietnam War, which would heighten generational issues.
Anyhow, Chait notes that the Trump base is based on a highly racially inflamed populace. The younger are more racially liberal. More than that, the younger are more racially diverse. What Trump was able to to do is get a couple heavily white states to flip by razor-thin margins before states like North Carolina or Arizona flipped the other way. Chait says the nature of the current GOP base makes it difficult to reach out to the next generation - and it's going to keep growing as a size of the electorate. Polling shows that they like a bigger government. They aren't animated by the same issues firing up the GOP. That's the final reason Chait is bullish on Obama's legacy: he created a new generation of voters who lean liberal far more than they lean conservative.
Shortly after the election I remember telling someone to wake up me up in 20 years time, because I think the next decade or two is going to be rough, but as Chait notes at the end, I think it'll eventually turn a liberal direction. This isn't a perfect book, but it is a good one.
Chait begins by noting how ambitious Obama's original stated goals were - and even his critics noted that. Eventually, though, people came to see his legacy as much more muted, both on the left and right. Chait ain't having that. Chait argues that Obama made major changes to help bail out the economy, to engage in financial reform, health care reform, education reform (which was actually largely buried in Obamacare as an afterthought, but in there nonetheless), environmental reform, and foreign policy. Oh, and his political coalition will endure long after Trump's time, Chait maintains.
Chait argues that people don't give Obama credit because the left tends to be excessively disappointed by any compromise, and because the daily mucky-muck of the legislative process makes any/all victories impure. Chait notes that if you look back at the actual goings-on of previous Democratic heroes, their legislation was also the product of bastard child compromises. Was LBJ the best at wrangling arms to get votes? Well, funny how he lost that ability when he lost seats in the 1966 midterms. OK, that's all true - especially the part about how the legislative process sullies and muddies everything. But one thought I had: it's also true that Obama did a bad job selling his damn programs to the people. He had a nice inside game (working Washington DC to get his shit passed), but lacked a strong outside game (selling his vision to the American people). Bill Clinton made a rousing defense of Obamacare at the '12 DNC, but Obama himself fizzled at that, oddly enough. Also, Chait's own points in the book show why Obama's legacy is easy to underrate currently. A lot of the stuff was done silently and slowly under the surface, such as funding for green energy in the stimulus bill. It's already made green energy far more efficient, but unless you're really paying attention, you'd never know that, let alone link it to anything Obama ever did. Similarly, the Obamacare act had a clause allowing for direct lending for college students and undoing a lot of the worst predatory college loan practices - but how many people knew about that at all? A lot of what Obama did is buried deep in the background, and has never been well sold/explained to the people, so it's understandable if people underrate Obama's legacy.
As to why Obama's legacy will be hard to undo, Chait clearly had to do some late re-writing of this book after Trump's shocking election, but even still based on the points Chait makes, undoing Obama's legacy will still be easier to do in theory than in practice (something we're seeing a hint of with the current efforts to repeal Obamacare). Among other things: a lot of the legacy has already been accomplished. Green energy has been made more efficient. I believe he noted that in some of the sunnier spots of the world, solar power already works about as efficiently as fossil fuels. The economy was bailed out of its rut. Obamacare has given insurance to millions who previously lacked it - and any attempt to undo that will raise all manner of hell (which is exactly what's going on right now. The GOP might hate Obamacare, but the principle of using the government to help people get insurance clearly has caught on). Chait notes that Obama's environmental legacy is most at risk, because it's heavily predicated on executive orders that can be undone by other executive orders, but even there Chait holds out hope because a lot of the biggest executive orders, like his Clean Power Plan, has pushed the nation to more renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. (The Supreme Court could also kill it, but the point Chait makes is that the push is on).
Chait does note that Obama has a mixed legacy at best in foreign policy, as his efforts at dealing with Syria have been halting and at times counter-productive. But he also adds that it's an improvement over Bush. For me, that's not a great counterpoint. Also, as Chait notes there was a lack of a clear sweeping vision for Obama's foreign policy moves (or, for that matter, many of his domestic policy ones) that hurt him. Oddity: Chait never notes the more recent success at boxing in ISIS, which I've read others claim is a result of Obama's overall plan at dealing with them. That's the sort of point that would be right up Chait's alley in this book.
One main problem I had with the book overall is that it does tend to overstate Obama's effectiveness. Yes, we have pulled out of the worst of the recession, but I think it's pretty clear that it mauled a lot of small towns in ways that they haven't recovered from. As I've seen some people point out, if we're all doing so well and great right now, that why have huge swaths of small town & rural America shifted from supporting Democrats to supporting Trump? Chait looks at the aggregate whole, but often the micro-level reality is more turbulent.
