The Obama Question

A Progressive Perspective

By (author) Gary Dorrien

Not available to order

Publication date:

16 February 2012

Length of book:

256 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442215399

The election of Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008 was hailed by many as a historic event and by some as the end of the Reagan era in American politics. But conservatives have condemned Obama from the beginning of his presidency, and many progressives charge that Obama has betrayed the causes that he espoused in 2008.

This book offers a brilliant critique of Obama's presidency and a powerful case that progressives should not give up on Obama. Gary Dorrien, described by Princeton philosopher Cornel West as "the preeminent social ethicist in North America today," argues that Obama is a figure of "protean irony and complexity." Obama has been a bitter disappointment in many ways, Dorrien contends, yet Obama also has historic achievements to his credit that are too often discounted.

Dorrien emphasizes the importance of Obama's story to his career and devotes chapters to the economic crisis, the health care reform debate, war and foreign policy, banking regulation and the federal budget, and the case for a progressive politics of the common good. Ultimately, Dorrien says, the Obama question is whether or not Obama's presidency will mark the end of the Reagan era--when giant corporations and the wealthy got whatever they wanted, military budgets soared, and American politics was ruled by the fantasy of tax cuts paying for themselves.

Dorrien argues that there is still time to redeem the hope of the 2008
election, bringing an end to the Reagan era. The Obama Question will stand as an insightful evaluation of a tumultuous presidency long after the next election has passed.

Dorrien (religion, Columbia Univ.) critically assesses the complex and contradictory nature of President Barack Obama's leadership. At the beginning of his book, Dorrien lays out his personal preferences for the reader by indicating that he is a supporter of the Obama administration. The core focus of this study is to explore Obama's political relationships with those progressives that have become disappointed with his policies as president. Dorrien is much more sympathetic to the administration and takes the position that progressives must not become purely blinded by Obama's failures when assessing his performance in office. Instead, he reminds them that there are major accomplishments that Obama has achieved in such a short amount of time. This book will appeal to a general audience and to political pundits engaged in day-to-day water-cooler discussions about US politics and the Obama administration....Summing Up: Recommended.