Obama Power - Jeffrey C. Alexander; Bernadette N. Jaworsky

Obama Power
4.00 Oceń książkę!

Autor: Jeffrey C. Alexander; Bernadette N. Jaworsky

 Wydawnictwo: Polity Press
ISBN: 9780745681993
EAN:
Format: ...
Oprawa: twarda
Stron: 140
Data wydania: 2014-07-01
Gdzie kupić tanią książkę?
Merlin
książka
92.00zł
Kup książkę
Książka w Twoim domu w ciągu 48h
What is the source of Obama's power? How is it that, after suffering a humiliating defeat in the 2010 mid-term elections, Obama was able to turn the situation around, deftly outmaneuvering his opponent and achieving a decisive victory in the November 2012 presidential election? In this short and brilliant book, Jeffrey Alexander and Bernadette Jaworsky argue that neither money nor demography can explain this dramatic turnaround. What made it possible, they show, was cultural reconstruction. Realizing he had failed to provide a compelling narrative of his power, the President began forging a new salvation story. It portrayed the Republican austerity budget as a sop to the wealthy, and Obama as a courageous hero fighting for plain folks against the rich. The reinvigorated cultural performance pushed the Tea Party off the political stage in 2011, and Mitt Romney became fodder for the script in 2012. Democrats painted their Republican opponent as a backward-looking elitist, a "Bain-capitalist" whose election would threaten the civil solidarity upon which democracy depends. Real world events can spoil even the most effective script. Obama faced monthly unemployment numbers, the daunting Bin Laden raid, three live debates, and Hurricane Sandy. The clumsiness of his opponent and his own good fortune helped the President, but it was the poise and felicity of his improvisations that allowed him to succeed a second time. Converting events into plot points, the President demonstrated the flair for the dramatic that has made him one of the most effective politicians of modern times. While persuasively explaining Obama's success, this book also demonstrates a fundamental but rarely appreciated truth about political power in modern democratic societies - namely, that winning power and holding on to it have as much to do with the ability to use symbols effectively and tell good stories as anything else. "Alexander and Jaworsky recreate, in a completely accessible manner, the dramatic roller-coaster ride that was the 2012 campaign for the presidency. The result is a highly entertaining narrative that returns us to the improbable events of that year and puts us right in the middle of what feels like a cinematic political thriller. High marks for both storytelling and scholarship." Stanley Fish, Florida International University "In a post-policy world, symbols matter more than ever, making Alexander and Jaworky's thoughts on the symbolism of Barack Obama both relevant and insightful." Alan Wolfe, Director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College, MA "Obama Power is a rare book. It is a page-turner, so well written and engaging that it is difficult to put down. But it also presents a compelling narrative on the performance of politics in Obama's reelection campaign, which resulted in a decisive victory. Jeffrey C. Alexander and Bernadette N. Jaworsky's illuminating and captivating study is a must-read." William Julius Wilson, Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor, Harvard University "In late 2010, following an overwhelming Democratic setback in the off-year elections, political pundits of all stripes predicted Obama's probable defeat in 2012. Why didn't this happen? Standard accounts emphasize improvement in the economy, superior organization, demographic shifts, Republican in-fighting, and Romney's inept campaign. While Alexander and Jaworsky do not directly challenge these explanations, they do convincingly argue that they are incomplete. All of them fail to consider the power of the cultural narratives, symbols, and beliefs that Obama successfully evoked in his messages in the two years after 2010 that resulted in his victory in November 2012.

Książka "Obama Power"
Jeffrey C. Alexander; Bernadette N. Jaworsky