Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics [Paperback]

Jerome Armstrong (Author), Markos Moulitsas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Crashing the Gate is a shot across the bow at the political establishment in Washington, DC and a call to re-democratize politics in America.
This book lays bare, with passion and precision, how ineffective, incompetent, and antiquated the Democratic Party establishment has become, and how it has failed to adapt and respond to new realities and challenges. The authors save their sharpest knives to go for the jugular in their critique of Republican ideologues who are now running--and ruining--our country.
Written by two of the most popular political bloggers in America, the book hails the new movement--of the netroots, the grassroots, the unorthodox labor unions, the maverick big donors--that is the antidote to old-school politics as usual. Fueled by advances in technology and a hunger for a more authentic and populist democracy, this broad-based movement is changing the way political campaigns are waged and managed.
A must-read book for anyone with an interest in the future of American democracy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...provocative new book that offers a perceptive analysis of progressive politics and proposes to revolutionize the Democratic Party..." -- The Nation, February 24, 2006

"Dead on." -- Adam Cohen, New York Times, March 12, 2006

From the Publisher

There's a powerful new force in the Democratic Party. People around the country are banding together to take back the people's party. Jerome Armstrong and Markos Moulitsas explain how the Republicans rose to power and what the Democrats need to do to take back Washington. This is the playbook for a new century of Democratic leadership.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea Green (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193339241X
• ISBN-13: 978-1933392417
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

201 of 210 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breath of Fresh Air, March 10, 2006

By 

Sten A. Westgard "westgardqc" (Orange, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics (Hardcover)

It's a great look behind the curtains of Democratic politics. It's not so much about the Republican problems - or at least that material is covered in so many books these days - but it details the peculiar weaknesses of the Democrats. I wish there were a few more details about how to cure these ills, but they are pretty obvious: more shoe leather, more Internet fund raising, etc.

Great for those who are "inside-politics" junkies, as well as those who aspire to be part of the netroots and the next wave of political power.

190 of 199 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..., March 10, 2006

By 

Nazgul35 (Saginaw, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics (Hardcover)

But after reading this outstanding evaluation of what ailes the Democratic Party, it is pretty hard to see what was so good about the last 30 years.

The authors do a very good job of laying out exactly what is wrong with the Party. My anger over the leaches pulling the Party down grew as I turned each page.

I am even more dtermined than ever and plan to redouble my efforts to reform this party.

The only drawback to the book is the almost complete lack of any discussion of solutions. These were peppered throughout the book as a contrast to the very real bad things going on in the party. Perhaps the authors would consider allowing several movers and shakers who are accomplishing things out there in the hinterland to add a chapter or two in the second edition to give us some sort of blueprint of how things get done.

176 of 184 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important book for the left, March 10, 2006

By 

D. Kulju - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics (Hardcover)

My copy of Crashing the Gate arrived on a Saturday afternoon. I picked it up late that night and found it hard to put down - and ended up staying up till 5AM.

Other reviews have pretty well laid out the topics covered. I'd add that the historical information on the Conservative movement and the rise of left wing netroots via the Dean Campaign was interesting, a lot of it I knew, but a lot of it I didn't.

The strongest portion of the book (which I went back and read a second time) was the section on Media consultants and their roll in the failure of Democratic politics. Not because it tells us who to blame, but how we might do better. The thing that hit home for me is that the Republicans have a huge advantage over us in advertising because they have figured out that a political ad that pulls on emotional strings is much more effective than trying to layout a policy position or quote statistics. I think Jerome and Markos nailed that.