Obama and Americas Political Future

Barack Obamas galvanizing victory in 2008, coming amid the greatest economic crisis since the 1930s, opened the door to major reforms. But the president quickly faced skepticism from supporters and fierce opposition from Republicans, who scored sweeping wins in the 2010 midterm election. Here, noted political scientist Theda Skocpol surveys the political landscape and explores its most consequential questions: What happened to Obamas new New Deal? Why have his achievements enraged opponents more than they have satisfied supporters? How has the Tea Partys ascendance reshaped American politics?

Skocpols compelling account rises above conventional wisdom and overwrought rhetoric. The Obama administrations response to the recession produced bold initiativeshealth care reform, changes in college loans, financial regulationthat promise security and opportunity. But these reforms are complex and will take years to implement. Potential beneficiaries do not readily understand them, yet the reforms alarm powerful interests and political enemies, creating the volatile mix of confusion and fear from which Tea Party forces erupted. Skocpol dissects the popular and elite components of the Tea Party reaction that has boosted the Republican Party while pushing it far to the right at a critical juncture for U.S. politics and governance.

Skocpols analysis is accompanied by contributions from two fellow scholars and a former congressman. At this moment of economic uncertainty and extreme polarization, as voters prepare to render another verdict on Obamas historic presidency, Skocpol and her respondents help us to understand its triumphs and setbacks and see where we might be headed next.