Dutch books about America are published every year, but not when presidential elections are around the corner. Only then can American voters learn more from reasonable foreigners. This year’s harvest has come too soon to include the last two rounds of campaigning: an attack on Donald Trump and the more or less voluntary resignation of Joe Biden. No matter, the books are written expressly to place political history in a broader context. Ahead of the Democratic convention that begins next Monday, here’s an overview of the four categories.
Storyteller
‘Yes, here we are again. Still from my camper in the Rocky Mountains.’ Between 1986 and 2005, Charles Kronhuizen was a NOS correspondent in the US for thirteen years, and although he has long since been released, he does not want to budge. At a camp he still does stand-up and still explains to the audience how the country works. There are some insults on TV and social media, but the desire to continue to contribute (‘Kamala Harris is D66’s right wing’) is evident to every ex-reporter.
Have you worked for years to get hold of that great country and then you want to continue in the Netherlands? No way. That’s why Groenhuijsen writes a new America book every few years. Divided States of America More recent and he’s doing what he does in front of the camera in his camper: chatting.
That Groenhuijsen copied almost everything from American media and books (“Anyone who wants information about it can email me,” he says in his afterword) is disappointing. The fact that his ‘personal preference’ is with the Democrats doesn’t make the book any more surprising.
But the biggest drawback is the jargon of the omniscient narrator and the resulting sloppiness. For example, it looks like this: ‘In large parts of the country, the majority of students in education are already of color,’ writes Groenhuijsen. In seven states (…) people are already ‘majority minorities’. This is why many whites vote for right-wing politicians who want to overturn this. Voters are wondering where they all want to live. What will all this cost us? I’ll still keep my job.’
Here the author mixes racism and hatred of (illegal) immigration in an almost insulting manner; Which voters wonder where “colored” Americans should live? In addition, factual errors permeate the book (‘Black churches do not participate in this political game’), the result of Cronhuizen’s ‘personal preference’, carelessness and, above all, self-satisfaction as an American gossip.
Journalist
Steven de Fore has worked for over thirty years standard and came to America in 2001 to cover the aftermath of ‘September 11’. His book Vandals The cover made a startling promise: ‘How the Party of Lincoln Fell into the Party of Trump.’ This is a series of profiles of Americans who played a major role in the development of conservative politics that came to dominate the Republican Party to the point that dissidents left the party or were expelled. It begins with aviation hero Charles Lindbergh, with his unhealthy fascination with Nazi Germany, and ends with Trump, who De Foer thinks is important that he ‘doesn’t end up in the White House, incarcerated’.
Interesting and informative portraits, and at least De Foer uses his own observations as a reporter to bolster his argument. He certainly does not overlook the important influence of religion on American conservatism. Why devote a chapter to dictator Rush Limbaugh and not to Jerry Falwell? The TV preacher and his moral majority have to do with the economics column in the chapter on Ronald Reagan.
For all his useful and readable work, De Foer never lets up on his “how to come” promise. In the chapter on Trump, he believes that “at least eighty years should have shown that subversion of democracy is in the genes of this party.” Yes, he has shown that Trump is not the first destructive force within the Republican Party. Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, activist Pat Buchanan (“the inventor of Trumpism”), political saboteurs Newt Gingrich and Karl Rove, nihilistic senator Mitch McConnell – all of them have played a dark role in American politics in the last century. But it becomes clear after reading how the party prepared itself during that period for an autocratic leader. Vandals Don’t say.
According to de Foer, Trump’s rise to undisputed party leader after the lowest point of his popularity — the first days after the storming of the Capitol — was due to the cowardice of his fellow party members, the cult of personality surrounding Trump. and ‘confidence returned that he could win’. Where is the Republican gene pool on this list?
Historian
Frans Verhagen has turned America into a shop. He writes opinion pieces on it and on NRC, he publishes books on it. In the back of his latest book, President of the United StatesHe mentions no less than three of his own books under the heading ‘Further Reading’. Except for his latest book US presidency (2020), which actually has the same subtitle as his latest book: ‘The History of the World’s Most Powerful Office’.
Of course, it’s okay if you recycle your knowledge; Economist Arnold Hertje gets rich every year with a slightly different textbook in his field. This solid tablet is worth reading not only for legal texts and their interpretations of the presidency, but also for interesting comments on the role of lobbyists and campaign managers. Verhagen doesn’t really seem to understand what that means The wedge issue Bill Clinton’s presidency was an event thanks to his Republican opponent, Newt Gingrich. He understood that emphasizing controversial issues within the opposing party can alienate voters from your party. That’s how you drive a wedge wedgeOn the fault lines of the opposition, in the hope that defectors will vote for your party. Verhagen thinks so The wedge issue One issue is that you can only be for or against without nuances. But that’s a small caveat for a book that consists of three parts: The Presidency, All Presidents, and All Elections, and the first part is definitely the most useful.
The insider
The best book is Michiel Vos, a bit of an underrated reporter because he’s routinely billed as “Nancy Pelosi’s nephew” on radio and TV. Let that be his distinguishing feature, which does not detract from the sharpness of his observations and the dynamism of his writing style. A lot of American phrases, a lot of dialogue, a pleasant indifference. But above all: thanks to his mother-in-law and equally politically astute wife, documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi, he has an insider’s knowledge, finding himself in the inner circle of the White House and Congress. It offers a trek of stimulating insights into what Vos sees and thinks, and what other journalists write. It feels like a crisp original, especially compared to other books.
As Voss’s hedge fund friend (‘My Hedge’) explains to him, Voss takes us into the world of American fundraisers, a place where politicians raise money for their campaigns, a certain ‘thin air’. ‘You are surrounded by successful, wealthy people with a certain disposable income, Disposable income Or more bluntly: “Pay you”.’ The hierarchy of money is staggering, inescapable and decisive. Individuals who raise more than $100,000 per candidate are invited Packers and are at the front of the queue in meetings with the candidate. Two of the most successful Democratic donors can invite a senator to their home for a private concert by opera singer Jesse Norman, which lasts no more than ten minutes — because they also give generously to the Metropolitan Opera.
Donors are rewarded more generously once the politician is elected. “Have you ever met a poor American ambassador,” another insider tells Voss. No, because if you do the president a favor you become an ambassador. Meaningful references throughout the book. about’Of courseA great start to a first meeting: It suggests knowledge and confidence. About the moment to hear Asked: The need for money and why it is needed. About the word ‘Optional‘, it sounds like you have a choice, but essentially it means you have to pay extra. And about the cynicism of journalism. “No more calls when ten people die,” Voss writes of the report on the shooting. ‘No one in the Netherlands called about the shootings on the South Side of Chicago or in “certain neighborhoods” in Philly’ – read: shootings with mainly black people.
Even his observations about Donald Trump are more genuine and more interesting than those of other writers. For a documentary produced by Alexandra Pelosi, Vos visited the White House, where Trump would read an article from the Constitution. The former president is known to have difficulty reading. He becomes increasingly uncomfortable during recordings. Is the phone ringing there? Turn it off! It sounds like a different language, doesn’t it? How your paper rustles!
And if it works. ‘It was great. I was fine.’ Fox in America A book you wish Americans would read. He is the only one who writes something original with a unique point of view and an infectious conviction that feels more American than all the books five to twelve perpetuate for democracy.
Read more
Why the distant horizon calls back to Americans
