Review of It Was All Obama
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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "It Was All Obama" by Robert A. Taft.]
Whenever I used to think about Barack Obama, I used to think of him as one of the best leaders of the United States of America. However, my opinion on the same was heavily challenged and even changed quite a lot just a few days back. That is because I read the book “It Was All Obama” by Robert A. Taft. The way the author has written this book is something else, and I say so in a good way. The tremendous research Taft has put in and the way he has presented his arguments so boldly and with conviction actually shook me.
This is a heavy book to read, given the bold claims, theories, and arguments that will compel you to just think about everything you believe about American politics and, more so, Obama’s role in it, but somehow you cannot stop flipping the pages. The curiosity of what is to come next will make you do that automatically, and I am not someone who is deeply interested in politics, but this book piqued my interest in the subject in a way I myself did not imagine. So let’s talk about the book a bit now!
Honestly, it is a difficult task to write all that the book contains and everything that it covers in a single, limited-word review, but I will try my best. This review is going to be long! To begin with, the author is a very well-qualified individual, having served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Operations and having also worked with the United Nations. Therefore, his arguments hold weight, and they will compel you to think.
According to the author, the worldview of Obama was shaped by mentors, political activists, and political ideologies during his early days, and the author examines the influences they had on him, which eventually played a major role when he rose to power. Some of the names the author mentioned, because of whom Obama's worldview and ideology were shaped largely, were people like Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, George Soros, and Valerie Jarrett.
One of the major ideas in the book is the existence of what the author calls a “shadow government.” He believes that even after Obama left office, a network of loyal officials and advisers continued to influence policy behind the scenes. That is to say that even though Obama’s official term was 8 years, which ended in 2017, many of Obama’s policies and political allies remained active during the Biden administration, which is why the author often talks about what he considers 16 years of Obama’s broader political influence.
One of the arguments that even I agree with the author on is the argument about the COVID-19 pandemic being a premeditated event used by globalists and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to further their agenda. The author believes that the COVID-19 pandemic was exploited by both the Obama globalists and the CCP to advance their respective agendas. The globalists used the pandemic to push for degrowth and social justice, while the CCP saw an opportunity to cripple the US economy and further its ambitions for global dominance. With COVID–19, both the Obama globalists and the CCP had a common goal to oust President Trump from office. I found this to be quite a strong argument, and I think that the author is right.
Another thing I liked is when the author argues that systemic racism is not White-on-Black but Black-on-Black and that Democrats have mismanaged cities for decades, leading to high crime rates and perpetuating a cycle of victimization. I quite strongly believe the same. The book also discusses the 2020 U.S. presidential election and the author’s belief that widespread election fraud occurred. This was like another eye-opener in itself.
Foreign policy is another major theme that runs through the book, and the author has argued that Obama’s foreign policy decisions on Iraq, Afghanistan, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Arab Spring weakened America while strengthening its foes, such as Russia, China, and Iran. The author has argued that these decisions were all part of a strategy to shift power in the world. This was another interesting and strong argument! The book is filled with such arguments, and you have to read it to actually know everything the author is trying to say, because I cannot possibly cover everything in one review.
As far as the writing style is concerned, the book is actually quite easy to read. Robert writes in a very simple and straightforward manner. He clearly seems to be passionate about the subjects he is writing about. However, the book seems to favor one side of the political spectrum. If I consider this aspect of the book, keeping all readers in mind, I think the book could have benefited from the inclusion of opposing viewpoints or counterarguments. I also would have enjoyed seeing that, maybe to get a more balanced view. I believe that it is best to consider both sides before making a decision or forming an opinion. However, this does not in any way affect my liking for the book. I actually really enjoyed the book because it really expanded my mental horizons to many things that I had never considered or even thought about.
It is very clear that the book is a result of an incredible amount of research, and the author has successfully presented his ideas on the topic by using a variety of citations and examples. For me, the most interesting part was not really the conclusions he came to, but it was more about the way in which he has tried to integrate history, ideology, and politics successfully in a single continuous narrative. Thus, keeping in view all that I have stated above and my appreciation for the book, I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I am deducting a star only because I found some grammatical mistakes in the book. They were not distracting, but because there were a handful of them, I had no other option. Otherwise, this book deserves a full rating.
If you enjoy political books that question mainstream narratives and present strong viewpoints, “It Was All Obama” will definitely give you a lot to think about.
