Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

"Democracy's Moment is a tremendously important contribution to a moment in our nation's history-Democracy's Moment, hopefully-when we can make major progress toward reforming our democratic processes and practices to make them as vibrant, inclusive, and fully participatory as we possibly can. The book contains a terrific assortment of historical analysis, current trends, and particular policy proposals aimed at making democracy truly work."
--Miles S. Rapoport, President of Demos (from the foreword)

"Listening to most academics and pundits, you would not necessarily believe it: but this IS democracy's moment. Ronald Hayduk and Kevin Mattson are to be congratulated for bringing together a wise group of essayists who combine a detailed knowledge of the electoral system with a democratic imagination grounded in the best of American historical traditions. This is the rare book that could produce a genuinely better civic life."
--Robert D. Johnston, Yale University

"Bringing together a rich and thoughtful collection of essays written by democratic theorists, researchers, and practitioners, Democracy's Moment provides a thoughtful and compelling argument for the need to rediscover our tradition of democratic reform, and a pragmatic blueprint for how to do so. This book should be read by anyone interested in the theory and practice of participatory democracy."
--Michael X. Delli Carpini, Director, Public Policy Program, The Pew Charitable Trusts