Book Review: Barack Obama - The Audacity of Hope
I know, I can hear you all collectively asking of me, “WTF?” Well, what can I say? Don’t confuse this post with me endorsing his campaign, but the man might be our next President, so I thought I would get to know him a bit. Besides, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, right?
So I gave the Senator from Illinois a shot when I picked up a copy of his book that was penned shortly after his election to the United States Senate. I must admit, it was actually a pretty good read, one that I would recommend to Republicans and Democrats alike. Although, sad for the Presidential Candidate, after reading his book, I am 100 percent convinced that I will be voting against him.
But this subsequent reaction is not to taint the merit of this book. It is very well put together. It flows from topic to topic with ease. It is a well organized shortlist of policy areas that Senator Obama fancies to be addressed along with an insight as to how he would like to meet those challenges. It is a look into his personal life, as well to the trials and tribulations he endured to get to where he is today, a man barely removed from the Illinois Legislature who is now competing to be our next President.
However, before this turns into an all out glowing review, it is hard to miss the fact that Senator Obama’s book is very much written from a centrist point of view, endorsing both liberal and conservative views. I think it safe to conclude that this book was written with a pending Presidential campaign in mind. But other than that, the only issue I take is in some of the things that Senator Obama says, and some of the policy stances he takes.
It is very hard to miss his ringing endorsement for social service programs and his plea for rejuvenating affirmative action guidelines, two things that I believe to (at least in the spirit of their mind) keep the poor habitually poor and minority populations inferior members of society. The Senator also talks of the “Corporate Responsibility” of regulating how much profit is appropriate for private business to make, and the occasion where it should be incumbent upon us to drop our personal pursuits for the greater good of the whole, each an idea that I find to sharply counter the very values that our nations was founded on.
But his personal politics aside, The Audacity of Hope is an excellent look at the history of the Senate, and how all-encompassing the experience can be for a rookie Senator whose immediate political resume was far inferior to his current position. It is also a fine collection of interesting statistics and quotes from past presidents, as well as a look at what the last fifteen years may mean for our next fifteen.
If you’re looking for something to pass the time with, I’d give Senator Obama’s book a look. After all, love him or hate him, voting for him or not, you can’t ignore the fact that he may very well be our next President. Knowing that, don’t you think you’d want to know a little about what makes him tick?I did. And not to worry, I’ll be reviewing Senator McCain’s latest work as well.