******
It Was All Obama
View: on Bookshelves
Whenever I used to think about Barack Obama, I used to think of him as one of the best leaders of the United States of America. However, my opinion on the same was heavily challenged and even changed quite a lot just a few days back. That is because I read the book “It Was All Obama” by Robert A. Taft. The way the author has written this book is something else, and I say so in a good way. The tremendous research Taft has put in and the way he has presented his arguments so boldly and with conviction actually shook me.
This is a heavy book to read, given the bold claims, theories, and arguments that will compel you to just think about everything you believe about American politics and, more so, Obama’s role in it, but somehow you cannot stop flipping the pages. The curiosity of what is to come next will make you do that automatically, and I am not someone who is deeply interested in politics, but this book piqued my interest in the subject in a way I myself did not imagine. So let’s talk about the book a bit now!
Honestly, it is a difficult task to write all that the book contains and everything that it covers in a single, limited-word review, but I will try my best. This review is going to be long! To begin with, the author is a very well-qualified individual, having served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Operations and having also worked with the United Nations. Therefore, his arguments hold weight, and they will compel you to think.
According to the author, the worldview of Obama was shaped by mentors, political activists, and political ideologies during his early days, and the author examines the influences they had on him, which eventually played a major role when he rose to power. Some of the names the author mentioned, because of whom Obama's worldview and ideology were shaped largely, were people like Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, George Soros, and Valerie Jarrett.
One of the major ideas in the book is the existence of what the author calls a “shadow government.” He believes that even after Obama left office, a network of loyal officials and advisers continued to influence policy behind the scenes. That is to say that even though Obama’s official term was 8 years, which ended in 2017, many of Obama’s policies and political allies remained active during the Biden administration, which is why the author often talks about what he considers 16 years of Obama’s broader political influence.
One of the arguments that even I agree with the author on is the argument about the COVID-19 pandemic being a premeditated event used by globalists and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to further their agenda. The author believes that the COVID-19 pandemic was exploited by both the Obama globalists and the CCP to advance their respective agendas. The globalists used the pandemic to push for degrowth and social justice, while the CCP saw an opportunity to cripple the US economy and further its ambitions for global dominance. With COVID–19, both the Obama globalists and the CCP had a common goal to oust President Trump from office. I found this to be quite a strong argument, and I think that the author is right.
Another thing I liked is when the author argues that systemic racism is not White-on-Black but Black-on-Black and that Democrats have mismanaged cities for decades, leading to high crime rates and perpetuating a cycle of victimization. I quite strongly believe the same. The book also discusses the 2020 U.S. presidential election and the author’s belief that widespread election fraud occurred. This was like another eye-opener in itself.
Foreign policy is another major theme that runs through the book, and the author has argued that Obama’s foreign policy decisions on Iraq, Afghanistan, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Arab Spring weakened America while strengthening its foes, such as Russia, China, and Iran. The author has argued that these decisions were all part of a strategy to shift power in the world. This was another interesting and strong argument! The book is filled with such arguments, and you have to read it to actually know everything the author is trying to say, because I cannot possibly cover everything in one review.
As far as the writing style is concerned, the book is actually quite easy to read. Robert writes in a very simple and straightforward manner. He clearly seems to be passionate about the subjects he is writing about. However, the book seems to favor one side of the political spectrum. If I consider this aspect of the book, keeping all readers in mind, I think the book could have benefited from the inclusion of opposing viewpoints or counterarguments. I also would have enjoyed seeing that, maybe to get a more balanced view. I believe that it is best to consider both sides before making a decision or forming an opinion. However, this does not in any way affect my liking for the book. I actually really enjoyed the book because it really expanded my mental horizons to many things that I had never considered or even thought about.
It is very clear that the book is a result of an incredible amount of research, and the author has successfully presented his ideas on the topic by using a variety of citations and examples. For me, the most interesting part was not really the conclusions he came to, but it was more about the way in which he has tried to integrate history, ideology, and politics successfully in a single continuous narrative. Thus, keeping in view all that I have stated above and my appreciation for the book, I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I am deducting a star only because I found some grammatical mistakes in the book. They were not distracting, but because there were a handful of them, I had no other option. Otherwise, this book deserves a full rating.
If you enjoy political books that question mainstream narratives and present strong viewpoints, “It Was All Obama” will definitely give you a lot to think about.
******
It Was All Obama
View: on Bookshelves
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