Review “Chait’s brilliant new book, Audacity, upends the conventional wisdom of the Washington commentariat -- and a surprising number of liberals -- that Barack Obama’s presidency was little more than eight years of disappointment…setting out a compelling case that he was one of the most successful presidents of modern times.” (The Guardian)“A timely, trenchant and relentlessly argued book presenting the 44th president in terms that he himself would approve. Not only did Obama change America for the better, Chait writes, he also cemented a new policy infrastructure that will resist Trump’s efforts to tear it down.” (New York Times Sunday Book Review)“Audacity, by Jonathan Chait of New York magazine, one of today’s must-read political journalists…documents the scale of Obama’s domestic policy, on health care, taxes, finance, climate, civil rights and education. Chait also explains why [Obama’s successes] won’t simply disappear… The book is a brave one.” (David Leonhardt, New York Times Op-Ed columnist)“Chait offers a well-organized, clearly written case that will be valuable to future historians in their assessments.” (Kirkus Reviews)“[Chait] lacerates wimpish liberals and the duplicitous cynics on the right. He points out, over and over again, that, ideologically speaking, Obama’s policies were largely derived from a liberal Republican tradition.” (Brooklyn Rail)“Chait’s command of policy and politics, and his clarity of thought, guarantee that Audacity will remain an essential starting point for those assessing the Obama presidency.” (Washington Monthly)“[Chait is] one of the most influential political journalists of our time…the verve with which he pursues his quarries has made him one of our great polemicists.” (New Republic)“Audacity is a sturdy defense of the past eight years and an attack on left-wing Americans who moan about Obama’s timidity. And in this endeavor it is a rip-roaring success. Chait tells the Obama story with enormous sympathy, but with enough detachment to make it credible.” (The Times (UK)) From the Back Cover 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. About the Author Jonathan Chait is a senior editor at the New Republic and writes the magazine s signature TRB column. He is a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times and has written for many publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and the Wall Street Journal.
S**L
A well written book
A well written account from a sober if not always objective journalist.
K**K
Four Stars
Big fan of Obama and I am impressed by this book
S**S
Five Stars
Great book
A**R
Barack Obama’s Legacy: a detailed examination with positive conclusions
Jonathan Chait is definitely an Obama fan, but his book is nevertheless far from an uncritical eulogy. He explores Obama’s legacy by focusing on a few big policy areas: saving the economy with a huge stimulus after the 2008 financial crisis when GWB had already committed to bailing out Wall Street; saving the US auto industry from destruction; the ACA which has finally moved America towards First World country status by making healthcare affordable to >20 million Americans previously denied cover; taking a global leadership role in combating climate change, and his successes - and failures - in foreign policy.Above all, Chait’s eloquence and ability to explain the complexities of macro-economics and healthcare reforms amid competing interests/industry lobbying is what makes this book so valuable; for example his succinct 5-page summary of the broken US healthcare system which had been worsening for decades with spiraling costs and poor outcomes per $ spent is a masterpiece of brevity, literacy and impartial thoroughness. The ACA was passed in the teeth of opposition from both left and right, but has proved to be popular with millions of ‘red state’ voters who have come to rely on it even as they vote for senators and congressional representatives dedicated to dismantling it!Chait demonstrates how Obama succeeded with his economically progressive agenda in the teeth of six years of obfuscation by a Republican-dominated congress and the grass-roots militancy of the tea party by highly skilled political management in DC combined with an implacable determination to bring long-term change, even if in some cases it turned out to be incomplete or incremental change. In areas of foreign policy however, Chait sees the Obama years as only partially successful: by choosing to keep America out of the Syrian civil war it’s almost certain the conflict was prolonged, the toll of death and destruction escalated and the refugee crisis exacerbated. By withdrawing US troops from Iraq (a 2008 election pledge) a vacuum was left which allowed IS to form up, take control of the north of the country and exploit the instability of the Syrian Civil War. Chait however gives Obama full credit for thawing US relations with Cuba, negotiating the Iran nuclear deal and covertly supporting democratic movements during the Arab Spring (NB Libya fell apart following Gaddafi’s overthrow not because of too much US commitment, but because of not enough). Obama’s committed global leadership on the climate change issue is a particularly impressive achievement, now unfortunately under threat from the new 2017 administration.Overall, a fine and balanced book from Jonathan Chait on what history may judge to be one of America’s greatest presidents: the eloquent, highly intelligent, cautious, good-humoured, principled and completely scandal-free Barack Obama, who left office with an unprecedented >60% approval rating. How could a black president be all these things? The audacity of it!
