Howard Fineman (1948–2024)

In a few weeks most of us will enter the privacy of a voting booth and cast a vote that simultaneously reveals our hopes and expresses our concerns about the direction those who want to lead us will chart for the next four years. The issues that dominate the campaign --- the war in Iraq, the crisis in the mortgage lending business, global climate change --- weren’t the subject of cocktail party conversation (or, for that matter, serious debate) even a decade ago. But as journalist and show more television commentator Howard Fineman describes in his informative new book, each of these issues is merely the latest iteration of some aspect of an enduring American “argument” that’s likely to continue long after the final ballot has been counted.

In this, his first book, Fineman sets for himself the task of sketching out a “comprehensible and nonpartisan overview of our public life and how it works.” For his intellectual scaffold he’s identified thirteen “American Arguments;” what he defines as “a clash between at least two people (or regions, political parties, candidates, or economic interests) over facts and ideas in the search for answers…to questions about the future and fate of America.” And although the facts underlying each argument take a different form each time they arise (the definition of a “person” in the debate over slavery in the nineteenth century or abortion today, to cite but one example) these passionate and enduring arguments have shaped the history of this country from its founding to the present.

In each chapter, Fineman focuses on one argument, from the role of faith in public life, to the power of the judicial branch, to the circumstances under which our leaders will make the decision to go to war. Blending historical analysis and contemporary journalism, and supported by extensive research and interviews with more than 60 prominent Americans, he offers an intelligent and lively summary of the clashing views on each issue.

Walk into any bookstore today and you’ll see the front tables stacked high with polemics from ideologues of the right (Ann Coulter) and left (Michael Moore). It seems most people pick up these books solely to reinforce their prejudices. Fineman plays it pretty much down the middle, although more conservative readers can be forgiven if they detect an ever so slight leftward tilt, especially when it comes to discussing the growth of executive power under the Bush Administration or the conservative leaning of the Supreme Court illustrated in decisions like Bush v. Gore. Still, someone seeking an objective presentation of decidedly hot button issues like freedom of speech or the conflict between economic growth and environmental preservation would be hard pressed to find a more objective place to start.

Apart from length and cost of our presidential campaigns, what’s most troubling is that in the end they somehow devolve into contests in which we’re asked to make judgments about the candidates’ “character,” by choosing between images carefully burnished by skilled public relations professionals. In sketching the boundaries of the debates that have raged over more than two centuries, Fineman reminds us that our country will be shaped less by shallow and highly subjective choices based on the perceived personas of the candidates (“Which candidate would you prefer to have a beer with?” one of the most pathetic) than by their approach to these persisting clashes. “Our best presidents are those who embrace and embody the contradictions and paradoxes of our country,” he writes. “Fate and fortitude allow them to see and even feel both (all) sides of the Thirteen American Arguments. The gift enables them to assemble pieces of enduring ideas and traditions in new ways to meet new challenges.”

By offering this book on the eve of a critical national election, Fineman reveals his essentially optimistic take on our current predicament, even as we face issues like Social Security and Medicare seemingly so intractable as to defy solution: “We need to calm down, get engaged, and look for leadership. We have been here before: the seeming gridlock; the sudden, uncharacteristic loss of faith in the future; the sense that we cannot produce leaders capable of dealing with real problems.” In the end, he observes, “History is hope, the evidence shows.” So do yourself and your country a favor between now and November 4: turn off the television for a couple of evenings, power down the computer and pick up Fineman’s book. If you do, you’ll be a more informed citizen, a wiser voter, and a better American. show less

This book makes we want to go to law school! It is organized and written in such a way to all the reader to understand the issues, but does not talk down to the reader. The ideas presented are often alluded to in our daily lives, but this is a joy to have the opportunity to consider the history of the concept, who was a protagonist and who was against, and how over the years, the country's reactions to these philosophies, theories, and policies has shaped who we are as a people. If we'd had show more more reading and discussion like this in our history classes, we would be a more informed nation today. show less

This book is essential reading at a time when conflicts between racial, ethinic, regional, religious, political, and every other kind of group seem to be more shrill and out of control than ever before. Fineman believes that arguing -- debate -- is the key reason why our country has progressed so far and so well over the last 400 years. He sees it as the glue that holds us together, not the divisive force it so often seems. And he defines thirteen fundamental topics where the arguments have show more been going on for our entire history, areas that have historically and continue today to define us as a people and a nation and challenge our democracy. I found his analysis eye-opening and optimistic, and it give me more hope for the future than I've felt in a long time. show less

I have enjoyed reading and seeing Howard Fineman for many years in Newsweek and on MSNBC and others. So, I was pleased to check out his first book: The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring debates that define and inspire our country. I was not disappointed. The basic premise of the book, as I see it, is that the whole American experience is based on a series of arguments, with much participation and involvement in the debates, with different sides of the essential arguments, through the show more years addressing the issues of the day. Who is a person? What is an American? How much power should reside in the Presidency? Are we for international trade or not? What is the role of faith? Who judges the law? What are the limits of individualism? What can we know and say? What about debt?

Each argument is well researched, with examples from the founding of our nation up to the current time, including the current presidential election campaign. Fineman has been a political reporter since the 1970s. His personal insights into particular events that he has covered are especially useful. He developed the concepts of “the arguments” from his political reporting. He urges each of us to insist that the debates continue, in an open manner, in order to preserve our way of life and government. Open debate of the various arguments is what moves the country forward; and, will move us beyond the current partisanship that tends to stifle debate and communications between the various sides of the important arguments of today.

I fear the “thirteen” may be a little arbitrary as a marketing ploy, but, overall, this is a book I would recommend to anyone – but, especially to those who care and understand what is going on in our country at this point in our history. It is also a relative easy read. I’m happy to say this about a book of substance. show less