First, let’s talk about why President Obama
named his memoirA
Promised Land. How do you define a
promised land?
What do you think about the fact he wrote this book by hand? Why do
you think he decided to write about his presidency in two parts?
Obama writes this after Trump has taken office—someone who is
against literally everything Obama was for. Let’s try to put
ourselves in the mindset of Obama working on this book knowing that
a lot that he worked for might be overturned.
Part One of the book features insights into Obama’s past and his
eventual road to politics. What was some of the more surprising
aspects of his younger years? Did you learn anything new about him?
In Chapter 2, Barack talks about meeting Michelle. Why do you think
they make for such a good match? What do you think are some of the
key lessons he learned from his relationship with Michelle?
Obama hit some road blocks into his first foray into politics. Let’s
talk about how the initial failures ended up shaping his way he
approached politics in the future.
Michelle has not concealed the she has no love for politics. When
Barack is considering a run for president, she’s upset as it
completely turns the life they had upside down and they will never
be able to go back to how it used to be. On page 70, Michelle asks
Barack, “God, Barack…When is it ever going to be enough?” Let’s
discuss Michelle’s hesitation with her husband running for
president.
Why do you think Obama continued to move forward with running for
the presidency? Was it simply just inevitable with his huge
popularity as a senator that he could win and make a difference? Was
there also ego involved?
Part Two
This part covers his presidential campaign. And he’s pretty honest
with how he felt about it—campaigning is tough and tiresome. What
did you find are some of the more surprising aspects of campaign
life?
Why was Obama initially not such a great debater?
What did you think about the rivalry with Hillary Clinton?
South Carolina was an important primary win for Obama. At his
victory speech, people were chanting, “race doesn’t matter! Race
doesn’t matter!” But Obama writes, “I didn’t have the heart to
correct those well-meaning chanters—to remind them that in the year
2008, with the Confederate flag and all it stood for still hanging
in front of a state capitol just a few blocks away, race still
mattered plenty, as much as they want to believe otherwise.” Let’s
discuss what Obama is saying here.
Obama talks about how the internet and digital networks help him
secure the democrat nomination and eventual presidency. He initially
was inspired by it but wrote how he could not anticipate “how one
day many of the same tools that had put me in the White House would
be deployed in opposition to everything I stood for.” In viewing how
technology was used back then to how it is now—would it have helped
or hinder an Obama campaign if he ran today? Would he still have
been able to secure the nomination? What do you think could be done
about all the misinformation on the internet and social media?
“Clinging to guns or religion” is something that is brought up this
day. Obama still seems frustrated how this is still misunderstood.
Why do you think this phrase has had a lasting impact? What does it
say about some of the white voter base in this country?
Why do you think Obama won over Hillary?
It’s interesting that Joe Biden wasn’t the overwhelming first choice
for VP. Why do you think it ultimately ended up being the right
decision?
This section also goes into Obama’s campaign against McCain. What
were the key takeaways from this presidential race?
Let’s talk the significance and the pressure
of being the first black family to live inthe
White House.
Did you watch Obama’s acceptance speech when he won the presidency?
Part Three
This section starts off with Obama filling in all the cabinet
positions. He seemed focused on experience above all else. What did
you think about his initial cabinet selections?
He details his inauguration day, including there was a potential
planned terrorist attack. Obama said that he realized that was now
part of his job: “maintaining an outward sense of normalcy,
upholding the fiction that we live in a safe and orderly world, even
as I stared down the dark hole of chance and prepared as best as I
could for the possibility that at any given moment on any given day
chaos must break through.” Let’s talk about what it must be like to
have that pressure.
It seems that Obama really went in hoping for collaboration and
bipartisanship from the GOP. But he quickly learned that there would
be a refusal to work with him and members of his administration. Do
you think Obama was naive in thinking that he could work with the
GOP or do you think it’s admirable that he tried to find common
ground with them? Can bipartisanship exist in today’s politics?
The early criticism against Obama was that he was trying to do too
much and change should just be a slogan. Why are people in general
so resistance to real change?
Overall, what’s your impression of how the Obama administration
handled the economic crisis?
There’s several sections dedicated to the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan. On the same note, do you think his administration did
the best they could with those situations or how could they have
handled those wars differently?
Part Four
This part starts off with Obama’s first G20 summit with other world
leaders. What did you think about his assessments of the other world
leaders?
Combating terrorism became a huge part of the job, which including
ordering people to be killed. He writes, “I took no joy in any of
this. It didn’t make me feel powerful. I’d entered politics to help
kids get a better education, to help families get healthcare, to
help poor countries grow more food—it was that kind of power I
measured myself again.” But he goes on to say the other work was
necessary. What is your impression of how Obama handled this area?
The rest of the section is dedicated to passing healthcare reform
and showing all the impacts of the rise of the Tea Party. Why was
there (and still is) a struggle to get the message of healthcare
reform across to voters? Why are voters resistant to change in this
area?
Did you get any additional insights on what it’s like to pass a
bill?
Many people questioned if it was the right move for Obama
administration to focus on healthcare reform in his first term. What
are your thoughts on this?
There’s a brief mention of the H1N1 virus and how that was handled.
Let’s compare the Obama response to the Trump response to COVID-19.
Do you think the passage of the Affordable Healthcare Act was one of
Obama’s proudest accomplishments?
Part Five
This section is more in-depth on foreign policy including the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan. Will there be an end in sight to the wars?
Much of this chapter is prelude to what was to come such as the Iran
nuclear treaty and the Paris Climate Agreement. Let’s discuss both
of these important areas.
Obama says that when he first ran for office, climate change wasn’t
much on his radar compared to better housing, education, healthcare
and jobs. What were the key factors for him to take notice that
climate change is a huge issue?
Why do you think it took so long for the U.S. to take more
meaningful actions against combating climate change?
Part Six
This section is dedicated to many of the rough patches that Obama
faced in his first term. Let’s first talk about the public outcry
over the bailouts.
At one point, Nancy Pelosi encourages Obama to talk with the
American public about how Republicans are blocking his
administration on everything. Do you think Obama and his team should
have called out the Republicans more? Would it have made a
difference?
The midterms were devastating for the Obama administration and the
democrats. Why did voters turn away from democrats that year?
Obama writes that the dominant storyline in the post election
coverage was that “I’d attempted to do too much and hadn’t stayed
focus on the economy; that Obamacare was a fatal error: that I’d
tired to resurrect the kind of big-spending, big-government
liberalism that even Bill Clinton had pronounced dead years ago.” Do
you feel any of these statements are true? Could the administration
have communicated the policies better to the American people?
After the midterm loses, the administration pulled of a successful
lame-duck session. In six weeks, the House and Senate had enacted 99
laws. Obama writes that for a space of a month and a half, democracy
was normal again. “What more might we have accomplished, I wondered,
and how much further along would the economic recovery be, had this
sort of atmosphere prevailed from the start of my term?” What are
your thoughts on this?
Part Seven
This section is focused on foreign policy and military operations.
What did you think about the sections dedicated to the hunt for
Osama bin Laden and his death? Did you gain any more insights from
those sections?
Donald Trump makes multiple appearances in this section with a big
focus on him spouting “birtherism” and other lies. Why do you think
Trump was able to get so much media attention for this? How did this
set the stage for what was eventually to come?
What was your overall impression of Obama’s memoir?
How do you think history will view Obama’s first term?
What do you hope will be included in Part Two?
* Discussion
questions provided by Book Club Chat.