Destiny Calling: How the People Elected Barack Obama

by Charles Madigan

On a bitter cold day in 2007—nearly 150 years after Abraham Lincoln's inauguration—United States Senator Barack Obama of Illinois gathered his supporters at the old state capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Very new to the national political arena, he made an audacious announcement: "If you feel destiny calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching before us; if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I'm ready to take up the cause . . ." With those words Obama launched one of history's most remarkable presidential campaigns, a forceful intent that revived a moribund political party, cornered its adversaries, gathered increased political momentum with each new day, and ultimately placed a black man in the White House, something nay–sayers proclaimed would never happen.

Emphasizing the revealing experiences of representative Americans from around the country, who tell how the previous eight years of failed policies shaped their personal fate and prompted them to vote for a newcomer blazing the banner of change, Destiny Calling traces a political campaign that fulfilled Lincoln's promise even as it illuminated for the world—anew —America's commitment of hope and freedom. Charles Madigan avoids the "inside politics" tack and the redundancy of most contemporary political coverage. Instead he taps an unheard–from–until–now range of American voters—the most important sources of all, the people who made the decision to send Obama to the White House. Their frustration with the wars, with the response to Hurricane Katrina, with a flat–lining economy, and with the cynicism of politics as usual helped fuel the movement that set a new standard for national campaigns, made the impossible the real, and changed forever how the nation views the process of choosing its leader.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Barbara]

This was a book modeled loosely after the "The Making of a President" type books that pop up after every presidential election. What was refreshing about this book was that the author was not "embedded" in the campaign and therefore we were not being presented with the usual campaign spin. This was more of a "man on the street" perspective. Madigan interviewed various people of various political viewpoints from various parts of the United States to get their take on the campaign, the issues and how they felt the various candidates dealt with these issues. He also addressed how well the candidates were able to use the system and technology to help or hinder their goals. His take from the various individuals was not just based on one interview but on a continuing relationship with them throughout the campaign. I only give it 3 stars because I felt that the first 100 pages was fluff. He said much about nothing. When he actually got into the campaign itself and his interviews, he really grabbed my interest and kept it for the rest of the book. The first part of the book, the intro so to speak, could have been much tighter. I think he needed more pages, so there is where he fluffed it up.
All in all, I found it a worthwhile read.

[Detra Aikens]

...thought provoking.