A Nation of Wusses: How America's Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great: Book Review

In the month of December 2010 the National Football League postponed an Eagles football game due to snowy conditions. Governor Ed. Rendell, when asked to comment, stated that the United States was becoming a “nation of wusses.” This sparked a debate in which he used the metaphor attacking governmental policies that have lead the US in a downwards spiral. Rendell received a lot of media attention when in his opinion US lawmakers were “wusses.” This metaphor and constant media attention gave Rendell the title of his new book "A Nation of Wusses: How America's Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great.”  The book explains different experiences the former politician had while he was in his numerous offices, and criticises policies lawmakers have put into the political spectrum.

Before you open this book and take a look at what is in between the pages. Understand that the book is separated into two parts. To start the book you must have an open mind. Rendell talks a lot about how the liberal agenda and government is the best response to tackling a lot of America’s domestic policies, so naturally people with a conservative agenda will put down the book and not even bother to read it. The second being, half the book is just him praising himself of his own accomplishments and successful terms in office as Philadelphia’s District Attorney and Mayor, in addition to his eight years as Governor of Pennsylvania. He proceeds to sing the praises of Bill and Hillary Clinton while talking about how collectively they are the best leaders America has ever seen in it’s existence.

A lot of people before opening the book may think it will talk a lot about political theory and be very bipartisan not just one sided. Rendell has a reputation for “stepping over the party lines” and compromising with conservatives, he does mention it more than a few times in the book but it’s all about the liberal agenda, which means people who don’t agree with the agenda won’t even glance at it. Rendell does criticize President Obama and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.“Mistake number one: letting Congress write the specifics of the bill. The administration deferred to Congress, and the well-meaning progressive leadership in the House put in dollars for many social programs that did not create or retain jobs.” (A Nation of Wusses 153). He attacks Democrats in Congress who he feels were given to much power to edit and change provisions in the bill. He also attacks the Democratic controlled congress by changing provisions that suited the interest of their party.  

We all like to talk about our accomplishments and build our ego. But writing it down word for word in a book with a big reputation at stake is not the best of ideas. Rendell spends half the book from chapters 1-12 talking about his achievements and accomplishments. (I understand how you have to build up your reputation in the beginning to make you seem more believable and reliable but you shouldn’t take half the book to do so.) I love Rendell as much as the next Pennsylvanian but the Rendell we all know is a modest man who speaks from the gut. It’s apparent that he gave in to the numerous editors and advisor telling him what he should write. It didn’t feel like Rendell wrote this book at all. Which would make him a wuss wouldn’t it?

“A Nation of Wusses” is a lot of things but bold is certainly not one of them. Rendell over killed on the whole liberal agenda and his accomplishments which are unnecessary. A lot of emphasis was put in on the Clintons that made them seem like political gods and may have been used to create some sort of hype for Hillary to run for president in 2016. The book has it’s moments where I feel Rendell sneaks some dirty politics that occur in his own party in a metaphorical sense. It could be Rendell sticking it to his editor and advisors. It’s all up and down and if you’re a strong liberal who loves the Clintons this book definitely for you. But it has no outreach to target someone else and the writing is definitely not the gut speaking Rendell we all know and love. But keep in mind Rendell spends most of the book railing his praise and talking about one agenda, is this the wussification of Ed Rendell?