Oh, and I almost forgot one other thing: Chait is also bullish on Obama's future because he wants people to take the long view. He doesn't see Trump's narrow electoral mandate as a great sign moving forward. It's focusing on declining chunks of the population: older whites and those without college educations. In the short term, this is great for the GOP. Those guys vote most often. They are far better at turning out at midterm elections. And the GOP has harnassed the white-hot anger at Democrats to some impressive victories. But it's not a path to governing, and at some point you have to do that as well. (And without Obama to kick around up top, that's going to expose their own limitations more). More than that, Chait breaks it down generationally. The Obama coalition was a profoundly young one, as he smoked McCain and Romney with younger votes, and even Hillary Clinton - a person hardly in touch with the youth of America - won big with young voters. Chait notes there's an old logic about how people start out liberal but then turn conservative, but Chait says that's a thought not backed up by much in the way of traditional voting. People are more likely to be consistent in their voting. In fact, he notes that from 1976-2000, there really was no sizable young/old voting divide. You had one in 1972, but even there McGoven lost with the young (but not nearly as badly as he did with the old). Chait doesn't mention it, but that's also during the damn Vietnam War, which would heighten generational issues.
Anyhow, Chait notes that the Trump base is based on a highly racially inflamed populace. The younger are more racially liberal. More than that, the younger are more racially diverse. What Trump was able to to do is get a couple heavily white states to flip by razor-thin margins before states like North Carolina or Arizona flipped the other way. Chait says the nature of the current GOP base makes it difficult to reach out to the next generation - and it's going to keep growing as a size of the electorate. Polling shows that they like a bigger government. They aren't animated by the same issues firing up the GOP. That's the final reason Chait is bullish on Obama's legacy: he created a new generation of voters who lean liberal far more than they lean conservative.
Shortly after the election I remember telling someone to wake up me up in 20 years time, because I think the next decade or two is going to be rough, but as Chait notes at the end, I think it'll eventually turn a liberal direction. This isn't a perfect book, but it is a good one.
August 2, 2017
An excellent, well written account of the successes and failures of the Obama presidency. Chait's conclusion is that numerous successes went virtually unnoticed even by liberals, who felt that Obama had disappointed them. Through facts, figures, and good writing, Chait shows how Obama was able to correct the economy, make progressive strides, and bring dignity to the office. He also shows how Obama's presidency had the unfortunate downside of leading directly to the rise of Trump. There's so much in this book about race, politics, and critiques of both liberals and conservatives, that I will have to read it again.
November 12, 2023
I received a free copy awhile ago and this one was added to my "to Read" pile. Other books landed on top and well...I finally made my way thru the stack of books and this one was finally on top and waiting for me to open it.
I am not sure what I expected when I opened the book, as I'm not into politics nor did I follow Obama, so when I started reading it, it was just very dry and boring. I quickly found myself skimming and jumping several paragraphs to find something that would be of interest.
I abandoned this one after several chapters in.
I am not sure what I expected when I opened the book, as I'm not into politics nor did I follow Obama, so when I started reading it, it was just very dry and boring. I quickly found myself skimming and jumping several paragraphs to find something that would be of interest.
I abandoned this one after several chapters in.
abandoned
October 18, 2017I didn't like the tone of this book. For one that was claiming to defend Obama's legacy, the general tone just felt very negative.
February 26, 2017
A little bittersweet given the current occupant of the White House...but still excellent. I firmly believe that history will judge Barack Obama's presidency far more kindly than not only Republicans, but also the media and the "disappointed left" did while he was in office. In 20 years he will be remembered as the Democrats' Reagan (and far more deservedly so than Reagan was). His accomplishments have been remarkable.
April 22, 2018
I love this book, because it reminds me of the wisdom and good judgement of President Obama (and my good judgement in supporting him from 2003 throughout his presidency). It gives a detailed summary of the main issues of his 8 years in office, emphasizing his pragmatism in making progress in spite of unrelenting opposition from the Republicans. It was mostly written before the 2016 election, and revised to show what elements of the administrations achievements would likely remain in effect. The contrast between one of the best presidents in American history, followed by one of the worst, is responsible for the strong resistance movement that is growing now and will ultimately be successful in returning our country to its true potential.
February 6, 2017
Jonathan Chait, in this brilliant account of Obama's presidency, makes a case contradicting against the conventional wisdom -- held by a surprising number of liberals -- that Obama delivered nothing but eight years of disappointment full of broken promises.
Chait makes a compelling case on how Obama's doctrine reshaped the economy, healthcare, energy, finance, and education in quantifiable ways with a comprehensive account of the president's legislative achievements.
However, Audacity talks less about progress made by LGBT community during the administration that includes the appointment of 11 openly gay federal judges and marriage equality.
