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The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country |
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Amazon Sales Rank: 210544
Publication Date: 2009-03-10
Release Date: 2009-03-10
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0812976355
Type: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 336
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Howard Fineman, one of our most trusted political journalists, shows that every debate, from our nation’s founding to the present day, is rooted in one of thirteen arguments that–thankfully–defy resolution. It is the very process of never-ending argument, Fineman explains, that defines us, inspires us, and keeps us free. At a time when most public disagreement seems shrill and meaningless, Fineman makes a cogent case for nurturing the real American dialogue. The Thirteen American Arguments runs the gamut, including
• Who Is a Person? The Declaration of Independence says “everyone,” but it took a Civil War, the Civil Rights Act, and other movements to make that a reality. Now, what about human embryos and prisoners in Guantanamo?
• The Role of Faith No country is more legally secular yet more avowedly prayerful. From Thomas Jefferson to James Dobson, the issue persists: Where does God fit in government?
• America in the World In Iraq and everywhere else, we ask ourselves whether we must change the world in order to survive and honor our values–or whether the best way to do both is to deal with the world as it is.
Whether it’s the nomination of judges or the limits of free speech, presidential power or public debt, the issues that galvanized the Founding Fathers should still inspire our leaders, thinkers, and fellow citizens. If we cease to argue about these things, we cease to be. “Argument is strength, not weakness,” says Fineman. “As long as we argue, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, we will argue.”
Average Rating: 
Review: 2009-11-22
A good concept, but is it true?
Fineman has created a book worthy of study by anyone interested in politics. Sure, there's plenty of flaws (such as that the author's political leanings are apparent), but overall, the message resonates -- only by disagreeing can we, as a nation, best move forward. Just like the CEO who doesn't just want to be surrounded by "yes men", having informed opinions on all sides of an issue helps create better decisions.
That's the theory at least.
Unfortunately, arguments are only a positive if each side listens to (and actually tries to understand) what the other side has to say. Today's politicians don't seem to do that to any meaningful degree.
Visit the halls of Congress any time there isn't actually a vote being held. You'll see our elected officials pontificating for the record, but the only people present to "listen" are the staff who have to be there and the visiting public up in the rafters. Where are the other Senators/Representatives? Often they're out raising funds for their current or next campaign. Or meeting lobbyists in their offices. Or... Anything but actually "debating" the issues.
Review: 2009-08-17
Not so much "American" Arguments...
I picked up Howard Fineman's "The Thirteen American Arguments" because I was intrigued by the title, and thought it fit well with other political science and geo-political books I have recently read, and hoped it would complement them.
Mr. Fineman's "Arguments" are interesting ("Who is a Person", "Who is an American", etc.), and the presentation of each is reasonable. However, once he passes the first few arguments, which are quite foundational, and have a broad and deep history _ which he calls out effectively _ he loses his way amid his spin on the Arguments in the contemporary context. Quite unfortunately, not only do his Arguments become political conflicts (as opposed to "American Arguments") but Mr. Fineman's personal liberal bias begins to dominate. In "The Environment", he spends the entirety of the introduction vilifying Vice President Cheney's energy philosophy and intentions. In fact, after completing the book, I skimmed back through the chapters, and was able to clearly discern the trajectory of the text from a useful and information "American Arguments" into a hollow critique of the George W. Bush administration, including Cheney, with specific critical attention repeatedly heaped on Carl Rove. Again, in "The Environment" Mr. Fineman passes on the opportunity to explore the pro-environmentalist positions in depth (to include probing of the approach, or intentions) and saves his skepticism for "Big Coal" and how they stole a play right from the Rove playbook to battle Al Gore in his attempt at the Presidency.
I might still find some utility in this list of "American Arguments", but the author's insistence on focusing critical and suspicious aspects of the Arguments nearly solely on conservatives, Republicans, and specifically the Bush administration detracts substantially; the "Arguments" get lost in the imbalance and bias.
Review: 2009-07-19
Argument is a good thing -- really...: 3.5 stars
Howard Fineman is a journalist, not a political scholar, and that means this is a lively and readable book. And he has done a remarkable job of honing in on what are -- or should be some of the most fundamental and critical issues that have divided Americans over the centuries since the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. What is a person? What is free speech? Why is the West's most religious society also so focused on dividing religion from public life in a formal fashion? What makes someone an American? These are fascinating questions, worthy of intelligent debate, and from them flow most of the other issues that Americans quarrel over constantly, from abortion to health care or whether or not the government can tell us to wear seatbelts in our cars.
There are few surprises in this book, but that wasn't necessarily a problem for me. It's been long enough since I first read any American political history that it was interesting to follow Fineman's train of thought as to how these issues came to be so important, and the evidence he assembles as to where the debate stands at present. He's no de Toqueville, however, and any historian is liable to find fault either with the level of over-simplification or the (very) occasional error. (Nixon was never actually impeached -- he resigned.) But I suspect the audience Fineman is trying to reach aren't those individuals -- the people who already know about, think about and care about the issues he's trying to draw attention to. They are already out there in the public arena, arguing away. It's the rest of us that Fineman is trying to reach. Argue more, he urges readers in a cri du coeur.
