Collected Miscellany

There is a great deal of discussion these days about democracy and its potential exportation to various areas of the world. Some see democracy and capitalism as the only hope for defeating terrorism and bringing peace and stability to crucial areas around the globe. Many see the action in Iraq as a step in this plan. Of course, others see this as a utopian scheme, unlikely to succeed and instead likely to have wide and dangerous unintended consequences. Fareed Zakaria?s The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad tackles an interesting sub-debate in this wider discussion: is more democracy the answer? Zakaria?s answer is: not necessarily.

Obviously, his argument is a bit more complicated than that but it is a fair assessment. In essence what Zakaria argues for is more care in defining democracy and a realization than democracy doesn?t always solve our problems. The Future of Freedom is an interesting book with a controversial thesis. It broaches a subject worth thinking about and it touches on some important insights. In the end, however, he fails to make his case and fails to offer much in the way of wisdom for our time of troubles. To give you an idea of why this is, I will touch on a few of the things he gets right and a few insights that I think are missing from his argument.

The first thing that Zakaria gets right, or largely right, is that democracy ? in its simplest form ? is really just a tool. Democracy in this sense is just a format for elections: one man one vote; with 51% you win. These days this is a concept worth remembering. Democracy is not a good in and of itself. In the same vein, it is worth pointing out that democracy can lead to negative results. It is a cliché, but nevertheless true, that Hitler was elected. Democracy doesn?t guarantee good results because it is just a process with the usual trade offs and weaknesses of any system.

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Earlier I posted My Summer Reading List with the caveat that I might not end up reading those books listed but something entirely different. Well that turned out to be prophetic.

The only books I have read on the list are The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad by Fareed Zakaria and Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: My Adventure in Cable News by Tucker Carlson (BTW, in case you missed them, the book review is here and the author interview is here).

Instead of the books listed I took a little different direction. I have been reading Richard Brookhiser’s series of books on the American Founders. So far I have read Alexander Hamilton and Governeur Morris. I plan on reading his work on the Adamses soon.

As is my want I also picked up two small but interesting works and read them. They were:
– Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order by Robert Kagan. And
– Blue Road to Atlantis by Jay Nussbaum.

In a further digression from my reading list, for my next project I plan on reading two distinct takes on current American politics: Ann Coulter’s Treason and Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth by Joe Conason. It should be interesting to see who makes the better case and who is the bigger partisan hack.

So that is where I have been and where I am headed. Look for the book reviews to be posted as I am able this week. Why not pick a couple and follow along at home? Of course you could just wait for the reviews and leave snarky comments . . .

Earlier I posted My Summer Reading List with the caveat that I might not end up reading those books listed but something entirely different. Well that turned out to be prophetic.

The only books I have read on the list are The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad by Fareed Zakaria and Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: My Adventure in Cable News by Tucker Carlson (BTW, in case you missed them, the book review is here and the author interview is here).

Instead of the books listed I took a little different direction. I have been reading Richard Brookhiser’s series of books on the American Founders. So far I have read Alexander Hamilton and Governeur Morris. I plan on reading his work on the Adamses soon.

As is my want I also picked up two small but interesting works and read them. They were:
– Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order by Robert Kagan. And
– Blue Road to Atlantis by Jay Nussbaum.

In a further digression from my reading list, for my next project I plan on reading two distinct takes on current American politics: Ann Coulter’s Treason and Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth by Joe Conason. It should be interesting to see who makes the better case and who is the bigger partisan hack.

So that is where I have been and where I am headed. Look for the book reviews to be posted as I am able this week. Why not pick a couple and follow along at home? Of course you could just wait for the reviews and leave snarky comments . . .

Tucker Carlson had two goals for his forthcoming book Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: to write a book that people would actually want to read, and to tell the truth. The first goal is relative; it depends on your interests. If you are interested in cable news, you will be interested in this book. If you aren?t interested in cable news or Tucker Carlson than you might not have a strong interest in the subject. The second goal, however, seems accomplished. PP&P (Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites) is nothing if not straightforward and truthful and that is what gives it its peculiar charm and humor. There is nothing particularly profound or deeply insightful about it. Instead it is just an inside look at the wild and woolly world of cable news. Carlson has nothing to prove, no pretension to be more important than anyone else. It as if he says to the reader: ?I have this real interesting job let me tell you about it.? If you are fascinated by the media, by politics, by the constant spin and counter spin of cable news, then you will want to read Carlson?s lighthearted romp through his experiences in the business.

