Promises Met, Promises to Keep 2010-08-29

Reviewer: C. P. Jackson

After years of listening to media-heads, who get paid to talk, posture and opine `The Promise' is a refreshing description of the Obama candidacy and early presidency. It gets behind the snappy, often disingenuous sound bites and headlines proffered by partisan media, political insiders and economic wonks. Alter writes in an accessible, plain-spoken style that enables the reader to get pass rhetoric and screeds on both sides to understand important details about proposed and enacted legislature. Contrary to some reviewers' interpretation, Alter doesn't omit or excuse the President's missteps, including his failure to communicate the benefits of the health care proposals and his foot-in-mouth comment on the Professor Gates-Officer Crowley's "clash of egos." Regardless of where your ideology fits on the political spectrum, you will learn at least one thing that you didn't know, and perhaps, stretch dearly held ideas. The pharisaical right-wing of either party will not come away persuaded the administration has made more right turns than wrong ones. Yet, those of us, who are not locked into ideology, will gain insight into the rationale and process of how decisions are being made. This is a straight-forward journalist, history-backed analysis.

Alter puts into context the converging dynamics of competitive personalities and disparate agendas. To give perspective to current politics, he pulls in history, like FDR's appointing Joe Kennedy, a Wall Street trader as the first chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Readers will zoom in on those sections that resonate most soundly with them. For me, these are the most informative:

Tim Geithner - Why him for Secretary of Treasury? Alter gives a comprehensive explanation of President Obama's selecting Geithner despite foreseen challenges to the appointment. And, he explains why critics slammed Geithner, saying he "failed to negotiate, to use the power he had...refused to use his considerable leverage" in dealing with the banks; thus, "tens of billions went to some of the wealthiest institutions in the world." Based on the facts presented, Geithner averted a catastrophic meltdown of the financial system.

The history between Obama and Fox News: "Owner Rupert Murdock openly admired Obama...when Murdoch passed the word inside News Corp. that he was planning to endorse Obama, Ailes threatened to quit. Murdoch knowing that Ailes was a cash cow for his company, gave Ailes a five-year contract, endorsed McCain early, and let Ailes move News Corp. even further right."

The Party of No: Republicans in Congress, individually and collectively, were determined obstructionists from Day One. If the so-called lawmakers' game-playing weren't transparent to the worldwide public before reading this book, the details here are solid, shocking proof. "If we're able to stop Obama on this (health care reform), it will be his Waterloo. It will break him" (Sen. Jim Demint, South Carolina). "This intense personalizing of policy differences was both malicious and clarifying... For certain conservatives, Obama was not an adversary; he was the enemy..." Reading these parts is no surprise to any observer: Republicans "stayed disciplined and unified in their determination to obstruct most of (Obama's) initiatives."

TARP and the Recovery Act (the Stimulus): Explains and differentiates terms and programs that are wrongly used interchangeably. Then, Alter gently slaps politicians that have bad-mouthed the stimulus, yet have accepted the money ": (He) has derided the federal stimulus but taken its cash - a sign of pragmatism or hypocrisy, depending on the audience."

Back to Sen. Demint's ignominious "Waterloo" statement: Yes Demint said that defeating health care reform would bring down Obama. What Demint didn't say was what else would be devastatingly impacted - the economy, and thereby, every tax-payer. "Failing to control Medicare and Medicaid entitlements would make balancing the budget impossible without cutting non-discretionary (everything else) spending by 70%. Insurance premiums for individuals had more than doubled in a decade (up 130% for small business), number of insured more than 50 million." Americans understand the math and was already feeling the pain of medical costs; but, some of us got distracted and confused by irresponsible attacks on reform proposals.

After reading "The Promise," the reader may disagree with how Alter assays the reform initiatives, which are going far beyond health care to address the substantially inter-related issues of education, finance, energy and national security. But if the reader's take-away from this book is to dismiss Alter as a mere apologist for this administration, the reader has missed a cogent examination of real-time American politics and its global impact.

Readable, vivid and balanced. 2010-08-27

Reviewer: Marjorie

This is a vivid description of the day-to-day operation of the Obama administration in the chaotic first year of his presidency. Overall, I think it was a fair assessment of both Obama's strengths and his weaknesses.

I'm surprised that some of the reviewers here think that Alter's book is overly biased in favor of Obama.

It's clear that the writer thinks highly of Obama personally -- he portrays him as highly intelligent and possessed of effective leadership skills. But Alter is also very clear-eyed about where Obama has gone wrong in the first year of his presidency.

Alter gives Obama credit for actions early in the presidency (the bank and automaker bail-outs) that were unpopular, but probably saved the recession from tipping over into a depression, and for the historic health care legislation. With health care, Obama delivered on something that presidents since FDR have tried and failed to do. Nobody thinks it is a perfect plan but it is something that can be built on.

But Alter faults Obama in other crucial areas -- particularly jobs and housing. Obama, as portrayed by Alter, errs in relying too heavily on one set of economists -- Geithner, Summers, and their acolytes -- while essentially ignoring contradictory views. Everything had to be funnelled through Summers. Obama, in Alter's analysis, thereby encloses himself in the "bubble" that he had said he was going to try to avoid.

Alter also faults Obama for failing to communicate effectively with the American people about what he was trying to do. Obama's cool, unemotional personality does not serve him well, in a situation which required the warmth and empathy that an FDR or a Clinton were able to convey.

Alter's conclusion, apparently somewhat surprising to the writer himself, is that Obama turned out to be best at what was least expected of him -- effective executive management -- and worst in the area where he (as one of the most inspirational and eloquent speakers in recent history) was expected to shine -- communicating with the people.

MORE OF THE SAME NON SENSE FROM ALTER 2010-08-26

Reviewer: Jockman

In his latest promote Obama at all costs book, Alter does a great job running cover for a President who is far from living up to the welcome he received in Jan 2009. Simply another disgraceful display of biased journalism.

For the Disillusioned, the Deluded and the Faithful, the Promise Sets the Record Straight 2010-08-24

Reviewer: marc adler

Alter's book may be about the first year of Obama's presidency, but it feels like it covers decades of American history. It's astonishing how many issues come up in The Promise: Health care, Afghanistan, the war on terror, the auto bailouts, the stimulus, education, Republican obstructionism, research and development in science and medicine... Following politics during the Obama era can be challenging and disorienting because there is so much to keep up with. But Alter does a fine job at guiding the reader through everything with precision. His prose are crisp and clear--The Promise is not quite a page turner, but it can be a quick read.

Most important, the author puts many things in perspective by fully delineating Obama's legislative accomplishments, how and why they are poorly understood by the public, and the president's decision-making process.

Here are some of the highlights... to read more of this review check out my blog (which features reviews of great writing in general):

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Biased but with some value 2010-08-21

Reviewer: J. Davis

I liked some of The Promise--as an avid economics junkie I especially enjoyed his inside portrayal of Larry Summers. The man has a fascinating, if unlikable, personality. A book about Summers would be a fascinating read. The Promise, though, is fatally weakened by Alter's extreme pro-Obama bias. As another reviewer pointed out, Obama's problems are almost always the fault of someone else. It also annoys me that he makes assertions as though they were undeniable facts--e.g. the stimulus bill saved us from another Great Depression. I should point out that my criticism of Alter is not due to any conservative bias on my part; I would have the same problem with,say, Sean Hannity writing an inside account of a Republican administration.