David Axelrod (1) (1955–)

As a former journalist, David Axelrod was able to put together a well written story about his years in politics, giving the reader as taste of what a political advisor does in a political campaign. My only other exposure to behind-the-scenes activities of political campaigns was from Craig Unger's book, "Boss Rove: Inside Karl Rove's Secret Kingdom of Power", which played up the dirty side of elections. So my expectation was that this book would be similar, showing how Axelrod has, for the Democrats, mastered the dirty tricks play book as Karl Rove did for the Republicans.
But, while Rove appeared unapologetic for using any means to get his man elected, Alexrod presents a much more principled presentation of his participation. No doubt, this is because he's the author of his own story, yet he does come across as believable. More important, for my enjoyment of this book, was that the book was not written to demonstrate Axelrod's self importance. He give some sense of how he helped focus a candidate's message, but he doesn't give you the feeling that he's constantly patting himself on the back for turning a poor candidate a winner through the magic of his messaging.
Naturally, since Axelrod's claim to fame is his work with Barack Obama, the bulk of the book involves the Presidential campaign and the Obama years in the White House. Axelrod does a good job of humanizing the President, and portraying him as intelligent, dedicated to helping Americans, and truly dedicated to changing the way things work (or don't work) in Washington. Unfortunately, as it worked out, his disdain for the slow, plodding ways of the Senate and his relative inexperience in Washington ended up putting him on a collision course with Congress. As Axelrod points out, Obama was dissatisfied with his time in the Senate, frustrated with the constant talk but lack of fire to actually get anything done. Axelrod gives you the feeling that Obama had truly hoped to be able to change the climate in Washington for the better, but when the Congressional Republicans determined that their success would be based on opposing any Obama or Democratic initiative, Obama soon discovered that his desire for bipartisan actions was lost. That only seemed to compound the problems with a Congress now known for its inability to get anything done. Typical of this dysfunction, Arizona Senator John McCain has recently complained of Obama's lack of respect for Congress, and Obama complains of Congressional lack of respect for the office of the President. We've all seen this blame game going on in Washington over these past several years, but Axelrod provides a peek behind the curtain to see how it all occurred.… (mais)

David Axelrod has written a paean to his favorite politician, Barack Obama. The book is also a memoir of a gifted political insider. Although the title, Believer, would imply that Axelrod has some “higher” motivation underpinning his career as a political strategist, he hasn’t always found the most worthy role models for whom to apply his skills; at one time he conducted the election campaigns of the notorious Rod Blagojevich, the former (and currently imprisoned) governor of Illinois, known for mediocrity as well as for a tendency toward graft.

Nonetheless, Axelrod contends that in Barack Obama he found a worthy focus for his efforts, believing Obama’s objectives to be praiseworthy. Axelrod began working with Obama in 2002, and quickly became Obama’s éminence grise, the principal architect of the strategies that helped Obama get elected first to the U.S. Senate, and then twice to the nation’s highest office, despite the fact that Obama had very little prior experience that prepared him for the work ahead. Axelrod hoped in part that he would feel energized and inspired by Obama’s optimism and idealism; after working in Chicago politics for so long, Axelrod felt cynical.

Unfortunately, once Obama got into office, it seemed (and still does seem) as if the Republications were determined to defeat every initiative of Obama’s no matter its merits. But beyond reproaching the Republicans and pointing out that Obama inherited major problems when he took over the Oval Office, Axelrod doesn’t offer much analysis about what happened to most of the hopes that were more characteristic of the confident candidate than the oft-stymied President.

About half of the book is devoted to Axelrod’s personal history, which is also interesting, especially for a look at the path one might take to become an important counselor to the movers and shakers of the world. Axelrod studied politics at the University of Chicago, and then wrote a political column for the Chicago Tribune. But he realized he didn’t want just to write about the political process; he wanted to be a part of it.

He founded a political consulting firm, and got the job of running the re-election campaign of Chicago's first African-American mayor, Harold Washington. The expertise he gained in building cross-racial coalitions would eventually lead to his successful campaign management of the nation’s first black president. And it is that story, more than just Axelrod’s own, that is the most compelling.

Evaluation: Axelrod seems affable, unaffected, and still wide-eyed, in spite of his fear of having been made jaded by Chicago politics. He isn’t totally uncritical of Obama, but is definitely supportive of him and what he has tried to accomplish. Most importantly, Axelrod has been an insider during a pivotal moment in American history, and thus has a very engaging story to tell.

As a side note, Axelrod continues to push for higher ends through the nonpartisan Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago that he founded in 2012. His stated mission is "to ignite in young people a passion for politics and public service." We have attended a number of his programs [most of them being open to the public], in which prominent speakers discuss current events and political life, generally in an interactive format. It is truly inspirational to observe the idealism and enthusiasm with which participants engage in the exchange of ideas. Axelrod is continuing to make a difference, and is providing many others with opportunities to learn to make a difference as well.

(JAB)… (mais)