John Dickerson (1) (1968–)
Auteur van The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency
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Algemene kennis
- Geboortedatum
- 1968-07-06
- Geslacht
- male
- Nationaliteit
- USA
- Geboorteplaats
- Washington, D.C., USA
- Beroepen
- journalist
- Relaties
- Dickerson, Nancy (mother)
- Organisaties
- Slate
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The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency door John Dickerson
Really interesting book. A treasure chest of anecdotes and explanations of history that are a pleasure to read. A thoughtful look at what we expect of presidents and what presidents expect of the office.
4.5 stars. It gives me some hope we'll survive our upcoming election no matter the outcome. These are mostly stories you might have heard before but they're written with such wit and style it's just a pleasure to read.
3.5 stars.
Dickerson does a good job of breaking down the various duties of the presidency -- at least, in the first section of the book, he does. A lot of this book gets sidetracked from that focus to detail all the way American politics "used to work." He regales us with stories about Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill, about times when politicians could get meals together and hammer things out. In this way, it's very reminiscent of Tim Alberta's book, American Carnage, which covers the strife within the Republican Party from 2008 to 2016.
There are good points to be made while traipsing down memory lane. Dickerson is correct that modern US presidents are too quick to rely on executive orders, that political compromise is anathema to modern politicians, and that this is all leading us down a darker road that only promises more gridlock and political frustration. But he doesn't offer any solutions, either.
The most frustrating thing about this book is it identifies a problem, but instead of even alluding to a solution, Dickerson instead points back to presidencies of yesteryear, remarking "look how nice it was when Reagan was president and Congress got along" (he focuses on Reagan a lot here. And that's all well and good -- my dad recalls similar stories whenever politics comes up at the kitchen table. The problem is that the Republican party of 1980 is not the Republican party of today. Reagan himself couldn't get elected in this climate. So, to point at past presidencies and say "wasn't this great, wasn't this nice" does nothing to help our current situation.
The other frustration I have with the book is that it's less focused on how "hard" the American presidency is (which it is) and more an avenue for Dickerson to explore the presidencies he likes. Whether he's talking about FDR, Reagan, Lincoln, Washington, or JFK, he never really addresses how "hard" the job is -- he discusses the political climate at the time, the way the president or Congress addressed it, and moves on.
As I mentioned before, Dickerson does, on occasion, bring up good points, but they are left awash in long chapters about political history that don't connect to his central thesis.… (meer)
Dickerson does a good job of breaking down the various duties of the presidency -- at least, in the first section of the book, he does. A lot of this book gets sidetracked from that focus to detail all the way American politics "used to work." He regales us with stories about Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill, about times when politicians could get meals together and hammer things out. In this way, it's very reminiscent of Tim Alberta's book, American Carnage, which covers the strife within the Republican Party from 2008 to 2016.
There are good points to be made while traipsing down memory lane. Dickerson is correct that modern US presidents are too quick to rely on executive orders, that political compromise is anathema to modern politicians, and that this is all leading us down a darker road that only promises more gridlock and political frustration. But he doesn't offer any solutions, either.
The most frustrating thing about this book is it identifies a problem, but instead of even alluding to a solution, Dickerson instead points back to presidencies of yesteryear, remarking "look how nice it was when Reagan was president and Congress got along" (he focuses on Reagan a lot here. And that's all well and good -- my dad recalls similar stories whenever politics comes up at the kitchen table. The problem is that the Republican party of 1980 is not the Republican party of today. Reagan himself couldn't get elected in this climate. So, to point at past presidencies and say "wasn't this great, wasn't this nice" does nothing to help our current situation.
The other frustration I have with the book is that it's less focused on how "hard" the American presidency is (which it is) and more an avenue for Dickerson to explore the presidencies he likes. Whether he's talking about FDR, Reagan, Lincoln, Washington, or JFK, he never really addresses how "hard" the job is -- he discusses the political climate at the time, the way the president or Congress addressed it, and moves on.
As I mentioned before, Dickerson does, on occasion, bring up good points, but they are left awash in long chapters about political history that don't connect to his central thesis.… (meer)
Written with his typical wit and precision, this book is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand why the presidency just pretty much sucks.
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- #80,411
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- 3.8
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