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The Presidency of Barack Obama: A First Historical Assessment
An original and engaging account of the Obama years from a group of leading political historiansBarack Obama's election as the first African American president seemed to usher in a new era, and he took office in 2009 with great expectations. But by his second term, Republicans controlled Congress, and, after the 2016 presidential election, Obama's legacy and the health of the Democratic Party itself appeared in doubt. In The Presidency of Barack Obama, Julian Zelizer gathers leading American historians to put President Obama and his administration into political and historical context. These writers offer strikingly original assessments of the big issues that shaped the Obama years, including the conservative backlash, race, the financial crisis, health care, crime, drugs, counterterrorism, Iraq and Afghanistan, the environment, immigration, education, gay rights, and urban policy. Together, these essays suggest that Obama's central paradox is that, despite effective policymaking, he failed to receive credit for his many achievements and wasn't a party builder. Provocatively, they ask why Obama didn't unite Democrats and progressive activists to fight the conservative counter-tide as it grew stronger.Engaging and deeply informed, The Presidency of Barack Obama is a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand Obama and the uncertain aftermath of his presidency.Contributors include Sarah Coleman, Jacob Dlamini, Gary Gerstle, Risa Goluboff, Meg Jacobs, Peniel Joseph, Michael Kazin, Matthew Lassiter, Kathryn Olmsted, Eric Rauchway, Richard Schragger, Paul Starr, Timothy Stewart-Winter, Thomas Sugrue, Jeremi Suri, Julian Zelizer, and Jonathan Zimmerman.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 13, 2018
44 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Julian E. Zelizer
37 books65 followersJulian E. Zelizer is the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 16, 2019
This book is the product of an academic conference that took place the weekend AFTER. After Trump won. It's an early draft at coming to terms with Obama's legacy - and to a lesser extent how that helped lead to Trump.
It's also less than the sum of its parts. The book reminds of the old story of four blindfolded men holing parts of an elephant, describing what they have. One guy has a tusk, one a trunk, one the tail, one a leg - and they each have an (imperfect) understanding of their own chunks but no real sense of how it all fits together. So you get a series of articles by different academics. One will look at urban policy, another on the bailouts, another on the environment, another on the courts, another on Obama's policy toward Africa, another on the War on Terror......Each person has their chunk of the elephant. But it doesn't really come together. Instead of the chapters broadening each other's understanding, they are either too independent of each other or too repetitive.
There's a further problem, one which explains why my rating is down to two stars instead of at least three. The further problem: even within the chapters, there often isn't too much to get out of them. Most of the authors take the same approach: a chronological overview of how Obama dealt with Issue X. That makes sense, but works better in a longer format. If you only have 15-20 pages, it would probably work best to make a main point or have a main angle. But focusing on chronology, the chapters tell you more about What than about Why or How. The info blocks out the analysis. Added bonus: much of the analysis is similar across the chapters: "Obama came to office and people were really hopeful how he'd handle [Topic} but there was GOP opposition, liberal disappointment, and Obama's own caution, but you know what - maybe he did better than his critics say." That's not a bad line, but it's typically buried in the background. And when you get a bunch of small chapters constantly obscuring a similar argument, well it's annoying to this reader at least.
Best chapter? Gary Gerstle at the end, which does provide a good analysis of Obama and America's traditional conflict of civic nationalism versus racial nationalism.
Worst chapter? Michael Kazin's chapter just before the one by Gerstle. Kazin argues that the Obama era witnessed one of the greatest surges of leftist activity in American history - rivaling those of the 1930s and 1960s..... Oh, sure, he also notes (in passing) how the Obama era didn't lead to big electoral coalition wins. Ya think? The Dems ended 2016 in as bad a shape at state and congressional levels as they've had since the 1920s. Kazin notes things like BLM and #Occupy, but yeah - the Nixon administration had a breakthrough for environmentalism, the rise of 2nd wave feminism, and the peak in anti-war protest.
Jonathan Chait's book remains easily the best work so far on the Obama administration.
It's also less than the sum of its parts. The book reminds of the old story of four blindfolded men holing parts of an elephant, describing what they have. One guy has a tusk, one a trunk, one the tail, one a leg - and they each have an (imperfect) understanding of their own chunks but no real sense of how it all fits together. So you get a series of articles by different academics. One will look at urban policy, another on the bailouts, another on the environment, another on the courts, another on Obama's policy toward Africa, another on the War on Terror......Each person has their chunk of the elephant. But it doesn't really come together. Instead of the chapters broadening each other's understanding, they are either too independent of each other or too repetitive.
There's a further problem, one which explains why my rating is down to two stars instead of at least three. The further problem: even within the chapters, there often isn't too much to get out of them. Most of the authors take the same approach: a chronological overview of how Obama dealt with Issue X. That makes sense, but works better in a longer format. If you only have 15-20 pages, it would probably work best to make a main point or have a main angle. But focusing on chronology, the chapters tell you more about What than about Why or How. The info blocks out the analysis. Added bonus: much of the analysis is similar across the chapters: "Obama came to office and people were really hopeful how he'd handle [Topic} but there was GOP opposition, liberal disappointment, and Obama's own caution, but you know what - maybe he did better than his critics say." That's not a bad line, but it's typically buried in the background. And when you get a bunch of small chapters constantly obscuring a similar argument, well it's annoying to this reader at least.
Best chapter? Gary Gerstle at the end, which does provide a good analysis of Obama and America's traditional conflict of civic nationalism versus racial nationalism.
