February 16, 2009
Obama Under the Microscope
The election of President Obama was historic, to be sure. And Americans hold out much hope for his leadership. But does this rookie chief executive qualify yet for the presidential Hall of Fame?
A program being held on March 19 at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids may give some early clues.
Celebrated historian and award-winning author H.W. Brands, who has written extensive biographies of Presidents Jackson, Roosevelt (both of them) and Wilson, is coming to Michigan to discuss comparisons between our new president and some of his most revered predecessors: Abraham Lincoln, FDR and John F. Kennedy. Brands plans to comment specifically on Mr. Obama’s campaign, election, transition and earliest days in office.
The 7 p.m. event is hosted by Grand Valley State University’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies and the Ford Foundation, Library & Museum. The program is free, but requires advance reservation.
The Hauenstein Center follows up Brands’ appearance with a “debate” over Mr. Obama’s first 100 days in office. Facing off on April 2, also at 7 p.m., will be The Nation’s Katrina vanden Heuvel and National Review’s Rich Lowry. Advance reservation is required.
And one other prominent national writer will be in Michigan to provide his own assessment of Mr. Obama’s start. Peter Baker, senior White House correspondent for The Washington Post and presently reporting on the White House for The New York Times, will speak at the Gerald R. Ford Library in Ann Arbor on March 9.
Baker is the recipient of the 2008 Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency. Admission is free, as is the parking, and a reception follows.
All in all, a great lineup of Obama watchers and scribes commenting on his first 100 days — which don’t even come to an end until April 29.
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