Obama in Office

This book offers the first scholarly assessment of President Obama and his first two years in office. Hundreds of journalistic articles and several books have appeared, but this is the first based on the original scholarship of well-established political scientists, practitioners, and journalists who have studied American political institutions and domestic and international public policy. All come together here to offer a fresh perspective on President Obama and his relationship with Congress, interest groups, and a wide variety of policy making communities. Because so much has happened to test the administration during this period, this book is not only timely but rich with new insights into the continuing great recession and its jobless recovery, TARP spending, efforts to save the automobile industry, stimulus legislation, historic health care reform along with reform in other key areas including financial regulation, education, taxation, immigration policy, climate change legislation, a historic deficit, the BP oil leak in the Gulf, and the continuation of two wars. Extreme partisanship, deadlock, and anticipation of Republican midterm electoral success have made policy making difficult despite a Democratic majority in Congress. Looking beyond the midterms, these authors consider the results of 2010, the impact of the Tea Party, and the prospects for 2012. Obama entered office in the midst of the perfect storm; will he exit at the hands of a populist tsunami or return for four more years as the teapot tempest subsides? Check out James Thurber talking about "Obama in Office"