Four years ago, the United States elected a different kind of president. We chose a man who asked intelligent questions instead of giving us pat answers. We selected someone who asked us to live up to our responsibilities instead of telling us how the world had wronged us. Did we stretch too far? Tomorrow’s election (and the likely delayed results) will provide an answer about our tolerance for growth and big changes.

This weekend I read The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama to do my own gut-check.

On the Stump

The Audacity of Hope often reads like one of Obama’s stump speeches. What that tells me, though, is rather than being overly rehearsed and regurgitated, Obama’s thoughts are deeply held and personal. When he talks about the “common set of values that bind us together despite our differences,” I believe he believes what he is saying and that “we are becoming more, not less, alike.”

Because Obama’s method of speech and writing are deliberative and broad, I can see where the electorate has grown impatient. It’s a shameful fact that we beg to be spoon-fed information. How we came to be this way is something else Obama explores intelligently and in-depth. Even if he refuses to pander to it—something that may be his downfall.

Generation of Broken Promises

This is a phrase that Obama used when talking about the inner city and what life is like for people who live there. But it applies to America at large. We have hungered for so long to have things get better that we’ll grasp at any easy solution—even if it’s the wrong one. Like Mitt Romney telling us he has a plan to fix our economy—a plan he won’t reveal.

My husband wrote to me, “I survived eight years of Bush.” And that’s what it was. While he told us he was helping us, Bush and his cronies did everything they could to help themselves and not their constituents.

President Obama has tried to change this. On the campaign trail, “I tried my best to keep my mouth shut and hear what [my constituents] had to say.” By being open to those he was leading, he saw truths that other politicians miss, like “just how modest people’s hopes were.”

“If you are paying attention, each successive year will make you more intimately acquainted with your flaws.” — Barack Obama

I believed President Obama at the Democratic National Convention when he said there was no greater critic of his administration than he. I wish he could let us into that evaluation process a little so we could see the changes he plans to make. I believe in his values and know he will make the right decision. But our trust has been so abused by others that it’s hard for many Americans to know where to turn and I’m afraid Romney looks like the easy answer.

Fixing a Broken System

“In the world’s greatest deliberative body, no one is listening.” — Barack Obama regarding the Senate

One of my greatest frustrations with the past four years has been President’ Obama’s inability to change Washington. In The Audacity of Hope, he acknowledges what a frequent desire that is among Americans. He describes many of the problems with the system and how they came to be that way. He writes about ways the system could be improved, even though he has not been able to enact them while in office. The history is deep, though, and I can see that the system is even less flexible than I had hoped.

My Vote

What I learned from reading this book is that Obama is the real deal. He believes what he writes and says. His hope is audacious enough to have faith in us and in our process. I hope we have the same faith and trust in him. We would all be better off if we lived up to his expectations. Obama understands “there is no great reward in store for those who speak the truth” and he speaks it anyway. Because it’s the right thing to do.

“If we aren’t willing to pay a price for our values, if we aren’t willing to make some sacrifices in order to realize them, then we should ask ourselves whether we truly believe in them at all.” — Barack Obama

I hope when the tally comes through that we Americans had the faith in ourselves to re-elect President Obama. He has not promised us the easy road and he has not been able to deliver quick solutions, but it takes courage to make the kinds of big changes we need and leaders like President Obama don’t come around very often.

“A government that truly represents these Americans—that truly serves these Americans—will require a different kind of politics. That politics will need to reflect our lives as they are actually lived. It won’t be prepackaged, ready to pull off the shelf. It will have to be constructed from the best of our traditions and will have to account for the darker aspects of our past. We will need to understand just how we got to this place, this land of warring factions and tribal hatreds. And we will need to remind ourselves, despite all our differences, just how much we share: common hopes, common dreams, a bond that will not break.” — Barack Obama

Disagree with me? I have a post coming out tomorrow on The Restless Nest about how I feel about political discourse. I’d love to have a thoughtful conversation.

If this review made you want to read the book, pick up a copy of The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream from Powell’s Books. Your purchase keeps indie booksellers in business and I receive a commission.