Democracy's Moment : Reforming the American Political System for the 21st Century (People, Passions, and Power) (Paperback)

~ Ronald Hayduk (Editor), Kevin Mattson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The two-month long Election Day in Florida made one thing clear: We need to find ways to make the American political system more responsive to the demands of all citizens. This book provides a critical assessement of a broad range of electoral reforms proposed to enhance responsive government. The book aims not only to analyze the obstacles to full political participation, but to capitalize on the window of opportunity that election 2000 has provided to make our political system more truly democratic-to realize democracy's moment.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (June 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742517500
• ISBN-13: 978-0742517509
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,622,137 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars where's the progress?, April 19, 2005

By	L history "santa barbara" (santa barbara) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Democracy's Moment : Reforming the American Political System for the 21st Century (People, Passions, and Power) (Hardcover)

Hayduk and Mattson assemble a work that appears on the surface to have a progressive perspective however they offer us a reminder that a left title does not translate in to a popular critique. The articles on the whole are a randomly assembled and inaccessable even to the high school reader. This work is prescriptive and does not provide a background to the political development of the U.S. While hindsight is 20-20 -- the kind of reform the editors' prescribe is not in the works. This is mostly hyperbole and boosterism, but for most readers, it is rather shallow and certainly way off the mark.

Wish this was a good book given the importance of the topic.

1.0 out of 5 stars democracy or "Populist Moment", April 18, 2005

By	Raymond C "RC SC" (Santa Cruz) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Democracy's Moment : Reforming the American Political System for the 21st Century (People, Passions, and Power) (Hardcover)

The author's do not prove that this is democracy's movement. The mainstream analysis provides more of the same hot air on using the U.S. political system to create a democratic "moment". The authors carelessly commandeer part of the title of historian Lawrence Goodwyn's "Populist Moment" a hisorical text that indeed tells us about genuine democracy and the experiential nature of popular participation. The editors do not provide help in understanding how real people actually participate in civic life.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars liberal prescription, April 18, 2005

By	Marcus Arriliano "left network" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Democracy's Moment : Reforming the American Political System for the 21st Century (People, Passions, and Power) (Hardcover)

This book is no help in understanding the misuse of political institutions in the U.S. It has absolutely no focus, meandering from essay to essay with no apparent methodological fraework. The various essays seem to be readily accessible virtually anywhere else in the literature. The editors do not demonstrate a sense of historical analysis, the power of corporate economic interests in shaping the political system,, nor an understanding of the efforts of the upper class to use politics as a means of advancing their interests. Even if one were to accept the reformist notions proffered here, the writers do not present how reforming the American political system will work. The prescriptive nature provided by the authors does not shed light on radical alternatives. The editors succeeding in advancing a right-wing political and economic agenda by offering hope where none exists.