D**N
A Shaky Legacy. Obama's Dream Failed To Reach Fruition.
It is too early to write anything approaching a definitive account of Obama's legacy, and this account, although well written, is not it. When Obama entered the White House it marked a major turning point in American history. The first African-american President promised much, particularly regarding the country's running sore, race relations. In the event, his achievements have been disappointing. It could of course be argued that given the adulation showered on him in the early days of his presidency there was nowhere to go but down.This book is a sturdy defence of the past 8 years. It also criticises those liberals who have moaned about Obama and claiming he is timid. The author tells us about Obama with great sympathy but perhaps a little too kindly. Chait has not written a history of the Obama administration. Nor is it a real time count of gossipy inside stories. Essentially, it is a book that puts forward an argument, an opinion. He admits that Obama made errors.The nature and complexity of American politics is little understood by many British people. It is massively different from our parliamentary democratic system. It has a written Constitution, its election system takes some understanding, Congress is a very powerful two- part body, the party system is completely different, and the committee system makes ours resemble a tiger shorn of claws and teeth. Above all, money rules. The power of the individual states also clips a President's wings. This is important because there is a massive difference between being a Presidential contender and a President. The former can, and usually does, promise a raft of measures without having to prove they are possible or see them shot down. But once President he/she has to persuade the House and the Senate to agree policies, and battle Wall Street, the banks and the media. It is a totally different ball game. That is why Trump will not get approval for all of those measures he claims he will introduce, even with a friendly Congress. After two years his task will become even more difficult. In eight years in office, Obama used every tool in a President's kit to make important changes: laws, executive orders, and the bully pulpit. Yet he was unable to alter the nature of American politics. He inherited the wreckage of a dreadful recession. Unemployment doubled from 5% to 10%. House prices fell by 24%. Bush had left him a complete financial mess.Obama's two term presidency can usefully be examined by separating it into two parts: domestic and foreign. With regards to the former, the economy certainly has picked up since the crash of 2008, and his Obamacare legislation was a major achievement. However, the latter is hated by poor whites who regard it as a means to tax them to help black Americans. It didn't helped be told that in 2017 premiums would rise by up to 25%. It will almost certainly be dropped or amended. However, race relations under Obama have worsened, when it was confidently believed they would improve. Many black Americans have recently heavily criticised their President for doing so little to help them. It is a sad fact that in parts of America vile retrograde attitudes still win support and acceptance. The poorest white section of society is also very critical of Obama, hence their support for the populist policies of Donald. On the other hand, Obama did rescue the car industry.It is in the field of foreign policy that Obama gets most stick. The military have not been impressed by a President who has refused to engage in military action because of the disastrous forays into Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama's 'red line' bluff, a bluff that was called, was a disaster. He has never recovered from this. Only his risky gamble to raid Bin Laden's hideout proved to be an unqualified success.Many of Obama's good intentions have fallen short. As a result, his legacy is shaky. He has failed to bring change to Washington but he has unlike Kennedy and Clinton kept the White House free of scandal, and that is no mean achievement.Chait is former senior editor at the New Republic. He is a left/ liberal. He hated George Bush but he loves Obama. This is not a fawning account but it is loyal. As the outgoing President turns to golf he takes an admirer in tow.As Obama leaves office the globe is on fire. Syria is a major strategic and humanitarian disaster. There is no doubt that Obama bungled over Syria. Many American commentators argue that this directly led to Russian resurgence in eastern Europe. It is interesting that Chait does not mention Obama's other big failure, namely to prevent the collapse of the Democratic Party. This is very surprising given that today America is a very divided country. White resentment is rising. They are already in a minority in schools. Obama and Clinton effectively surrendered the white working class to Donald Trump. Understandably, African-Americans are frightened.Another major failure of the Obama administration was the failure to reform the Supreme Court. This will not be easy but it is on Trump's agenda.
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