THE AUDACITY: HOW BARACK OBAMA DEFIED HIS CRITICS AND CREATED A LEGACY THAT WILL PREVAIL PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Jonathan Chait | 272 pages | 26 Jan 2017 | HarperCollins Publishers Inc | 9780062426970 | English | New York, United States The Audacity: How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Created a Legacy That Will Prevail PDF Book 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. Read more I am afraid I might have been guilty of that. At the same time, it raises the question that if Obama was so successful, why do so many Americans feel so dissatisfied and left behind? Yet Chait convincingly shows that President Obama has accomplished what candidate Obama said he would, despite overwhelming opposition—and that the hopes of those who voted for him have not been dashed despite the smokescreen of extremist propaganda and the limits of short-term perspective. Thanks for telling us about the problem. 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. What has changed since Trump became president? The Supreme Court could also kill it, but the point Chait makes is that the push is on. 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 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. Refresh and try again. Feb 25, Laura rated it really liked it. Interesting, but it felt like a throw-in simply to make the book longer. By Peter Baker , Susan Glasser. Chait tells the Obama story with enormous sympathy, but with enough detachment to make it credible. Feb 11, Mehrsa rated it it was amazing. This is not an easy read. Gabby Garcia's Ultimate Playbook 3: Sidelined. Was LBJ the best at wrangling arms to get votes? 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 when they agreed with what he was doing. Jun 01, Aaron Arnold rated it really liked it Shelves: politics , history , read-in For Obama, that may be enough for now. And without Obama to kick around up top, that's going to expose their own limitations more. However, Audacity talks less a 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. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to listen online or offline wherever you are. Popular Fiction. 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. This could be seen with almost every single democratic president over the last years. I recommend this book for all. Daily: 9 AM - 4 PM. Obama's triumphs, such as the stimulus, the bailout of the auto industry, th Most judgements of a president's performance in office by a third party typically has to wait a few years. 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. I was like a live-action version of one on November 9, , lamenting that all of the energy poured into passing the Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank, and other seminal Obama-era achievements was a waste. View Product. If you think President Obama was too cautious and centrist and didn't get enough done Within each chapter, Chait breaks down one of Obama's accomplishments, from passing the stimulus to transitioning the country into using clean energy. Before reading this book, I did not have a clear understanding of what Obama had accomplished. May Cheryl K. Reviews Review Policy. The author is a journalist, so perhaps some of it came from columns or articles wr Normally I would enjoy a book like this. And according to Mr. Among other things: a lot of the legacy has already been accomplished. He then describes how, for the most part, these accomplishments are safe from being overturned. View 2 comments. The Audacity: How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Created a Legacy That Will Prevail Writer By John R. He also pointed out that Americans blame whatever president for legislative failures, not the sitting Congress that does nothing. 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 throughout his presidency. Detailing each of Pres. New arrivals. Jan 22, Don Gillette rated it really liked it. Search form Search. M odern liberalism was born without a navel. The Obama who leaves office has traveled a long way from the hope-and-change moment eight years ago. 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. In his keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, Cuomo electrified the crowd with his eloquence and argument by analogy. After Trump shocked the world with his improbable Electoral College victory, Chait tweaked the text to address the upheaval in American politics. It was mostly written before the election, and revised to show what elements of the administrations achievements would likely remain in effect. Membership Benefits. This book reminds us in nail-chewing detail. Published on. Original Title. Topics Hea lth Care. This book will remind you that things will get better--and inspire you to defend the ways they've already improved. We elect political leaders to work within a system which is far FAR from being perfect--in fact, it's gotten much more corrupt. 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. Buy at Local Store Enter your zip code below to purchase from an indie close to you. 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. 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. Return to Book Page. I think it's well worth the read. 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. 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. One main problem I had with the book overall is that it does tend to overstate Obama's effectiveness. 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. Department Of Justice. Barack Obama should be considered one of our great modern presidents. Price Translator. Let's see how it goes and maybe grow some revolutionaries on the left and some good leaders too. But to be fair to Mr. Now he will be compared with his successor, and that is a comparison Chait thinks favors Obama. To be sure, this was a book written largely before the November election with the evident expectation that Hillary Clinton would be preparing to move into the Oval Office, and it cannot help reading that way. The Testaments: A Novel Paperback. Published: Penguin Press - September 8th, Mar 01, Matt Papes rated it it was amazing. 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? Please read our comment policy before commenting. The Audacity: How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Created a Legacy That Will Prevail Reviews 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. Published: St. Search search. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to listen online or offline wherever you are. 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.