Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72

Title: Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72

Author: Hunter S. Thompson

Pages: 14 discs

Genre: Politics

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was the political reporter for Rolling Stone Magazine during the 1972 presidential election.  I believe that this book is a collection of articles about the campaign that were published in the magazine as well as Thompson's other musings on the campaigns. The book starts long before the democratic nomination has been locked up, starting with the primaries in New Hampshire, Iowa and other states, then on through the Democratic National Convention in Miami and onto the general election.  Richard Nixon as the incumbent President had the Republican nomination locked up, but based on what was happening in Viet Nam and back home with Watergate he should have been very beatable if the democrats had been able to settle on a strong candidate who they all supported.

My Review:  Although this election took place nearly a decade before my birth, I really enjoyed this book about it and learned far more than I ever needed to know about George McGovern, Hubert Humphrey, George Wallace, Edmund Muskie and others. There were a lot of mistakes made by the candidates and the Democratic Party that essentially gave the election away to Nixon (who ended up winning with more than 60% of the popular vote for a huge victory).

Disclaimer: This book is chock full of foul language on nearly every page.  Thompson is known for his language and glorification of drug use and there is plenty of both.

The Audacity of Hope

Title: The Audacity of Hope

Author: Barack Obama

Pages: 364

Genre: Politics, Memoir

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Barack Obama wrote this book a couple of years after his highly-acclaimed speech at the Democratic National Convention. He expounds on the topics that he spoke about then, explaining his ideas and views for the direction the country should take. He touches on partisan politics, values, the Constitution, race, foreign policy and his family. He is very respectful in explaining his positions and makes a conscious effort to not judge others on their opinions. While he doesn't support Bush's policies, he was honest and respectful in his disagreements.

My Review: This was a pretty good book. Obama is a brilliant man and has a very readable writing style, even while being a difficult read because of the vocabulary and historical references. I feel pretty well versed on politics and history, but I had to look up all sorts of things on wikipedia in order to understand them. I really felt that Obama knew what he was talking about throughout the book. Every Bush supporter should read a short section of the book on the budget and tax cuts pushed through by President Bush. Unless you are in the top .01% of wage earners, you should be disgusted with the way the American public has been treated. My other favorite section of the book was the section on foreign policy. This is one of the things that I agree 100% with Obama on. The United States should not be taking unilateral actions in this world. We cannot continue to alienate our allies and fuel anti-American sentiment throughout the world.

I respect Obama more than I did before reading this book. I can see where he's coming from and I understand his positions a little better. Unfortunately, some of what is written in this book seems a little bit different than his positions today. I much prefer the ideology from the book.

Why I Chose this Book: I really enjoyed the Republican National Convention and thought that it had a far more positive vibe than the Democratic National Convention. I thought that Rudy Guilianni's speech was incredible and that speech alone almost convinced me to vote for McCain (even though I liked Obama at the time). After reading this book, I understand Obama's positions better but I'm still up in the air as to who will get my vote.

From the Book: "(p. 10 - Prologue) But that is not all that I am. I also think my party can be smug, detached, and dogmatic at times. I believe in the free market, competition, and entrepreneurship, and think no small number of government programs don't work as advertised. I wish the country had fewer lawyers and more engineers. I think America has more often been a force for good than for ill in the world; I carry few illusions about our enemies, and revere the courage and competence of our military. I reject a politics that is based solely on racial identity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or victimhood generally. I think much of what ails the inner city involves a breakdown in culture that will not be cured by money alone, and that our values and spiritual life matter at least as much as our GDP."

"(p. 41 - Republicans and Democrats) Maybe the critics are right. Maybe there's no escaping our great political divide, an endless clash of armies, and any attempts to alter the rules of engagement are futile. Or maybe the trivialization of politics has reached a point of no return, so that most people see it as just one more diversion, a sport, with politicians our paunch-bellied gladiators and those who bother to pay attention just fans on the sidelines: We paint our faces red or blue and cheer our side and boo their side, and if it takes a late hit or cheap shot to beat the other team, so be it, for winning is all that matters."

"(p. 171 - Opportunity) Education. Science and technology. Energy. Investments in these three key areas would go a long way in making America more competitive. Of course, none of these investments will yield results overnight. All will be subject to controversy. Investment in R & D and education will cost money at a time when our federal budget is already stretched. Increasing the fuel efficiency of American cars or instituting performance pay for public-school teachers will involve overcoming the suspicions of workers who already feel embattled. And arguments over the wisdom of school vouchers or the viability of hydrogen fuel cells won't go away anytime soon."

"(p. 190 - Opportunity, Obama recounting a conversation with Warren Buffet) "I did a calculation the other day," he said as we sat down in his office. "Though I've never used tax shelters or had a tax planner, after including the payroll taxes we play, I'll pay a lower effective tax rate this year than my receptionist. In fact, I'm pretty sure I pay a lower rate than the average American. And if the President has his way, I'll be paying even less."