What We’re Reading: American and Soviet Pathologies
Weekly reviews of what's on our bookshelves.
Why Obama Fears for Our Democracy An interview by Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic I’ve read approximately 9 million of the 468 million presidential election post-mortems, which means that not only have I spent more time hate-reading than actually reading lately, but I arguably understand less about it now than I did on Nov. 3. I doubt I’m alone. I have my own opinions, of course, and for better or worse so does everyone else. Take former Israeli prison guard and current editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg, who recently interviewed Barack Obama about his forthcoming memoir, the state of U.S. democracy, Donald Trump and his indifference to editors. “Why Obama Fears for Our Democracy” leaves a lot to unpack, so let’s get to it. The Good. Like him or hate him, Obama has always been an effective communicator, and he comes off no less thoughtful or affable in this interview. He’s at times optimistic, even gracious, about the state of the country, despite the “birther” accusations and racial attacks he has always had to countenance. He insists that the arc of history still bends toward progress, however fitful that process may be. Obama is uniquely able to diagnose the problems […]