Worst chapter? Michael Kazin's chapter just before the one by Gerstle. Kazin argues that the Obama era witnessed one of the greatest surges of leftist activity in American history - rivaling those of the 1930s and 1960s..... Oh, sure, he also notes (in passing) how the Obama era didn't lead to big electoral coalition wins. Ya think? The Dems ended 2016 in as bad a shape at state and congressional levels as they've had since the 1920s. Kazin notes things like BLM and #Occupy, but yeah - the Nixon administration had a breakthrough for environmentalism, the rise of 2nd wave feminism, and the peak in anti-war protest.
Jonathan Chait's book remains easily the best work so far on the Obama administration.
February 15, 2025
Well-written and researched book. I appreciated the essay-based format, focusing on one policy aspect per chapter.
It leaned towards academic, but that’s what it promised, so I wasn’t surprised.
It leaned towards academic, but that’s what it promised, so I wasn’t surprised.
December 17, 2019
Tears came to my eyes as I finished this book. I have spent a lot of time trying to understand this country since late 2015 and the emergence of Donald Trump. Some moments and revelations shock me to my core; but others make me feel so blind that I didn’t see some of this coming. This book solidifies the understanding that the country is broken ideologically. The country is broken racially. The country is broken governmentally. These fractures created a country that reacted to an educated, moral, respectful, thoughtful, faith based, contemplative, aspirational, family man with the election of a nearly illiterate, amoral, disrespectful, spontaneous, self centered, reactionary, cowardly, thrice divorced boy.
This book provides a fair and thorough examination of the policy achievements and failures that President Obama provided; however, it’s always viewed through isolated lenses of pockets in America. When you look at these through the lens of America, not it’s pockets, you see a man paralyzed by the hate of those pockets. He wasn’t left enough for the left, he was Black and illegitimate to the right. And this allowed a government to essentially handcuff him. This handcuffing has led to crumbling infrastructure, sub par education, worsening of racial and class disparities that will persist, probably for the rest of my life.
This book provides a fair and thorough examination of the policy achievements and failures that President Obama provided; however, it’s always viewed through isolated lenses of pockets in America. When you look at these through the lens of America, not it’s pockets, you see a man paralyzed by the hate of those pockets. He wasn’t left enough for the left, he was Black and illegitimate to the right. And this allowed a government to essentially handcuff him. This handcuffing has led to crumbling infrastructure, sub par education, worsening of racial and class disparities that will persist, probably for the rest of my life.
November 25, 2020
Each chapter is an independent review of a different aspect of the Obama presidency.
I appreciated the discussion on the bailout and the explanation of the Keynesian influence that went into Obama's bailout plan. However, in its effort to defend the bailout against criticism of reckless gov't spending the discussion does neglect to acknowledge the failures of the bailout, such as its disproportionate help to the financial sector at the expense of other industries and ordinary consumers.
A great summary of Obama's accomplishments that sometimes is a little soft on his failures, such as his failed pivot to Asia and lackluster civil rights record. Although it acknowledges these faults, it often shades them with, "well he would have BUT...", instead of calling a spade a spade. Which is fine, considering the amount of undeserved criticism the political Right heaps on Obama. Here, a rational defense of Obama's fault is presented in many of the chapters so a little softness can be forgiven.
I appreciated the discussion on the bailout and the explanation of the Keynesian influence that went into Obama's bailout plan. However, in its effort to defend the bailout against criticism of reckless gov't spending the discussion does neglect to acknowledge the failures of the bailout, such as its disproportionate help to the financial sector at the expense of other industries and ordinary consumers.
A great summary of Obama's accomplishments that sometimes is a little soft on his failures, such as his failed pivot to Asia and lackluster civil rights record. Although it acknowledges these faults, it often shades them with, "well he would have BUT...", instead of calling a spade a spade. Which is fine, considering the amount of undeserved criticism the political Right heaps on Obama. Here, a rational defense of Obama's fault is presented in many of the chapters so a little softness can be forgiven.
May 31, 2018
This was an excellent set of historical analyses. I would only give the warning that it is a collection of analysis essays by various contributors and therefore does not have a single overarching flow. These essays are full of dense analysis of policy and actions. If that is what you are looking to read then this is an excellent book. This book provides a large amount of information and analysis which act as major food for thought over the legacy of our last President.
November 22, 2020
I didn't have the same level of interest for all the articles in this book but there's no denying a thorough work of research went into every single one of them.
I particularly enjoyed the fact that it wasn't just about the Obama presidency, as most books about him tend to be, but that it placed him, his action and his government into a broader framework of American history.
I particularly enjoyed the fact that it wasn't just about the Obama presidency, as most books about him tend to be, but that it placed him, his action and his government into a broader framework of American history.
September 2, 2019
A good assessment of Obama's presidency. Pretty much what it advertises itself to be.
December 18, 2019
Excellent set of historical analyses. To read !
April 16, 2020
Even-handeed, substantial, and digestible. Very helpful teaching tool for my class on America in the 2000s!
March 6, 2025
Obama was surely a step up compared to his predecessor Bush, but he was a bit disappointing and his commitment to neoliberal policies doomed the Democrats down the line
Want to read
May 21, 2025Metro has the Ebooks’s thru hoopla and I have it on hold
August 1, 2019
This is clearly an academic work so it doesn't read as an entertaining essay. But I read it for my studies and I thought all the contributors developed their arguments very clearly, backing them with relevant information, while always remaining accessible and readable. I thought the economic and social policy pieces were the best, while the ones about foreign policy were a little bit messier. But overall a very interesting and pedagogical read if you're studying Obama's presidency (for my French readers, I'm clearly referring to the "agrégation").
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews