Foxes in the Henhouse: How the Republicans Stole the South and the Heartland and What the Democrats Must Do to Run 'em Out (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Dave Saunders (Author), Bob Kerrey (Foreword)
Key Phrases: wildlife watchers, total participants, watch wildlife, John Kerry, Mark Warner, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Those who stayed up late to watch with worry or woke in dismay after the November 2004 presidential elections will welcome this answer to "How in the Hell did this happen?" as the first chapter, aptly titled, promises to explain. In this humorous discussion of what went wrong and how to change it, Harvard professor Jarding and Virginia politico Saunders present a method to secure a Democratic victory by gaining the lead in the South and the Midwest. The book encourages Democrats to open their minds to the rural culture of "Bubbas," or blue collar, religious folks who despise government intrusion, have been voting Republican and would respond to political "NASCAR marketing." Jarding and Saunders keep it lively, interspersing low-blow jabs at Republicans with statistics, political history and strategies for Democrats to connect with Bubbas over contentious issues like gun control, environmental protection, gay marriage and abortion.
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Review

"The message from Foxes in the Henhouse is one that must be heard again and again by a lot of Democrats, who do not understand it and have forgotten the importance of reaching out to all voters, of showing passion, of taking stands, of establishing political turf, and of building grassroots organization."

-- Former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743286510
• ISBN-13: 978-0743286510
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #736,004 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, March 30, 2006

By	Loyd E. Eskildson "Pragmatist" (Phoenix, AZ.) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Jarding and Saunders provide a credible, well-reasoned, and easy-to-read critique of recent Democratic campaigns, along with suggestions for significant improvement.

"Foxes in the Henhouse" begins by dissecting the '04 Presidential election into numerous dimensions, showing that Bush had improved over '00 results in about every way possible - concluding that the problem was not that eg. "Bush was a wartime President - very difficult to beat" but that Kerry, et al, had run an ineffective campaign.

Kerry's last mistake was ending up with $15 million in the bank, and 75,000 votes short in Ohio that he possibly could have won had the money been used. His first mistake - conceding the equivalent of 27 states (Bush campaigned everywhere) and their 227 electoral votes - 84% of the total Bush needed to win. Most of the 27 states were in the South, fastest growing area in the U.S. and an area Saunders had recently demonstrated as winnable via Democrat Warner's 2004 victory in the governor's race.

The authors assert that character assassination is now a conventional weapon for Republicans, and Democrats need to fire back. Kerry, for example, should have immediately gone after Bush on the Swift Boat attacks, and called for a debate on military matters (current issues and past service), and held it in the South. They also believe that '04 Democrats mistakenly focused on the economy instead of the war on terror, and added Wesley Clark or Bob Kerrey to the ticket. (Another possibility was Sen. Graham with a 70% approval rating in Florida. a state with 27 electoral votes - enough for Kerry to win.) Instead, Kerry let himself look foolish on the topic by being framed with the "I voted for the "87 billion in spending before I voted against it."

"Foxes in the Henhouse" claims that data show voters in the South and rural America increasingly voting primarily according to issues of patriotism (eg. anti-flag-burning) or morals (they also attend church more often). Republicans have taken advantage of this by using these polarizing issues, without even being burdened with pressure to deliver tangible goods. (Possibly part of the reason Bush II feels free to fill positions with little regard for competence.) The "key" to winning the South is utilizing means to connect culturally with its masses.

The authors believe that the best way to start connecting is NASCAR - eg. sponsor a car. Another is country music - eg. rewrite a popular song to endorse a candidate and have it played regularly by a popular hillbilly band. A third is via other sports - eg. hand out pins with the school and the candidate's name at football games. A fourth suggestion is to get a leading sportsperson to get out the word (eg. at gun shows) that the candidate is not going to be taking away their guns (helps also if the candidate can shoot well).

Finally, Jarding and Saunders offer specifics on rebutting claims that Republicans are the party of family values and God (eg. abortion rates rose 25% under Bush), fiscal conservatism (enormous spending increases; letters from Harvard Business School professors and Nobel laureates in Economics criticizing Bush's "accomplishments," and national defense (serious blunders in setting Iraq troop levels, insufficient armor, trying to short-change veteran's benefits and reduce "combat pay).

Bottom-Line: "Foxes in the Henhouse" ought to boost the morale of any Democrat, and boost all their candidates.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The new gospel for Southern Democrats, May 5, 2006

By	Southern Dem "." (Martinsville, Virginia) - See all my reviews

I am a Southern Democrat, proud and true. This book is for ANY AND EVERYONE associated with progressive politics or the Democratic party. Not only does it outline just what went wrong the past years, but it tells us how to get our butts in shape to get things back on the right track. Real people are being affected by bad policy, and are being douped into buying into the system that is screwing them over. It's time to listen to Mudcat and get movin in the right direction.

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading, March 30, 2006

By	Patsi Bale Cox (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

Foxes in the Henhouse should be required reading for any Democrat or Independent who loves this country and is unwilling to let it continue on the Republicans' disasterous course. (Any writers willing to say that Reagan couldn't carry LBJ's jockstrap are aces in my book!)