Obama's Secret Meeting With Historians

[babylonsister]

Can you imagine? Look at that cast of characters-oh, to be a fly on the wall! And I'm loving President Obama's curiosity and willingness to expand his perspective.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/obama/2009/07/10/obamas-secret-meeting-with-historians.html

Obama's Secret Meeting With Historians
The president held a dinner at the White House for leading presidential scholars
By Kenneth T. Walsh
Posted July 10, 2009


President Obama has found another way to break out of the White House "bubble"—holding private discussions with eminent historians who have studied the successes and failures of his predecessors. His goal is to better understand what has worked and what has failed in the past as he makes policy today.

Obama held a dinner at the White House residence with nine such scholars on June 30, and it turned out to be what one participant described as a "history book club, with the president as the inquisitor." Among those attending were Michael Beschloss, H. W. Brands, Douglas Brinkley, Robert Dallek, and Doris Kearns Goodwin. Obama asked the guests to discuss the presidencies that they were most familiar with and to give him insights into what remains relevant to the problems of today.

At one point, the discussion turned to whether Obama was trying to do too much too fast and whether he might overload the political circuits of Congress. He is pushing for legislation to overhaul the healthcare system, the financial industry, and energy policy, and at the same time, he is injecting the federal government into broad areas of the economy in order to end the recession and strengthen the economy's fundamentals. At least one historian said it's wise to push for such a bold agenda because the country is eager for change.

There was a warning note. Several of the scholars pointed out that previous presidents have also tried to make fundamental change in the healthcare system and failed. But Obama seemed undeterred from his goal of getting a massive healthcare bill enacted this year.

Participants were impressed with Obama's intellectual curiosity and his willingness to listen. And he told aides afterward that he wants to hold more such dinners to broaden his perspective.

Other presidents have held discussions with outside experts, but such outreach seems particularly important to Obama. One of his biggest concerns is losing touch with the country because of the isolation imposed by the White House "bubble," and he is doing all he can to stay connected. Among his other techniques are holding town-hall meetings with citizens, reading 10 letters from Americans each day, and having as normal a family life as possible by spending lots of time with his wife, Michelle, and two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

[Captain Hilts]

1. Goodwin and Bechloss are tools. nt

[babylonsister]

5. Why? nt

[Captain Hilts]

11. In brief, Goodwin farms out nearly all the research and assembles it.

That's how she got caught in the plagerism net.

She has great structure to her books, I'll give her credit for that, but the research is often inadequate. I was sitting next to her Library of Congress researcher in the manuscript room and was able to tell her of an important source that was missed for the book on the Roosevelts - a memoir - that would have dramatically changed the tenor of the first part of the book. Lazy research.

Goodwin's book on Lincoln's cabinet is a rehash of two previous books. She's great at marketing, but got her start with LBJ, then married Goodwin, from JFK's cabinet. There were all sorts of rumors about her and LBJ, which I thought were unfair, actually, but it did highlight her connectedness to DC insiders. She's a talk show 'ho.

I liked Bechloss's first book - on the relations between Joe Kennedy and FDR - though it greatly over-estimates the importance of JK. I liked it because it was a fresh take on a story that really hadn't been told all that well or thoroughly. Then, the guy went Hollywood:

His MayDay is good, but was soon thereafter overtaken by events such as the opening of the Soviet archives and Castro's willingness to discuss the Cuban Missile Crisis and permit others around him to discuss it.

The bio of Eisenhower he must have written while sleep-walking.

His book with Talbott - who has a personal stake in the folks mentioned in the book. It's one thing to interview a guy like Talbott, but another to write a book with him.

Nothing new in The Conquerers.

I haven't read the one on presidential courage.

Goodwin and Beschloss are total media hounds in DC. Goodwin's friends in high places saved her career after the plagerism scandal.

[babylonsister]

16. I bow to your knowledge because I haven't read a book that

either of them wrote. I've seen them on the teevee, and that's why I like them. I like their knowledge which I lack, and their passion. There's also Doug Brinkley who I fondly remember during Katrina. I am not familiar with some of those names. The great mix of people is in itself a good thing.

[Captain Hilts]

19. I like Brinkley a lot.

I'm a biography nut and presidential history buff.

I need to read the one that Meacham wrote on Jackson. Meacham's book "Franklin and Winston" is an excellent condensation of the two men, which is no mean feat.

Right now I'm actually doing something I swore I'd never do - reading something by William Manchester - a volume of his Churchill bio. I'm reading the one about Churchill's wilderness years, when he was not in leadership in the '30s. I never tire of reading about Churchill as he's batshit crazy.

Goodwin and Beschloss are articulate and I've met them both. Just in passing with her.

I, too, loved Brinkley's Katrina work.

It's just kind of tiring always hearing from the same folks when there are many good ones out there who don't appear on television.

[goclark]

36. I'm with you

Read one by Goodwin but I love to watch her on TV.

[DURHAM D]

25. Yep - and Doris just makes up shit as she goes.

She is way too much in love with her own voice.

[babylonsister]

29. I think I cut her a lot of slack when I heard about her son

volunteering for Iraq. I know that a lot of people have had their sons and daughters do that, but I've been watching Doris for years. She was a trooper given she's on teevee pretty regularly.

I like her a lot.

What has she made up?

[saltpoint]

2. I love this. I absolutely love it.

This is a peach of a post, babylonsister.

