Customer Reviews

Fear and Courage in the Democratic Party

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Every election cycle a handful of books make a defining impact. "Fear and Courage in the Democratic Party" is poised to be one of those books in 2008.

Mr. Hurowitz, a veteran political organizer, makes an impressive book debut. He chronicles several modern Democratic failings and argues that the problem with his beloved party is not a "lack of knowledge or expertise to practice politics effectively" but rather "a deeper problem: a lack of courage."

In gripping prose, he presents a disarmingly modest conclusion. But make no mistake: this Big Idea may change the way you think about the Democratic Party forever. The meticulous research and spirited illustrations of progressive heroes as well as so-called "spineless" Dems will leave you convinced that courage should be the paramount value in Democratic politics going forward.

I found this book to be equal parts insightful and inspiring and recommend it highly to anyone who cares about the future of the Democratic Party.

This book really opened my eyes to the different ways politicians can exercise leadership, and provides a new insight on politics that Mr. Hurowitz explains in clear, engaging, and concise writing. The book shows how some politicians are primarily reactive to the media and other politicians, while others take bold steps to use their office to rally support for innovative progressive initiatives. The chapter on Paul Wellstone was probably my favorite - I thought I knew a lot about this progressive hero, but the detailed description of how he was able to maintain and build a strong base of support while also taking daring stands really inspired me.

This book is really a must-read for progressives who want to know how politics can actually lead to important and lasting change. These are the kinds of lessons that the ultra-conservatives learned long ago and have used to gain more and more power; this excellent book will help us take that power back.

Fear and courage provides a whole new lens to view the 2008 election. Who is talking the talk, who is walking the walk, and who is running scared? Hurowitz puts his finger on what we've been missing in Democrats (and politics in general, let's be honest). It's courage. Reminding us who has it, who lacked it, and most importantly, how we get it back will make voters, organizers, bloggers and political watchers of all stripes take note.

Glenn has the courage to say what others are only thinking. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in progressive politics.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book's chapter on Paul Wellstone, late senator who never backed down from a tough fight. Hurowitz shows that Wellstone's strategy of staying true to core principals can win elections. This should be required reading for anyone who still believes that a finger-to-the-wind candidate has the best chance of taking back the White House.

If you're wondering why the Democratic party used to lose election after election (until the Republicans imploded and the Democrats started winning again by default), this thoughtful and engaging book tells an important part of the story.

For much of the 1990s and early part of this decade, many of the Democratic party's leading politicians capitulated and compromised on issue after issue, often betraying core constituencies like organized labor. Hurowitz's case studies of President Clinton and Sen. Tom Daschle make a convincing argument for how their unwillingness to fight for for Democratic values and principles (or, more generally, their lack of courage) led to their respective political failures. On the other hand, Hurowitz documents how the unlikely political success of Sen. Paul Wellstone was rooted in the courage Wellstone showed by fighting for progressive values, even when it put him at odds with his constituents. Come Election Day, many of those constituents were sufficiently impressed with Wellstone's character and honesty that they voted for him despite disagreeing with the Senator on key issues like welfare reform.

This is an excellent book for anybody interested in how values and character drive political success.

ok, so i only looked at the table of contents and the index, but any discussion of courage in the democratic party MUST include the most courageous democrat to come along in a long time: DENNIS KUCINICH...as his name does not appear in either place, this book is a sham...i won't bother reading it.