The Amateur

Barack Obama in the White House

By: Edward Klein

Narrated by: John McLain

Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

It’s amateur hour at the White House. So says New York Times best-selling author Edward Klein in his political exposé The Amateur. Tapping into the public’s growing sentiment that President Obama is in over his head, The Amateur argues that Obama’s toxic combination of incompetence and arrogance has run our nation and his presidency off the rails.

“Obama was both completely inexperienced and ideologically far to the left of most Americans when he entered the White House,” says Klein. “And he was so arrogant that he didn’t even know what he didn’t know.”

Klein, who is known for getting the inside scoop on everyone from the Kennedys to the Clintons, reveals never before published details about the Obama administration’s political inner workings, as well as Barack and Michelle’s personal lives, including the inordinate influence Michelle wields over Barack and her feud with a high profile celebrity; the real reason Rahm Emanuel left the White House (it wasn’t for family reasons); why Valerie Jarrett’s role is closer to that of Rasputin than impartial senior advisor; how Obama has purposefully forgotten and ignored those who put him in power, including the Kennedys and the Jewish and African American communities in Chicago.

From Obama’s conceited and detached demeanor, to his detrimental reliance on Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett’s advice, to the Obamas’ extravagant and out of touch lifestyle, The Amateur reveals a president whose ignorance and incompetence are sabotaging himself, his presidency, and America.

©2012 Edward Klein (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“ The Amateur is the best book I’ve read on how Barack Obama is wrecking our country. I urge everyone who cares about America to read Edward Klein’s eyeopening book.” (Donald J. Trump)

“This is a racy, entertaining, informative book that illuminates apects of Obama and his team that have not been previously reported. A necessary antidote to the Obama worship that is sure to characterize the election debate.” (Dinesh D’Souza, New York Times best-selling author)

“A devastating indictment of the lethal combination of incompetence and radicalism that has made Obama into one of the worst presidents in American history.” (Norman Podhoretz, New York Times best-selling author)

In the Best Tradition of Mud-slinging Politics

Klein bills his book, The Amateur, as a journalistic investigation into the other side of the Obama presidency. And in a way, the book typifies what journalism has become. This is an unapologetically partisan diatribe written to convince the reader that Obama is a poor president and probably not a very nice guy either. Klein attacks Obama and everyone around him in a narrative that reflects the best mud-slinging, yellow journalism. Logic is replaced with invective and narrative with preachy sermonettes designed to please those already inclined to buy his arguments.

I had picked up the book hoping to hear an honest book from a balanced journalist. The Amateur is not that. I'm not a fan of Obama and find there is little to appreciate about the job the 44th president has done in his first term. But the type of "reporting" done by Klein is ineffective as a polemic.

Klein attempts to dig into the dark side of Obama exposing the parts of his presidency and character that he believes no one wants to talk about. But Klein’s Obama is corrupt through and through, a man that is all darkness and no light. Character traits like intellectual toughness that might be advantageous to a better man end up as impersonal in Obama.

Obama friends and colleagues are all no good too. He writes about how Obama surrounds himself with tough people that "fire workers on the spot" and "decide who is in and who is out" with an unabashed judgmental tone as if the goings-on in the Obama White House are characteristic only of Obama’s presidency. Yet little of what Klein writes seems to be anything more than politics as usual. A look inside any president’s reign--Republican or Democrat--will surface exactly the same story. To hate what goes on “behind the scenes” in the Obama political machine is to hate the presidency, not necessarily Obama.

He quotes statistics without a broader context to put them in perspective. For example, he tells us that viewership for Obama’s State of the Union speeches dropped from 52 million viewers in his first speech to around 38 million in his third as an example of how the president has fallen from grace. He does not tell us that such a drop is typical for presidential speeches. According to The Nielsen Company, Clinton’s first speech garnered 66 million viewers and the third of his first term dropped to 44 million—a bigger percentage drop. Clinton’s final speech of his second term brought in only 31 million viewers. On the other hand the numbers for Bush’s speeches went up in his first term and it would be hard to argue it was because he was becoming more popular. But Klein wants us to believe that the drop in Obama's viewership is due to the amateurish performance of the president.

The book isn’t written well. It's uneven, blatantly contradictory in key areas, hyperbolic bordering on vindictive, and a touch self-aggrandizing. Some sections hang together and tell a story while others seem like various, mostly damning, facts strung together to make a point. Some chapters are very short others quite long. The narrator too picks up the preachy tone of the book. The narration is clear and easy to listen to but the style the reader adopts adds to the overly dramatic and biased nature of the book.

Walter Isaacson’s recent biography of Steve Jobs is a much better model for the type of journalism that makes for good biography. It’s clear that Isaacson is a fan of Jobs but he’s not a fanatic. He weaves the good with the bad and tells a story about the whole man creating drama from the story of Jobs’ life rather than infusing drama into the text to elicit unavoidable conclusions. Klein opted for cheap shots in an election year. Too bad.

