23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Short, Sensible, Critical, Useful, September 16, 2006
This is a short sensible book, a fast read, with some deep thoughts easily understood:
1) Democratic Party today is timid and out of ideas. It failed America by allowing lies and the suppression of dissent to lead us to an elective war in Iraq that has now cost more dead than were murdered on 9/11, and in addition given us over 65,000 amputees and permanently disabled veterans.
2) The Democratic Party has forgotten its roots in Teddy Roosevelt's sense of national unity, Trumans's sense of internationalism; and John F. Kennedy's sense of civic duty. I would add that the Democratic Party has lost its ties to labor and to religion (see my review of "The Left Hand of God.")
3) The program for the future demands that America lead the world to COLLECTIVE solutions. The author points out that in his obsession with Iraq, Bush Junior has neglected all other global matters as well as domestic security.
4) The author calls for a restoration of government as the source of safety nets for society--not necessarily a larger government, but at least a government not owned by corporations and attentive to the needs of the commonwealth and the public.
5) He concludes the book with a redefinition of security, to include livelihood, community, environment (see my review of Max Manwaring's "Environmental Security and Global Stability"), energy, and borders. To this list I would add family.
6) He stresses the importance of the rule of law, which puts him at one with Senators Warner and McCain, and at odds with the infantile boy president who would sanction torture and rendition and all sorts of imperial atrocities.
7) He notes that no single party can save America, and this may be the acme of wisdom. Now that we know that the Democratic Party is ineffective at a base on base challenge to the Republicans (Karl Rove knows how to steal close elections, having masterminded the criminal thefts of Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004), it is clear that only a coalition campaign, one that unites moderate Republicans like myself with fiscally responsible Democrats, and Independents, Libertarians, Reforms, Greens, and the dis-engaged, can get America on track.
Bill Bradley and Gary Hart are two of my heros. This book confirms the author's continued value and relevance to the future of the nation.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brief Book Offers Some History and a Look Forward, December 13, 2006
The first half of this book is a study of the Democrat presidents over the past fifty years and their actions. He traces the triumphant actions of Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy as well as offering his critiques on the decline of Democrat power.
The second half offers suggestions as to how we can pull together as a nation and revive the party by presenting a unified front as well as win back the majority.
Democrats have already won back the majority. Now all we can do is wait and see what they will do with it. While everything in this book might not be feasible, as a couple of the other reviewers have pointed out, at least it contains ideas. Too many people are running around complaining that things have to be changed, however they have no workable plan. We need more Democrats like Hart, who have ideas and who aren't afraid to voice them.
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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Oversimplifies, October 10, 2006
Hart says that Democrats have been too cautious on Iraq. Perhaps, but raising questions in the frenzy post-9/11 was not a good survival strategy if one was in a contestable race - eg. Max Cleland in Georgia. On the other hand, Hart's suggestion that they now say they made a mistake in originally supporting the war and now see the light seems credible.
Moving on, Hart believes that Democrats have run out of ideas for about the last 40 years. Yet, he also recognizes that some of its last major ideas have had serious repercussions - eg. championing civil rights forfeited its base in the South by alientating white males, especially those in labor unions who see their jobs threatened by minorities entering the labor market. Championing the rights of women further alienated white men who now have to also compete with women of all colors. Meanwhile, environmental and working condition regulations also upset small farmers and businesses, and the Democrats also became tarred with supporting abuse of welfare and resisting protectionism. (How Hart thinks "free trade" is benefitting America's middle class is beyond my comprehension.) Finally, Hart then goes on to criticize America's response to Rwanda, Kosovar, etc. as timid.
As for new ideas, Hart comes up short. He fails to recognize the havoc Free Trade and massive illegal immigration bring (we CANNOT absorb most of Mexico and Central America, which would enter the U.S. if they could), education is no longer the path to growth that it was - due to outsourcing and the fact that about half of college graduates end up taking jobs that do not require a college degree, Hart fails to recognize that education costs have risen far above what is helpful (per studies and comparisions with other nations), he fails to recognize that minorities in the U.S. primarily suffer from their own destructive behaviors, and that healthcare needs massive reform (about half of healthcare costs are wasted - per experts) - not just coverage for all Americans. Then there are those awful trade and government deficits!
Bottom Line: Hart's conclusion that Democrats need new ideas and to work together better is correct - however, he doesn't offer much, if anything, in the way of helpful suggestions beyond the U.S. working together with other nations (something almost everyone recognizes).
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