The book's biggest problem is that, for a book about argument, Fineman pays little or not heed to the nature of public discourse -- or argument. Americans do argue all the time; or at least, they yell at each other across a great divide. Remember CNN's show 'Crossfire', finally yanked from the airwaves after comedian Jon Stewart publicly embarassed its hosts by calling attention to the lack of substance amidst the heated rhetoric? Crossfire may be gone from my television set, but what exists in the great marketplace of ideas that Fineman champions isn't any different. We don't debate, we bicker. We stick to our guns, refuse to defer to anyone else as a matter of principle -- even when faced with facts or a logical argument -- and sometimes close our ears to a point of view that doesn't correspond with our own. Let's face it, audience members who flock to see Michael Moore's documentaries aren't going to head off to the bookstore to buy Ann Coulter's books, just as Coulter's fans would rather be caught dead than watching "Bowling for Columbine."
Fineman is quite good at what he does do, but he is missing the bigger picture: why is it that when we have so many things to debate, all we can do is to argue? That might have been a more helpful question, and could have transformed a relatively pedestrian book into something truly intriguing.
Rated 3.5 stars; rounded down for the lack of broader context about how political discourse has changed and Fineman's willingness to overlook the fact that we do argue, just not in constructive ways. Its single most redeeming factor still makes it worth reading: in an era where so much political writing starts from an ideological premise, Fineman tries (even if he doesn't always succeed) to leave his own biases behind him to identify and address the questions themselves. That's a valuable role -- unfortunately he's left lots of room for someone else to come along and fill in the gaps. Recommended for anyone who is fed up with nasty partisan sniping and who wants to be reminded of what it is that Americans keep returning to in our ongoing debate over who we are as a nation. But get it from the library.
Review: 2009-07-03
Political patter which lacks substance
This ISN'T a real book about politics but rather a reporter practicing background patter for a possible network anchor spot. It's Howard Fineman showing off to invisible college politics teachers that he's read his required homework, studied for the test, and as a result, he can spout off a rambling civics lesson AS IF HE'S KNOWLEDGEABLE. But I get no sense that ideas seriously matter to Mr. Fineman. Ideas don't AFFECT him. He doesn't care much for real truth. The book promises dinner but delivers toasted marshmallows.
I am an non-partisan independent thinker who hunted through his book searching for new insights, new takes, new linkages, but I found none. There is no original thinking inside, or if there is I missed it. Mr. Fineman is a pretty boy, a darling of status quo professors, whipping out pretty phrases (example: "The Web is our newest west, talk radio our digital Dixie.") It's a quickie spin through history without coming to grips with tough issues. He's a guy who can talk and SOUND SMART but nothing he says seems to stick in the brain. I wonder if he, himself, takes his ideas seriously?
The book's premise is there are thirteen enduring American arguments that supposedly defy resolution and run through our history. Understand these arguments, and you'll understand America, says Mr. Fineman. But this construct is really a box where he can stash his accumulated factual tidbits. He thinks America is the "arguing country" and derives its strength from argument. If so, where is argument today? And there's a mixed message in his book as well. Mr. Fineman likes the idea of PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME ARGUING but he, himself, doesn't want to take a stand and argue for a particular position; perhaps he sees himself as a newscaster who is ABOVE argument. This is a real weakness with his book. He doesn't take any controversial stands. His position is somewhat condescending.
I found his thinking simplistic. He's run through his study guides so quickly that he hasn't had time to seriously think about things. Mr. Fineman doesn't explain why there's little substantive political argument in contemporary America -- he neither notices this nor tries to explain it -- although, to be fair, he did write near the beginning that we don't argue enough. Overall, it's educated fluff. This book is not really intended for the public (but let's face it: American "citizens" are out to lunch anyway) but as a credential he can wave at network bosses to clinch for himself a higher paying anchor spot in network news.
Mr. Fineman thinks labels like conservative and liberal are functionally meaningless; I disagree, although to be fair these terms are easy to distort -- the term "conservative" depends heavily on what one is trying to conserve, a point made by Andrew Sullivan in his excellent book "The Conservative Soul". But generally I found individual pieces of information in his book to be factually correct, but boring -- a rehashing of history class. I think America is in serious trouble. And I doubt Mr. Fineman has figured this out yet. So there is something unreal about this book for me.
Luckily, there are excellent alternatives for thinking Americans. Readers should check out serious non-partisan critiques of America backed by real thinking. Read Benjamin Ginsberg's "The American Lie" or Dana D. Nelson's "Bad for Democracy" or Kevin R. C. Gutzman's "The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution" or my book (below) or Philip K. Howard's "Life Without Lawyers". Re-read Tocqueville. If you're particularly ambitious, read Habermas' "The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere". Also, Professor Cook's lectures on Tocqueville are eye-opening (from The Teaching Company). These books will help you THINK; Fineman's book is fluff.
Thomas W. Sulcer
author of "Common Sense II: How to Prevent the Three Types of Terrorism" (Amazon/Kindle)
soon to be free electronically via Google Books and Project Gutenberg
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