There will be much to discuss about this election, both on the national and the local level, in the coming days. But for today, I’ll keep it short, and give you this off-kilter but interesting story that ran in Higher Ed Weekly on Wednesday.
Writer Scott Mclemee asked various “academics, editors, and public intellectuals” to choose one book each that they thought that our new president should take to the White House.
Here’s a few of the books they chose:
James Marcus, the book-review editor for The Columbia Journalism Review, said that at first he wanted to recommend, Democracy in America, The Federalist Papers. But then he got a grip on himself and decided on Tobias Wolff’s In Pharaoh’s Army: Memories of the Lost War “As the next president ponders the best way to extract the United States from its Iraqi quagmire, a memoir of Vietnam seems like a useful reality check.”
(Okay, that works.)
Then Elvin Lim assistant professor of government at Wesleyan University and author of The Anti-Intellectual President, said that the president-elect should read Preparing to be President: The Memos of Richard E. Neustadt (AEI Press, 2000), edited by Charles O. Jones. “Richard Neustadt was a scholar-practitioner who advised Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, and Clinton, and, until his passing in 2003, also the dean of presidential studies. Most of the memos in this volume were written for president-elect John Kennedy, when the country was, as it is now, ready for change.”
(Another undoubtedly handy thing to have.)
The rest of the entries may be found here. They’re a bit on the heady side, but fun to glance through as we wait for our breathing become normal.
Back with more serious elections stuff tomorrow.
PS:
Last night I did a book reading/talk-ish thing at Occidental College, together with Father Greg Boyle. The place was filled with Obama-giddy students who were still reeling happily from the election. They talked a lot about how important Obama’s win was for their generation, and how they and their friends intended to be involved in any way they could in changing the country for the better. It was actually pretty great. (Kids are a good thing.)
I’ll get to the reading list later, but, since you were covering election results, I knew that you wouldn’t want to overlook the re-election of one of your favorite candidates.
Scott McLemee: Over the past few days, I’ve been conducting an utterly unscientific survey of academics, editors, and public intellectuals to find out how  if given a chance  they might try to influence the incoming occupant of the White House.
I cannot think of a worst group of people to ask about running the business of a nation, unless they happen to be accounting and economics professors.
Here’s a publication that I would like Obama to read, seeing how he has endorsed another book by this friend and author.
Prairie Fire : The Politics of Revolutionary Anti-Imperialism by by Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, dedicated to Sirhan Sirhan.
You know what? I think Obama has read it and learned a few tricks from it, too.
How is Obama going to divide the duties of his three Co-Chief of Staff appointments…Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, and Sirhan Sirhan.
I would recommend Obama read the blog of right-wing fools who will blame him for problems of the previous republican adminsiration before Obama even steps foot in the White House.
http://gmroper.com/
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Lost Wing Nut – why did you have to link to that ? I just lost a couple minutes of my life reading one of the stupidest attempts at “analysis”‘ I’ve ever read. That includes most of the crap I’ve sifted through at The Corner, which is a repository of foolishness nearly unmatched this side of the moon. The only thing that shocks me any more when I scan the shit that Roper or Woody churn out is that they are so lacking in self-awareness and aren’t embarrassed by this crap. Roper “famously” claims an IQ of 147, which is the best argument I’ve seen yet for not putting much stock in standard intelligence testing.
Fox News reported Wednesday that Palin’s lack of knowledge on some topics also strained relations between McCain and Palin camps. Carl Cameron reported that campaign sources told him Palin had resisted coaching before her faltering Katie Couric interviews; did not understand that Africa was a continent rather than a country; and could not name the three nations that are part of the North American Free Trade Agreement — the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Yahoo-oo-oo-ooh!!!
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-palin6-2008nov06,0,5597211.story
LWN, Bill Ayers will be Obama’s Head of Homeland Security.
Bill Ayers will be Obama’s Head of Homeland Security?
Hahahahaha!, Hi-Yo Silver, Aw-a-a-a-a-y!, Holy mackerel!, Holy Toledo, Holy smokin’ rockets, Holy Guacamole, Batman!
Señor Woody. . . The internets answer to Nyquil.
I am sorry Celeste, but back in my country, we would call someone like Mr. Woody; a piñata head, or a estupido. Please can you make that a grande estupido! Mr. Obama’s little girls have a more comman sense than Mr. Woody. There is nothing to be afraid of with a black president. You are just unable to handle it Mr. Woody!
Celeste, now that John McCain’s, “Be A Friend Of John McCain” web site has been put into the poo-poo, I feel it really bad for you as Mr. Woody will no doubt stay here longer and more often. But then again, we can rejoice in our victory, while he just make himself more untolerable with his wife 24/7 in the home. Poor Mrs. Woody, I feel it very bad as a woman for her.