Accountable: Making America as Good as Its Promise

This is a fine book written for all races and classes of people. It tells us how we all should be accountable from our households to the White House.

Accountable, the third book in a series designed to help citizens understand their role in the political system, hits the nail on the head with several key issues. The book brings up several of the most important issues in America today: Health Care, Education, The Unequal Justice System, The Economy, The Environment and Energy, Democracy and how we can keep election fraud from happening again. The book not only points out what is wrong or right with these systems, it offers solutions. So many books offer no solutions to the problems they present. This one does, and each chapter ends with a checklist of things that we as citizens can do to help correct these situations. Every American should read this book and get involved, even if only a small level. The book also ends with a lengthy list of quotes that Obama has made pertaining to each of the above mentioned chapters. At the end of the list of quotes is a checklist where we can keep record of how many of his election promises he has fulfilled. Some of the stories in this book are surprising. People dumped from their health care plans.. the list of disenfranchised felons by state is disheartening. The chapter on rigged elections and gerrymandering will likely be an eye opener for some even if it seems like old news to others. This book will give you a look at the real America, and hopefully it will help us, citizens and government alike, to fix it.

I thought this book was a wonderful tool. A tool like I have never seen before. The stories can be enlightening and depressing but don't let that throw you. This book has a specific purpose for all americans and that is how do you hold politicians and ourselves accountable long after the election cycle is over. If you can't handle the stories skip them and go right to the accountability pages. I have never, ever had a guide to use to measure political accountability. I wish I had the idea to create a scorecard - and that is what this is. This particular book has one has nothing to do with being African-American. It is about how you hold any and every politician accountable for what they promised. Quite honestly with every election I have participated in I have gotten excited about the promises but have neve gone back to see if the promises were met. This book is a key piece in closing the political loop. I live in Virginia whre we are going throug a gubernatorial election and I am using this book as a campaign guide and follow-up tool.

Every American intelligent enough to vote should read this book. These are the elements that make this book a must read: First, each of Obama's campaign promises are quoted along with descriptions of present problems and shortcomings. Second,the steps necessary to achieve Obama's goals (promises) are outlined. Third, methods for citizens to secure government accountability are detailed. Finally, the book reveals why it is every citizen's responsibility to make America as good as its promise. Highly inspiring, and not without humor, "Accountable" has been written to unify and give hope to all Americans. Start reading this book and it will be difficult for you to put it down until you have read the very last page.

Tavis Smiley is right about the need to return to some semblance of accountability in the United States. We have all seen its failure in both our national and our local settings. For example, what should our reaction be to the complete disconnect between the economic meltdown of 2008-2009 and the reward in the form of bonuses to those who made decisions that proved disastrous for their companies and the larger economy? Smiley appropriately calls for holding people accountable. In this book he surveys the landscape of major issues in society: health care; education; the system of justice; the economy; the environment, energy, and infrastructure; democratic processes; and national identity. Most of these areas include a set of case studies and accountable assessment checklists. This last item is especially interesting because it offers statements of what President Obama said he would do during his campaign and delineating ways in which we might grade his efforts. Additionally, Smiley offers checklists for various government officials, community leaders, faith-based organizations, and individuals within this society. The lengthiest part of the book, a chapter entitled "Promises, Promises...," begins with the statement, "It is the job of politicians to make promises, but it is the job of the people who elect them to make sure they keep them" (p. 171). He follows that with a series of charts laying out promises made and a method for tracking the success or failure in achieving them. In this process, we may hold them accountable for their actions. Through 90 pages, this part of the book may be the most interesting in demonstrating the path toward the future. I look forward to following the progress made in keeping promises made on the campaign trail. I would add, and I believe Tavis Smiley would agree, that we also need to give credit for responses to unforeseen problems that arise, as well as credit for working to resolve challenges that might not have been a part of the campaign process. "Accountable: Making America as Good as its Promise" is a fine exploration of where we are in our society and how it might be changed for the better, with steps for fostering and assessing that progress.