What Do The Democrats Stand For?

That was the question on my mind while watching the 2004 U.S. presidential campaign race. As an immigrant to and non-citizen of the United States, I was left scratching my head as the party that claimed to be about unifying the country seemed completely on the defensive.

That is the question that Barack Obama aptly answers in his book, The Audacity of Hope. In The Audacity of Hope, Mr. Obama weaves campaign tales, his personal stories, and presidential platform into a compelling, captivating work of political philosophy. The cadence of the book matched that of a speech. So much so, I had to read every word otherwise I would fall out of step with the rhythm of the book, and become bewildered.

I chose the book, The Audacity of Hope, in an effort to learn more about the US political landscape. Although, I do understand that he decidedly speaks from a Democrat's perspective. I commend him for being blunt about his position as well:

I suspect that some readers may find my presentation of these issues to be insufficiently balanced. To this accusation, I stand guilty as charged. I am a Democrat...-- p. 10

The Writing

Barack is indeed a great storyteller. His tales from the campaign trail lend immense credibility to his proposals, and they help to move you through the book. One of the things I admired as a writer was the way he told a story at the beginning of a chapter, then at the end tied it back in, then referred to the story at least once again later in the book. He was building on the conversation, so that by the end of the book you felt like you lived the campaign trail with him. I still want to know what happened to the Maytag plant worker in Galesburg, Illinois (p. 142-149, 175).

While his personal stories did help me to get to know him, and feel like I was having an intimate conversation with him (a skill every good politician has), he spent quite some time going over stories that I felt were irrelevant. In particular, in the chapter on Faith, Barack speaks of how he came to be a Christian. He spent 6 pages talking about his mother's sense of morality and spirituality, but lack of adherence to a particular religion. All the while, dropping in his experiences in Indonesia, as if to say, "Yes, I'm not only Kenyan and American, and lived in Hawaii, I also spent 5 years in Indonesia. I am the epitome of the American melting pot." I could have done without a few of those stories. I got the point.

The Agenda

Throughout the book, Mr. Obama speaks on several hot button issues on the US political landscape. First, he vividly paints a picture of the challenges we face in a global economy and society. He uniquely illustrates with examples from both extremes of the working class. He writes about his experience at Google with founders Larry and Sergey, and their general consel. A visit which highlighted the lack of minorities and Americans in general in the field of technology. He then contrasts that experience with a meeting that he had with the union of the Maytag plant in Galesburg, Illinois, where the workers were complaining about the lack of health care, wages, and offshoring. He concludes that there are 3 major investments that we can make to "make America more competitive in a global economy: investments in education, science and technology, and energy independence." He goes on to explain in detail how each investment will serve as a leg to the US in the global economy.

The Audacity

Of particular note, are the chapters on faith and race. Those chapters showed that he is smart enough to recognize that faith is more than a question of religious adherence, but it is the foundation of our lives (at least 90% of Americans). As such, it cannot be ignored or swept under the rug in a debate about society. For as much as America is a country that holds dear the separation of church and state, many of us do believe in something greater than ourselves and set our moral compass by it.

On the issue of race, Barrack does not have his head in the sand about the level of equality available to minorities, nor is he of the position that we are still in a struggle for survival. Furthermore, he admits that there is work to be done by minorities, particularly when it comes to inner city poverty and illegal immigration. In an audacious move, he suggest that the dialog surronding equality and Affirmative action shift from benefits for a few to universal provisions that will benefit all of us. Things like a proper education for our children which will not only improve Black and Latino students in inner-city schools, but improve the level of education throughout America.

The Audacity of Hope was able to give me some background on the history of American politics, an explanation of how the Democrats and Republican came to be in this position. It lays out a framework form Barack's presidential platform in an enchanting, stimulating way. Before I read the book, I felt that Mr. Obama was premature in his bid for the US presidency. Now, I feel that he might be the one person bold and articulate enough to do it. In that respect, his book was effective!

In Spirit,
Nneka

Nneka is a Working Mystic. You will get practical tips for living a healthy, prosperous, spiritually centered, integrated life on her blog, Balanced Life Center.

Comments

[Steve Sherlock]

Thanks for sharing this, Nneka. Barack's address to the last Democratic convention in Boston was a riveting performance. I felt then we would see him again, and that we are, sooner than we should according to some. Given the circumstances in the Democratic landscape, there is no time like the present to truly bring the country together and he seems like a good candidate to do so. I recently picked up his earlier book "Dreams of my Father" and will tackle that soon.

[Nneka]

Hi Steve, I thought the Democratic convention speech was fantastic. He was the best of the evening. He got the crowd going and it sounded as though he thought about what he was saying and did it in a way that people could understand. I was floored really.

[Chris Owen]

Nneka
As a non-Yank, but part of a country (Australia) that flaunts and gloats at its alliance with America, American politics can be intermittently interesting. As someone who'd like to see change (in both of our countries) in leadership and a greater move to social justice, I am intrigued (perhaps for the first time) in who the Democrats will choose to fight for the Presidency. Thanks for sharing this. You know I doubt I'll go and buy this book but I certainly would be interested in reading it if it appears at my library, or on the listing at www.slimink.com.au, my favourite book-borrowing service.

[Rosa Say]

Nneka, you did an outstanding job with your review.

Politics have become more intriguing to me the older I've become. In my youth the political landscape was of zero interest as I sought to 'govern' my own life in a very limited circle of influence. As I've gotten older, I've come to realize just how much government and politics affect us. My intrigue today is more a question of how much the right leadership can effect the magnitude of the mess created over the years, and with Mr. Obama a single word normally comes to mind first; bravery.

I've been wondering about this book in respect to its effectiveness as compared to the barrage of messages we're now getting in the complexity of our media. Your review makes one thing ever so clear - once we choose to pay attention and listen, content (i.e. the message) and its value and relevance to us will still be the determining factor if we trust the messenger to deliver as promised.