The Crisis of American Democracy: The Presidential Elections of 2000 and 2004 [Paperback]

David North (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2004 | ISBN-10: 1875639365 | ISBN-13: 978-1875639366

This 156-page volume of four lectures comprises contemporaneous analyses of the 2000 and 2004 US Presidential elections. In The Crisis of American Democracy, North argues that the re-election of President George W. Bush marks an ominous turning point in American and international politics. Having been returned to power, the most reactionary administration in the history of the United States will escalate its program of international militarism and domestic repression. Through a detailed historical analysis, North establishes that behind the breakdown of democracy in the United States lies the deterioration of the global economic position of American capitalism, and the development of unprecedented levels of wealth concentration and social inequality. The turn to aggressive militarism abroad, and the vast expansion of police state measures during the past three years arise, he maintains, not from the so-called terrorist threat , but from the extreme sharpening of social and class tensions within American society itself. The volume also includes an incisive obituary to Ronald Reagan and an assessment of the Kennedy presidency written by North and Bill Van Auken on the 40th anniversary of John F. Kennedy s assassination.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David North is the chairman of the editorial board of the World Socialist Web Site and the national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (US). He has written and lectured widely on questions of Marxist theory and the history of the Trotskyist movement.

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Mehring Books, Inc. (December 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1875639365
• ISBN-13: 978-1875639366
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #851,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Crisis of American Democracy: the Presidential Elections, April 29, 2005

By 

R. N Rizik "Ron Twerk" (LA, California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Crisis of American Democracy: The Presidential Elections of 2000 and 2004 (Paperback)

Finally, the fog has been lifted. I can think of no other analysis of American society, above all of the significance of the elections mentioned in the title, that comes close to this book in explaning what's happening in the United States today and internationally. Mr. North, and Mr. Van, too, are so readable, logical and persuasive that we must once again reassess what marxism is all about. The writing is as clear as a brook and sharp as a diamond and cuts to the bone: our system has failed and must be replaced. It is the antithesis of liberal whining and radical posturing and, therefore, quite different, in the good sense, from all the claptrap out there. If you really want to understand where we have been, where we are, and where we are going, this book is a must. It should be required reading in schools and universities. Its socio-political and economic analysis demonstrates that Marxism is very much alive; that it never went away. I recommend this book. Aside from being witty, it is provocative as hell.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent political analysis!, March 21, 2005

By 

Joseph Kishore (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crisis of American Democracy: The Presidential Elections of 2000 and 2004 (Paperback)

The author clearly draws out and explains the significance of both the 2000 and the 2004 elections in the United States. He does not stop at the surface appearance of the attack on democratic rights in the US, but probes into the underlying social relations -- particularly the enormous growth of social inequality -- that is well-documented throughout the text. It is quite an important book, particularly for those of us who might despair at the hope for change in the US! North shows why we are wrong to draw this conclusion. It should also be noted that one of the essays is from 2000. The predictions made then -- that the 2000 election and the decision by the Supreme Court represented an irrevocable break from democratic forms of rule in the United States -- have certainly proven to be quite accurate.

This is what he wrote before the final decision of the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore: "What the decision of this court will reveal is how far the American ruling class is prepared to go in breaking with traditional bourgeois-democratic and constitutional norms. Is it prepared to sanction ballot fraud and the suppression of votes? Is it prepared to install in the White House a candidate who has attained that office through blatantly illegal and anti-democratic methods? A substantial section of the American ruling elite, and perhaps even a majority of the Supreme Court, is prepared to do just that. This is because, among this social layer, there has been a dramatic erosion of support for traditional forms of democracy." How true! The remainder of the book is an elaboration on this theme, with an analysis of the first four years of the Bush administration and the 2004 elections.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Destined to be a Classic of Political Analysis", March 21, 2005

By 

T. Mackaman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Crisis of American Democracy: The Presidential Elections of 2000 and 2004 (Paperback)

No shortage of ink has been spilled attempting to explain Bush's election victory of 2004, as well as the character and significance of his administration. Unfortunately, most of these efforts explain nothing, and are interesting only to the extent that they reveal something of the helplessness, hopelessness, and confusion of liberal intellectuals. Towering high above this din of panic-in-print is David North's "The Crisis of American Democracy: The Presidential Elections of 2000 and 2004."

This book represents an outstanding achievement for contemporary socialist political analysis, standing in the tradition of Marx's "Eighteenth Brumaire." In a series of essays characterized by lucid prose and biting wit, North cuts through the dense fog of contemporary politics. For those interested in understanding the Bush administration, I can suggest no better starting point.