Well, I couldn't even finish

I was hoping to hear some intellectual rationale for Obama's performance issues, not a rant from folks who seem to react very personally to Obama's slights. I found little substance, little objectivity, and lots of sensationalism. I love a good celebrity rag - have a home subscription to "OK" magazine. That is what this felt like, and I just was not expecting that. Will keep looking for a more robust approach to what I believe is a valid topic.

somewhat entertaining but Extremely biased

I was expecting to get some insight how Obama operates and makes decisions. Instead this book is 80% Klein’s opinion on Obama’s incompetence and 20% gossip about his inner circle, most of it from “Anonymous Sources". There is some interesting stuff for instance Bill Clinton supposedly called Obama an “amateur” at a party where he also ranted why Hillary should challenge Obama in 2012. And Michelle Obama supposedly called Hillary a “snake”. The book is full of these backbiting comments but it is utterly lacking in information on how decisions are made in the oval office. The author truly hates Obama which raises the question how much of this book is factual reporting. The author writes “Obama never had a real job” which is typical of the authors degrading opinion of Obama, which overwhelms the book. Then he describes his 12 years employment as a college professor. So all college professors don’t have real jobs, or just Obama? After a few hours Klein’s ranting becomes annoying. I am no fan of Obama and I was hoping to get some insight on his performance. It isn’t in this book. There are some interesting tidbits about Jeremiah Wright, Valerie Jarrett, Axelrod and other insiders but the authors opinionated writing is overwhelming and best described as Hannity on steroids

Boring

Would you try another book from Edward Klein and/or John McLain?

depends on the topic. this book was just boring.

Would you be willing to try another one of John McLain’s performances?

he was pretty monotonous. probably not.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment. it wasn't what i was expecting. i didn't really care for any of the anectdotes/information they put forth. not my cup of tea.

Any additional comments?

I don't understand why this book got such rave reviews. It sounded like it was right up my alley, but it was really just a bunch of boring anectdotes and 'insider' information. I have little to no interest in anything this book put forth...although i couldn't finish it. I got about half way through and listening to it started to feel like a chore. Perhaps it was the monotonous narration. I was expecting it to be more policy oriented and how Obama's decisions have exacerbated our problems. Instead i got hours of stuff about valarie jarret and michelle obama. Most of what was put forth i sort of intuitively knew. I just couldn't make myself care about this material.

Hatchet Job

Would you try another book from Edward Klein and/or John McLain?

No, I don't think I would. I'm no fan of Obama, but this book was too much of a one-sided hatchet job even for me.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I don't know.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The tone of voice was annoying. Every sentence was read as if it was the most damaging smoking gun anyone ever discovered about any president. One attack followed by another attack followed by another attack... just present the information.

Great analysis of what we received for our leader

What disappointed you about The Amateur?

Only disappointment Is in the unbelievable excuse for a leader let alone a President

What do you think your next listen will be?

Cowards

What didn’t you like about John McLain’s performance?

Hit the most important points

What character would you cut from The Amateur?

Obama

Any additional comments?

None better luck with a new President

No one is this evil, awful, bad, or dark. Aaargh!

Look, I decided not to vote for President Obama before I read "the Amateur: I'm sorry I wasted the time on this polemic. According to Kline Mr. Obama is the worst PERSON to ever sit in the oval office. He has no redeeming characteristics. Klein is so over the top that he convinced me to take another look at The President. And while I will probably still have sufficient reservations regarding his economic strategies, I'm certainly going to give him the benefit of the doubt after listening to Klein's relentless vilification. Okay... I have learned never to read anything by this author again. Unless you feel the need for a loooooong injection of hatred delivered by an author who may even have contempt for your intelligence.... Skip this book.

Total waste of time

Don’t waste your credits. A total and complete disappointment of a book- I wish I hadn’t actually paid for this.

So, you are telling me he is a politician??

Any additional comments?

Obama didn't call campaign donors back?? He is an egotistical academic elitist?? WHAT! This is brand new earth shattering news!

The man is a politician! That is what politicians do. While this book gives you a little more insight into the life of Obama, I felt like the author was digging for reasons to hate President Obama. Things that actually mattered, like how he voted as an Illinois Senator, opposing the Induced Infant Liability Act and repeatedly voted against requirements and restrictions intended to stop what opponents label "born alive" abortions were talked about for a quick minute. Then the author proceeded to talk a good thirty minutes talking about how Michelle Obama had a temper... again what a shocker that a woman can be emotional. It was slightly informative regarding foreign policy, but even then it felt like a one sided attack.

In the end, it was one man's crusade to prove why Obama was a terrible person and an Amateur on the side. Not really the unbiased perspective on his lack of qualification I was hoping for.

Sucks!!!!!!!

Didn't read it. can't get it out of my list of books. Never put it there...