Carlson?s entry into cable news came by chance. In October 2000, Carlson happened to be home when a producer from CNN called. They were looking to do immediate reaction to the Cheney-Lieberman VP debate with a show called The Spin Room. The thought was that the campaigns were going to be spinning the debate why not have a show that looked to do the same thing but on live TV. Carlson and Bill Press were given a meager set and a time slot after each of the presidential debates. The network provided chairs and the cameras and not much else. In fact, on that first show even the scripts were incomplete. Carlson?s teleprompter simply read ?Ad Lib Here.? Carlson learned very early that live TV rarely goes as planned. Carlson goes on to relate the travails of dealing with the networks failure to provide a decent set or coffee mugs or even a decent producer. On the positive side, the co-hosts of The Spin Room had practically free reign to discuss whatever they wanted to without interference from Atlanta.. The inability to get mugs, however, had a deeper meaning. The show was summarily cancelled after eight months.

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So what exactly is one to make of all this Harry Potter mania? At first I thought I would capitalize on its popularity by starting a book club. That went over like a lead balloon (Potter won but participation was not exactly gangbusters). Oh well, I thought I will just read the book and post my own review. But now I wonder what exactly I am to say. Doesn’t Blogcritics have that covered already?

Discussions of the phenomenon are already taking on political dimensions. First Natalie Solent links Harry to Libertarianism. Then Assymetrical Information picks up the idea. Soon even the Instapundit is linking to it. Heck, no pop culture reference is complete without being mentioned in The Onion.

Not to be out done by blogs, we now have fancy schmancy literary types bashing HP in the New York Times (I don’t know what took Byatt so long people were talking about this weeks ago). Soon the
Libertarians are debating the subject again.

After all this and thousands more, I am really not that excited to spend a great deal of time on this subject. So let me give it to you in a nutshell: the book left me rather unimpressed. (Minor plot spoilers ahead in case you are the last person on earth not to have read it but still want to)
– For one the book was just too darn long. The story wandered around like a drunken sailor. I get the whole plot development and all, but sheesh 800 pages is a bit much for a kids story.
– Also I got real tired of Harry’s crappy mood. Perhaps adolescence is like that – I don’t remember – but it made for dull reading. There is only so much teen angst and self doubt one can take. The book may be about the banality of evil but I got tired of Harry’s life sucking practically the entire book.
– I was also unimpressed with the way Rowling handled Harry’s dreams. I mean can you honestly tell me you didn’t know that was a trap? Pahleese. Oh and the character who dies? Yeah saw that coming too.
– I really thought the book drifted along until almost the very end. Things got interesting say 500 or 600 pages in but that is a lot of reading for background.

All in all it was a decent read but not worth all the hubbub if you ask me. I am disturbed to see the books practically double in size with each new installment but I think the author is simply trying to give her audience what they want. The kids read the stories and just enjoy the characters and the unique settings. Me I want a little more pull to the story. The themes in this one may have been more mature but the story was slower and less exciting as a result.

So there is my drop in the ocean that is Harry Potter!

Yesterday, I posted a list, and some links to, what other bloggers are reading this summer and I promised to add my own. Well, here it is in all its glory:

BTW, If you want to know what books I have already read this year, I keep a running list here.

Books I plan to read this summer (in no particular order):
– I am currently reading The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad by Fareed Zakaria.

– I am always interested in books on the conservative movement and recently picked up two in this field: A Time for Choosing: The Rise of Modern American Conservatism and Right Face: Organizing the American Conservative Movement 1945-65.

– I am also interested in biographies, and recently Presidential biographies. As a result I am very excited about the American Presidents Series being put out by Henry Holt. I wish they were being published in chronological order, but they are not, so I might have to start with John Patrick Diggins’ volume on John Adams.

– Relatedly, I have been meaning to read Bernard Bailyn’s collection of essays entitled To Begin the World Anew: The Genius and Ambiguities of the American Founders.

– Last but not least I need to dig into the fascinating The Mind and the Market: Capitalism in Modern European Thought by Jerry Z. Muller.

– Oh, I almost forgot. I have an advance copy of Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: My Adventure in Cable News by Tucker Carlson. It is a short and light read so I will probably read that very soon. Good bedtime reading.

Of course I may change my mind and read some entirely different set of books! But the above should give you an idea of where I am headed at the moment.