Evaluating the Obama Presidency: From Transformational Goals to Governing Realities

Barack Obama ran for president in 2008 with a message of a shared purpose uniting all Americans, and was elected with expectations that he would usher in a new national culture under an approach grounded in public engagement that would transcend partisan divisions. But in a system designed for incremental and contested policy-making governance, enacting these transformational ambitions proved to be far more difficult than anticipated.

This book assesses the legacy of President Obama, with a...