Chait also reminds us of the extreme and relentless attacks on Obama -- at times racially influenced by the likes of New Gingrich -- since the beginning of his administration and the extinction of moderate wing of the Republican party.
Chait makes a compelling case on how Obama's doctrine reshaped the economy, healthcare, energy, finance, and education in quantifiable ways with a comprehensive account of the president's legislative achievements.
However, Audacity talks less about progress made by LGBT community during the administration that includes the appointment of 11 openly gay federal judges and marriage equality.
Chait also reminds us of the extreme and relentless attacks on Obama -- at times racially influenced by the likes of New Gingrich -- since the beginning of his administration and the extinction of moderate wing of the Republican party.
January 30, 2017
This was a tight read and although it was only 272 pages, it managed to give a fairly thorough background on Barack Obama's mastering of the political game that leaves you with the impression that he wasn't as intimidated or side-tracked by the non-action of Congress as the news media led the public to believe. The behind-the-scenes information and the "game of chess" played at this level of politics is something very few could (or would want to) engage in and Obama did a helluva job at it considering his relative inexperience.
If you followed the Obama administration closely, this is a good book to "speed read," glossing over the topics you already know about and slowing down for the ones you're not fully aware of.
If you followed the Obama administration closely, this is a good book to "speed read," glossing over the topics you already know about and slowing down for the ones you're not fully aware of.
February 7, 2017
Good bookend to The Audacity of Hope. Obama certainly made his share of mistakes. He also faced one of the most obstructionist Congresses in recent history. After stripping away all the partisan bickering, it is interesting to see how he used his diplomatic skills to navigate through some hard-fought policies. It is too soon to tell how his accomplishments in total will play out in history, but I'm guessing his supporters will be pleased.
March 1, 2017
I had already forgotten so much about Pres. Obama's fights for his legislative agenda. This book reminds us in nail-chewing detail. I liked how the author pointed out that liberals tend to cry doom-and-gloom any time a Democratic president doesn't achieve perfect enactment of his legislative agenda. He also pointed out that Americans blame whatever president for legislative failures, not the sitting Congress that does nothing. This explains how do-nothing Congresspeople get re-elected! "Audacity" was worth reading, just heavy on policy-wonk stuff, much like Obama himself--heavy on policy, light on "feeling our pain."
March 2, 2017
If you think President Obama was too cautious and centrist and didn't get enough done.... this is an eye-opening corrective. It's also a slightly embarrassing reminder that the glass is always half-empty when you're a progressive.
May 29, 2017
I'm hopeful that more people will read this and it helps set the record straight on what a remarkable president Obama was. It also helps with the soul crushing reality of Trump doing his bull in the China closet daily routine.
August 5, 2017
Before reading this book, I did not have a clear understanding of what Obama had accomplished. I haven't really followed politics before this 2016 election, so I did not know what he had accomplished as president other than Obamacare, which had received much criticism in the media. This book made me realize what exactly Obama has done, that many of his achievements were not presented in the media and thus not regarded as political victories, and why it will be futile for his successors to reverse his legacy. The book acknowledges that he has made some mistakes, which improves its credibility in my opinion. I found it interesting that Obama has taken many of his reform programs from moderate Republican ideals and programs, yet had been opposed by the GOP at every step. For example, Obamacare was based off of Romneycare from Massachusetts (Romney ran on that platform in 2008), and climate change was endorsed by both sides before Obama (McCain ran on climate change in 2008, and Nixon passed the Clean Air Act with bipartisan support). Some of Obama's other accomplishments included movement toward reforming the healthcare system, tax system, education system, and financial sector (to avoid another collapse), improving the relationships between America and other countries, and stimulating the economy following the recession. I highly recommend this book to anyone who, like I did before, believes that a president and the federal government has little to no impact on the current or future state of our country.
To the other reviewers who have dismissed this book as propaganda, I would like to say that this book barely goes a paragraph without several citations, and the author reserves his unsubstantiated claims only for the last few pages when he extrapolates into the future about Obama's legacy. Of course, the book is biased toward Obama, but the author goes out of his way to make sure the reader sees his views as justified. I have yet to hear a compelling policy reason (aside from party politics) of why the GOP has blocked virtually all of Obama's initiatives, even when they go against the interests of their constituents and were originally ideas from their own party.
To the other reviewers who have dismissed this book as propaganda, I would like to say that this book barely goes a paragraph without several citations, and the author reserves his unsubstantiated claims only for the last few pages when he extrapolates into the future about Obama's legacy. Of course, the book is biased toward Obama, but the author goes out of his way to make sure the reader sees his views as justified. I have yet to hear a compelling policy reason (aside from party politics) of why the GOP has blocked virtually all of Obama's initiatives, even when they go against the interests of their constituents and were originally ideas from their own party.
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