The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country

Throughout what seemed like it was going to be an interminable Presidential campaign, with all the posing and politicking and the more than occasional triumph of style over substance, many of us learned way more than we ever wanted to know about tracking polls, retail politics, advance teams, response times, the candidates' favorite road foods, their affability on airplanes and buses, their demeanor in debates, their poise or discomfort in television interviews, their familiarity with social networking on the internet, their families, and the many other qualities and skills necessary to win a national election in this country, in this century. Teams of pundits -- on cable television, in the weekly magazines, in the op-ed pages of newspapers, on blogs and websites - left no detail of the horserace unexamined and by November we had all became experts in politics and strategy. Just ask Joe the Plumber. Or Caroline Kennedy. Howard Fineman, of Newsweek and MSNBC, is one of the best of those pundits and his columns and commentary throughout the political season were consistently insightful and serious, but informed by a wry appreciation for the gamesmanship and high personal stakes of political contests. In this book, The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country Fineman goes beyond cosmetics of the campaigns to look beneath the surface and reveal the underlying philosophical and policy questions that define our politics. Certainly a senior guy like Fineman has `seen it all before,' but that hasn't made him cynical; in fact, he asks whether those questions that linger might offer some insight into who we are as a nation. He identifies 13 essential arguments and shows us how each one plays out in contemporary discourse as well as in history. The thirteen ideas -- debates, questions, whatever -- are the big issues, the essential ones - who is an American, church vs. state, local vs. federal, etc. The result is a fascinating discussion of how Americans have created and re-defined the nation and how that nation should act in the world. The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country is a the opposite of the newscycle-driven horserace that Fineman has been calling for the last two years. It is a thoughtful discussion that reminds us that politics is - or at least should be -- about something other than winning elections.

howard fineman, of newsweek and who appears on nearly all of those nbc shows as a journalist - pundit, shows here tremendously greater brilliance than i had ever before seen or read from him. in reading robert steele's detailed analysis of this book, i found many quotes that i, myself, had found noteworthy. i, too, found fineman's work here at least on par, if not more refined, with that of the young, naive, idealistic Tocqueville, in his descriptive text of Democracy. throughout the book, fineman sifts over various re-occurring matters that we americans keep re-visiting throughout our history. the heart of the matter, as fineman seems to argue, is that democracy is founded upon the principle of participation and all of us ought, in fact, must, argue our positions on relevant points in order for an extreme, participative democracy to exist. of the several thousand books that i've read, this work is within the top 15. this comes highly recommended to anyone who cares about democracy, our government, or who simply wants to better understand how democracy ought to operate. thank you for writing this excellent book!

Unlike other reviewers, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The approach is refreshing and very informative and has made me think about many aspects of American life. The individual arguments and their presentation are very intriguing and enlightening. Each argument is worth reading and thinking about because, as Mr. Fineman points out, they don't go away, nor should they. But addressing these issues also requires honesty in presenting the facts of what has happened, which is done with honesty and candor. I found the interjection of the economic realities, and the resulting ideologies they produce, as they relate to the arguments to be particularly interesting. I believe the author achieves the goals he set: He pulls out of America's past thirteen fundamental questions that we constantly face. They are fundamental questions because they center on exactly what it means to be American. These issues are ones that we should all be thinking about. For that reason, the end of each chapter does feel like something is missing because the debate is not resolved. However, I don't think this can be changed without affecting the integrity of the purpose. Some may find this a little less than comforting, after all we are taught in school to believe in the ideology of America. But I think more is gained by acknowledging our shortcomings as well as our successes; if we as a nation are open to looking for solutions. America is a discussion, and I believe a worthwhile one. With that in mind, I think this book provides a great starting point for us as citizens to engage in the discussion that is America.

The Thirteen American Arguments is suitable for people from all academic backgrounds, whether a political scientist, a chemical engineer or a children's author. Howard Fineman intertwines many historical concepts while portraying a unique perspective on the American political system. Since this book was released just this spring, there are recent events that us as citizens can relate to which pulls the reader into the action. The message Fineman illustrates is difficult to refute, but it fosters the growth of arguments.