What other comments do you have for the group about The Audacity of Hope or Barack Obama in general? How has your opinion of Obama changed during the course of the book?
I totally enjoyed reading the book far more than I anticipated. I have to say that I am impressed with what he has to say, at least on paper. Sure, I don't agree 100% with his politics but he strikes me as a very intelligent, level-headed guy. The only thing that troubles me is the insanely right-wing gossip I get from my family. What do you guys think of his connections to "dirty Chicago politics" and the likes of William Ayers- suggesting that he is far more radical than he'd like us to know. It's hard to believe it after having read his book...
Thanks to Taylor for picking such a timely read! I had been wanting to read the book but fear I wouldn't have done so if it had not been for the book club.
Thanks for starting off the conversation, Marci! I know the last couple of months have been really busy for a lot of you. Welcome back to the club!
I enjoyed the book as well--Obama's intelligence is evident and I felt that his writing was extremely persuasive to his positions. I found myself easily agreeing with him a lot of the time and I came to the conclusion that if someone else had said/written it, I may not have agreed.
So the question is, can he make the changes happen? I almost feel like whoever wins this presidential election will also be the loser in a lot of ways. There are so many expectations for the next president to be pretty much the exact opposite of Bush: we have to strengthen the economy AND get out of the war AND "fix" America. That's a lot of pressure.
Frankly, I don't think anyone can live up to it. There will obviously be change just by having someone new in the White House. I think it will be really good (I think Obama will bring more positive changes than McCain), but it will take time for changes to happen and hopefully people won't freak out too much when their unrealistic expectations don't come to fruition.
I don't think anyone really ever lives up to the expectations a lot of people have when they vote for them, and I don't think Obama would be an exception. But I think one thing that will make a big difference is the very fact that he makes people hopeful. It's like Kennedy's speech about fear being the only thing to fear. If everybody is optimistic and hopeful they start spending more money and the economy does better and lots of other good things happen. It's kind of trite, but I think a positive attitude among the people in a country will do a lot more than any policies a president puts into affect. If Obama becomes president and can make people feel more positive, then he will live up to much of the expectations.
In a lot of ways I agree with Sam. There is no way to live up to the expectations placed on the President. Presidents campaign on a platform of what they will do if everything goes their way. But immediately they have to begin fighting with Congress, dealing with changing economic times, and reacting to world events. It's impossible to deliver completely. However, a change of attitude can make a difference over time. It will be interesting to see what happens. If nothing else this has been an interesting election season so far.
Here's an interesting brief bio on McCain. I think the book would have to be "Dreams of my Fathers" that he wrote a while ago about his military heritage and his time in Vietnam. It sounds interesting. Do we want to change to this book for the month?
Sorry, "Faith of my Fathers". "Dreams from My Father" is the other Obama book that I was supposed to be reading this month, but is still on hold at the library.
Thanks for the info Sam. I'd be interested in reading it but will leave it up to you to decide since it's your month. Whatever works, although I have a hard time believing I'll actually read the book without the motivation of book club behind me. :)
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I totally enjoyed reading the book far more than I anticipated. I have to say that I am impressed with what he has to say, at least on paper. Sure, I don't agree 100% with his politics but he strikes me as a very intelligent, level-headed guy. The only thing that troubles me is the insanely right-wing gossip I get from my family. What do you guys think of his connections to "dirty Chicago politics" and the likes of William Ayers- suggesting that he is far more radical than he'd like us to know. It's hard to believe it after having read his book...
Thanks to Taylor for picking such a timely read! I had been wanting to read the book but fear I wouldn't have done so if it had not been for the book club.
Thanks for starting off the conversation, Marci! I know the last couple of months have been really busy for a lot of you. Welcome back to the club!
I enjoyed the book as well--Obama's intelligence is evident and I felt that his writing was extremely persuasive to his positions. I found myself easily agreeing with him a lot of the time and I came to the conclusion that if someone else had said/written it, I may not have agreed.
So the question is, can he make the changes happen? I almost feel like whoever wins this presidential election will also be the loser in a lot of ways. There are so many expectations for the next president to be pretty much the exact opposite of Bush: we have to strengthen the economy AND get out of the war AND "fix" America. That's a lot of pressure.
Frankly, I don't think anyone can live up to it. There will obviously be change just by having someone new in the White House. I think it will be really good (I think Obama will bring more positive changes than McCain), but it will take time for changes to happen and hopefully people won't freak out too much when their unrealistic expectations don't come to fruition.
I don't think anyone really ever lives up to the expectations a lot of people have when they vote for them, and I don't think Obama would be an exception. But I think one thing that will make a big difference is the very fact that he makes people hopeful. It's like Kennedy's speech about fear being the only thing to fear. If everybody is optimistic and hopeful they start spending more money and the economy does better and lots of other good things happen. It's kind of trite, but I think a positive attitude among the people in a country will do a lot more than any policies a president puts into affect. If Obama becomes president and can make people feel more positive, then he will live up to much of the expectations.
In a lot of ways I agree with Sam. There is no way to live up to the expectations placed on the President. Presidents campaign on a platform of what they will do if everything goes their way. But immediately they have to begin fighting with Congress, dealing with changing economic times, and reacting to world events. It's impossible to deliver completely. However, a change of attitude can make a difference over time. It will be interesting to see what happens. If nothing else this has been an interesting election season so far.
So to honor both sides equally can anyone recommend a book by McCain which delineates where he stands on the issues?
Here's an interesting brief bio on McCain. I think the book would have to be "Dreams of my Fathers" that he wrote a while ago about his military heritage and his time in Vietnam. It sounds interesting. Do we want to change to this book for the month?
http://www.biography.com/featured-biography/john-mccain/index.jsp
Sorry, "Faith of my Fathers". "Dreams from My Father" is the other Obama book that I was supposed to be reading this month, but is still on hold at the library.
Thanks for the info Sam. I'd be interested in reading it but will leave it up to you to decide since it's your month. Whatever works, although I have a hard time believing I'll actually read the book without the motivation of book club behind me. :)
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