First published 2010
Stanley Kurtz presents Barack Obama as a figure who concealed his true political beliefs from American voters. The veteran journalist spent two years investigating archives and untapped sources to expose what he calls Obama's biggest secret: deep socialist convictions and tactical ruthlessness hidden beneath a pragmatic public persona. Kurtz argues that Obama deliberately misrepresented his past and omitted damaging information to disguise his radical associations. The book explores Obama's connections to groups like ACORN, UNO of Chicago, the Midwest Academy, and the Socialist Scholars Conferences. Kurtz examines Obama's lost years at Columbia University and contends that his youthful attraction to socialism shaped his adult political strategy. According to Kurtz, Obama adopted a gradualist approach combining comprehensive government regulation with an expanding public sector, potentially transforming America into a Scandinavian-style welfare state. The author maintains that the gap between Obama's inner convictions and public image exceeds that of most politicians, and that knowledge of these facts would have prevented his 2008 election victory.
Genres: biography, american, political-science, politics, non-fiction, 21st-century, academic, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: hidden-agenda, unreliable-narrator
Setting: America, Chicago, Columbia University, Midwest Academy, Scandinavia, UNO of Chicago
Period: 2008 Election, Obama's Youth
485 pages · Hardcover · Threshold Editions