[Captain Hilts]

13. It's a neat idea. A friend of mine wrote a major political bio and

Bill Clinton invited him to the White House and grilled him for quite a while on it. He'd obviously read it and wanted to know more.

[saltpoint]

14. Yep. The process itself is a draw, and it's even better when a president

or two is involved.

[Clio the Leo]

3. well, I dont know that I'd want to be a FLY around Obama but...

..... yes ..... I am SUPERJEALOUS and am currently wishing I hadn't let my public history career get off track.

[Voice for Peace]

4. hahahaaa

but you'd be ok as long as you stayed on the wall.

[Clio the Leo]

10. Yeah, but I couldn't just be on the wall if I was a fly around Barack Obama....

.... I'd be flying all over his head singing that Mariah Carey song....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShSHuseHjTk

[Voice for Peace]

23. hahaha but all he would hear would be buzz buzzz buzzzzzz

[Voice for Peace]

24. in fact.. gosh I almost can't bear to consider this possibility

maybe that fly was a hopeful fly, and he thought he had the president's ear

[Clio the Leo]

27. Nah, Barack Obama can spot the hopeful flies from the......

.... Cheney spy flies.

[babylonsister]

6. On the wall (and behind a plant!).

:hide:

[Clio the Leo]

8. Wearing a helment ..... and some armor. NT

[grantcart]

26. Have you already forgotten what happened to the last DUer that got that wish fulfilled?

[Clio the Leo]

28. lol, the title on that video.....

.... if you think about it in relation to the fly is hillarious.

[Cha]

45. I wanna be a spidey on the wall..

Obama doesn't kill spiders I bet.

[DevonRex]

32. Okay. Now that was funny. :) nt

[grantcart]

7. Interesting article for one of the most right wing mags around

If you click on the poll 50% give the President an 'F'.

[babylonsister]

9. I didn't even go there, nor did I know how r/w it was. I post

articles I agree with usually.

[grantcart]

18. US News and World Report was the preeminate right wing news magazine 1950-70s

They were a right wing alternative to Time and Newsweek, and standard reading at my home.


They probably were too balanced for most conservatives and have been surpassed by more ideological rightwing hacks like Kristol.


Haven't seen them around for a long time.


If you look at the comments you can get a gage of their audience now. They used to reflect an "Eisenhower" Republican view.

[Blue_Tires]

35. +1

their antics in trying to smear the No Gun Ri story were pretty shameful...

[BlooInBloo]

12. He's done/not done some things as I would have liked, but I'm not sorry in the least...

for supporting him overall.

There's no-one else in the country I would have more confidence in.

[Historic NY]

15. my invitation must have got lost.

[HopeOverFear]

22. LOL!!

yeah, mine too.

[glitch]

17. Too bad he didn't invite Howard Zinn or Michael Parenti.

He could have actually learned something.

[babylonsister]

20. ...

:rofl:

[glitch]

31. Yes, they are very good-not sure they're rofl but their writing does make readiing history enjoyable

as well as thorough.

Links for those who haven't read them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Zinn#Academic_career
http://www.powells.com/s?header=Search+Form&kw=Howard+Zinn

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Parenti
http://www.powells.com/s?header=Search+Form&kw=Michael+Parenti

Listening to either of them talk is also a treat:
http://www.howardzinn.org/default/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=54
http://www.archive.org/details/MichaelParentiMichaelParenti-TheFunctionsofFascism

Better than Beltway! :hi:

[babylonsister]

33. I just find it funny that whatever Obama does, whoever he picks

to dine with, he just isn't doing enough, or inviting the right people.

Maybe his next dinner he'll get the opinions of different historians. :hi:

[glitch]

37. He did say in his inauguration speech he wasn't going to make everyone happy.

Thankfully he does appreciate feedback. I haven't given up on him yet :)

If he were to invite Zinn and/or Parenti to a dinner I would be very impressed, but he would take a huge amount of shit from the corporate media for it. What the hell, they already call him a Socialist.

It would provide a booster shot of hope in some of his young supporters' hearts though.

[bertman]

34. My sentiments exactly, glitch.

[blm]

38. And IF he wanted to know what's REALLY RELEVANT to today, Parry would've been there

Lost History, indeed.

[glitch]

39. There's a lot of real history out there that the respectable (corporate) historian types won't touch

I have "Lost History" from http://www.consortiumnews.com/ damn good. Have you read Russ Baker's latest "Family of Secrets"? I haven't read it yet but I've been listening to him speak, can't wait to get it.

[Warm_it_up_Chris]

46. Amen to that.

[scheming daemons]

21. In a related note, Bush read a history book once...

[jberryhill]

30. The One About The Little Engine That Could?

....or did he work his way up to Johnny Tremain?

[Lars39]

44. He squeeked by as a history major, graduating from Yale University.

[intheflow]

40. Why is he looking to the past? It's time to move this country forward!

:sarcasm:



My God, can you believe this? A president who looks at historical precedent to help guide him. It's such a logical, intelligent thing to do, it should be something not even worth posting about on DU, but given the last 8 years, it's like rays of sun coming out after a decade-long monsoon.

[ellisonz]

41. I'm curious to know who the others were...

...Beschloss is a bore.

[masuki bance]

42. Eating dinner with 9 presidential historians and pundits is getting out of the bubble? nt

[Arkana]

43. Robert Dallek, eh?

He's lucky...I'd bet that Dallek discussed Kennedy with him. I'm reading Dallek's biography of Kennedy right now and it's one of the best I've ever read.