Book Review: The Audacity of Help
The Audacity of Help: Obama’s Economic Plan and the Remaking of America
Initially, I was reluctant to accept a review copy of The Audacity of Help because I blog primarily on military and national security issues and straight domestic politics posts tends to attract tiresome, angry, commenters who type in caps ( I do not want traffic, I want 
influential readers). Nor am I an expert on business or finance issues, Wasik’s forte as a journalist and an area best judged from a position of extensive personal experience, which I do not have. John Wasik though, after I checked him out, impressed me as an evenhanded and experienced reporter, so I accepted.
If you are a “political blogger”, Left or Right, order a copy of The Audacity of Help today, it’s an invaluable, factual “scorecard” on the domestic agenda of the administration of President Barack Obama, especially the outcome stimulus package and the positions of all the players, executive vs. legislative, promises vs. reality and Democrat vs. Republican. The appendix and bibliographic resources alone will be fodder for many a blog post. Wasik offers a theme of “cui bono” from policy status quo or change that is refreshing and informative (and I say this as someone who would much rather write about Bernard Fall, the Haqqani Network or Herodotus than how Obamacare will impact senior citizens or the elections in 2010) accompanied by various textual, factoid, “asides” that extend each chapter.
Here are the chapters of The Audacity of Help, which runs 202 pages:
1. First Aid and Income Boosters
2. Rebuilding Infrastructure, Creating Jobs,
3. Bottom Up Economics: Small-Business Benefits
4. Job Creators and the Green Collar Bonus
5. Get Smarter
6. Borrowing Wisely
7. Restoring Home Ownership: Keeping the Dream Alive
8. Health Care Reform
9. Unifinished Business: Long Range Goals in Entitlement Reform
10. The Road Ahead
I don’t agree with everything Wasik has to say in terms of policy but Wasik is measured in his praise and criticism on all parties and is ultimately, a fiscal realist (“How will all this money be paid back?”). He gives a fair hearing before offering his own opinions and policy recommendations toward the conclusion of the chapters which allows me to give Wasik the ultimate compliment to a writer of non-fiction:
The Audacty of Help is useful.