The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

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Barack Obama's latest book reads like a hopeful springboard to the Presidency; indeed, the only concern he's voiced recently about a run for the White House is what his family might have to endure. Other than that, he sure looks and sounds like a confirmed candidate, and The Audacity of Hope only fuels that speculation.

Obama is my senator. I honestly can't tell you what he's accomplished for Illinois. Nothing particularly major or memorable- given his short tenure- but that's not to say he hasn't been successful; everyone in Washington seems to want him on this or that committee, and that's certainly good for Illinois. The more powerful and influential your senator, the more attention (and money) flows to your state. His voting record is what you might expect from a young freshman Democrat, but that's not a knock; he's been true to his word, and that's a plus.

He tries hard in Audacity to show he would be a builder of bridges and a healer of political wounds, and that might be true; time will tell. He's spot-on in the section titled Politics when he bemoans what modern politicking has become- far less about the issues than about how inherently evil your opponent is. Mudslinging has replaced party platforms as the main election tool, with orchestrated outrage and assertions of moral superiority at the top of the campaign agenda. Obama's call to return some integrity to politics by offering solutions rather than automatic fear and hatred of the other side is both timely and refreshing. It would be easy to argue that the polarization of the political right and left is complete and irreversible, but that's both the Audacity and Hope of the book's title.

What's not so convincing in Audacity is his portrayal of himself as a political Everyman. While he clearly demonstrates genuine empathy for those who don't share his beliefs, the middle ground he tries to capture seems more like quicksand- when you try too hard to be everything to everyone, you run the risk of being nothing instead, a perpetual question mark without a solid base to stand on. That's a risk he's obviously willing to take, but the centrist policies he then suggests are not only nothing new, they carry their own considerable risks and problems which he barely weighs. That's a concern, a surprise, and a shortcoming.

Good, effective politicians are like a good stew- there's substance in the pot, and it's well seasoned. While Obama clearly has the substance, the seasoning simply isn't there yet, which makes the Audacity in the title fitting in a way Obama hadn't intended. Americans sure are enamored of fresh, unknown faces in politics- maybe because we love Cinderella stories- but that's voting with your heart rather than your head. Now there's something to be said for intuition and "gut feeling" when selecting leadership, but when the fresh face is untested in so many ways, perhaps it would be best to go with the proven commodity- even if it isn't all that exciting- rather than the raw recruit, no matter how intelligent or charismatic he (or she) might be.

Charisma is great, but experience counts for so much more, especially in the troubled, difficult times ahead.

All that said, Audacity of Hope is an interesting look into the mind and heart of a young senator as he formulates his early political policies and tests the political waters.

-Mark Wakely, author of An Audience for Einstein
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