Regardless of one’s political views, this is a must read….     ****

Yes, Jonathan Chait writes about the Obama presidency and his successes. But he also writes about Obama’s failures. Whether the successes are failures may be a matter of debate, but Chait gives a balanced account for his reasoning. Setting politics aside, for me, there are two reasons everyone should read this book.

The first is admittedly about exactly what Obama accomplished in eight years as President. Even I, as a fan, was not aware of all the things Obama was able to do, some of which, as Chait states, will prevail. I do disagree with the author in that some of what he feels will last, may not under the current political state.

The second reason is more important, in my mind at least. Chait pulls back the curtain on just how bogged down our political system is and how party lines have made progress virtually impossible.  I know Democrats and Republicans are at odds but to see just how bad it has become is truly sad. Chait shows how division is not new but how wide the gap has become. It wasn’t that long ago that if a proposal was good for the country, a compromise could be reached between parties to see it implemented. Now, regardless of the benefit of an idea, if it is put forward by one party, the other is automatically against it. This applies to both sides. The Republicans acted this way under Obama, and now the Democrats are doing the same thing.

This is a book that hopefully will make people think, discuss, and act.

This one gets four stars.