With The Washington Post’s hagiographic look the other day into President Obama’s reading habits, and into presumably what influences his decisions (apparently mostly SportsCenter, ‘cause let’s be honest—no one can read both The Economist and The New Yorker in the space of one week, as his staff claims he does), we now know that Obama can pass the Katie Couric what-newspapers-and-magazines-do-you-regularly-read test, and that, unlike his predecessor, actually reads entire articles on his own, unprompted and un-predigested by his staff. (The full rundown of Obama’s influences, according to the Post, includes: The Atlantic Online’s Andrew Sullivan, The New Yorker, The Economist, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone, SportsCenter, C-SPAN’s coverage of his press secretary’s daily briefings, and a few individuals that have his ear, including his wife, Paul Krugman, Colin Powell, Warren Buffett, an unnamed member of The Washington Post’s board of directors, former archbishop of Washington Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, and Green Bay, Wisc., breast cancer survivor and official Regular Person, Laura Klitzka.)
So now, on the eve of Obama’s first official State of the Union address, in which we will learn of his latest policy directives, no doubt influenced by what and to whom he turns for unfiltered information, we wanted to ask you, dear readers, what your reading recommendations would be for the Information-Consumer-In-Chief.
If you could hand one of Obama’s aides a single article, book, magazine gift subscription, documentary film, television clip, or blog link as part of his morning briefing, what would it be and why? And “All of ‘em, any of ‘em” does not count as an answer.
1. http://angrybear.blogspot.com/
2. Dean Baker's blog.
3. Howard Kurtz's column
#1 Posted by hortron, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 11:50 AM
Pick one - any one.
Conservatives Without Conscience, John Dean
Family of Secrets, Russ Baker
The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein
The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the
Heart of American Power, Jeff Sharlet
The Tyranny of Oil, Antonia Juhasz
With God on Their Side, Esther Kaplan
Blackwater, Jeremy Scahill
Bad Moon Rising: How Rev Moon Created the
Washington Times, Seduced the Religious Right, and Built an American Kingdom, John Gorenfeld.
Republican Gomorrah, Max Blumenthal
#2 Posted by Atypical, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 01:02 PM
The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the
Heart of American Power, Jeff Sharlet
and from my list I think he should read TRUE COMPASS ... Ted Kennedy's bio . some interesting refreshers on the politics of the 1960 and `1970 ... from Johnson to Nixon .. and into the 80's
#3 Posted by Mary Elizabeth, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 01:27 PM
He should read the website I edit, CityLimits.org, to better understand the everyday life and trials of lower-income Americans.
"Family of Secrets" by Russ Baker also is great (from Atypical's list).
#4 Posted by Karen Loew, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 01:33 PM
I nominate two golden oldies
Other People's Money by Louis D. Brandies
Wall Street Under Oath by Ferdinand Pecora.
#5 Posted by David Reno, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 01:58 PM
Correction to the above. There should have been an "and" between Brandies and Wall Street Under Oath.
#6 Posted by David Reno, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 02:59 PM
Correction to the above. There should have been an "and" between Brandies and Wall Street Under Oath.
#7 Posted by David Reno, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 03:00 PM
The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shales.
A close runner up is Liberal Fascism.
#8 Posted by Mike H, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 03:29 PM
It never takes long for an ideologue, Mike H, to show up spouting a prerecorded message.
#9 Posted by Atypical, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 04:47 PM
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
www.thebulletin.org
#10 Posted by Cathryn Cranston, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 04:48 PM
Atypical, buy the looks of your list it looks like you beat me to the "ideologue" firsty.
#11 Posted by Mike H, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 05:21 PM
James Madison by Ralph Ketcham
USA trilogy by John DosPassos
NON-STOP NEWS by Ken Auletta, New Yorker 1/25/10
My blog: citizenkaneblog.blogspot.com (not about W.R. Hearst or Orson Welles)
#12 Posted by Art Kane, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 05:48 PM
Hey Mike
Objectively refute any detail in any of those books. Oh by the way, Dean is a conservative.
#13 Posted by Atypical, CJR on Wed 27 Jan 2010 at 06:09 PM
Russ Baker's Family of Secrets would be a great read for him, or anyone in his position, although he's so hesitant and lacking in backbone already that I worry he might get more scared of the CIA and the ruling Establishment that he could become even more of a patsy for the status quo.
#14 Posted by Howie Klein, CJR on Thu 28 Jan 2010 at 02:41 PM
JFK and the Unspeakable by James W. Douglass
Family of Secrets by by Russ Baker
Thy Will Be Done: Nelson Rockefeller, Evangelism, And the Conquest of the Amazon in the Age of Oil by Colby and Dennett
Partner in Power: The Clinton's and Their America by Roger Morris
#15 Posted by Nathaniel Heidenheimer, CJR on Thu 28 Jan 2010 at 07:25 PM
The U.S. Constitution.
#16 Posted by Dan Alba, CJR on Fri 29 Jan 2010 at 04:17 PM
'When Bad Things Happen to Good People'
#17 Posted by Mark Richard, CJR on Fri 29 Jan 2010 at 05:00 PM
A couple of books about another president who inherited an (even worse) financial meltdown.
FDR by Jean Smith, and A Traitor to His Class by H.W. Brands
#18 Posted by mwh, CJR on Fri 29 Jan 2010 at 05:33 PM
The blog Africa is a Country:
[http://africcasacountry.com]
Jon Jeter and Robert E Pierre's “A Day Late and A Dollar Short: High Hopes and Deferred Dreams in Obama’s ‘Post-racial’ America,” (2010)
#19 Posted by Abraham Esau, CJR on Sat 30 Jan 2010 at 12:25 PM
The Declaration of Independence
#20 Posted by Dan Alba, CJR on Sat 30 Jan 2010 at 12:55 PM
"Common Sense"
#21 Posted by padikiller, CJR on Sat 30 Jan 2010 at 02:42 PM
Health Affairs Journal, or at least the blog.
People's History of the United States - Zinn
Moyers on America
#22 Posted by Kathlyn Stone, CJR on Sun 31 Jan 2010 at 07:39 PM
Just How Stupid Are We? by Rick Shenkman
#23 Posted by Hardrada, CJR on Mon 1 Feb 2010 at 05:04 PM
The One and the Many by W. Norris Clark, S.J.
#24 Posted by Robert Kirschmann, CJR on Tue 2 Feb 2010 at 11:13 AM
Give the guy a break. He has enough on his plate.
#25 Posted by Elaine Meyer, CJR on Tue 2 Feb 2010 at 05:13 PM
The Constitution of the United States of America, with the Bill of Rights and all of the Amendments;
The Declaration of Independence; and the Articles of Confederation,
Thomas Paine's Common Sense
The collected works of Voltaire
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
The Thirteen Virtues of Ben Franklin
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
#26 Posted by Jared, CJR on Thu 4 Feb 2010 at 10:29 AM