The Last Best Hope: Restoring Conservatism and America's Promise (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this disappointingly mundane book, Scarborough, host of MSNBC's Morning Joe, mistakes his skills at showmanship for those of critical analysis. From the Iraq War to the recent financial crisis, his arguments amount to little more than a superficial précis of the current political moment. For most readers, this book will be an ideological retread and an unimaginative slog. Unlike the recent writings of Reihan Salam and Ross Douthat, whose New Majority labored to be a prescriptive way forward for conservatives, Scarborough hardly gets outside of the well-traversed policy debates and received wisdom of Beltway professionals. While he sees his book as a blueprint for a renewed conservative politics, his only stab at unconventional thinking is to advocate a conservative embrace of green politics. For all the book's flaws, it never descends to ad hominem attacks or becomes a platform for gross personal vendettas, nor does it trade in the self-regard of the Olberman or O'Reilly variety, which is to Scarborough's credit. But these qualities are not enough to recommend readers pluck this one from the shelf, or even the bargain bin. (July)
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Review

“Conservatives need to read this book. Joe Scarborough is a real conservative.”
—Jed Babbin, Human Events

“In this engaging and timely book, Joe Scarborough undertakes a critical mission: the reinvigoration of conservatism in America. Aiming to take conservatives beyond reaction and beyond sentimentality, he asks the big questions, and does not shy away from offering answers. This is an important contribution to one of the most vital debates of the day.”
—Jon Meacham

“Joe Scarborough can save the GOP. This is a lively, likeable and important book. So my fellow Republicans–rejoice. We have a face! Now let’s get to work.”
—Christopher Buckley

“The Last Best Hope is must reading for anyone who cares about the conservative movement.”
—Peggy Noonan


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Crown Forum (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307463699
• ISBN-13: 978-0307463692
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,720 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At the crossroads in conservatism, June 9, 2009

By	FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

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There is no mistaking that Conservatism in the United States is in turmoil right now. A few years after there was a sense of triumph and the idea of a permanent Republican majority in Washington, there was a sort of Gotterdammerung, and the structure came crashing down with the loss of both houses of Congress and the Presidency, in addition to a number of state and local positions, to the Democrats.

However, the death of the Republican party specifically, and Conservatism generally, has been exaggerated, much in the way the demise of the Democratic party was also overstated in the early 2000s. Joe Scarborough, who as a Congressman during the Gingrich as the Contract for America progressed, made a name for himself by being a solid conservative, offers an interesting perspective of the rise and fall of the ideology and practice over the past few decades. It is interesting that during the divided government of Republican Congress and Democratic Presidency, we had budget surpluses. When the Republicans gained complete control, that was not sustained.

Scarborough contends that the Republican party stopped being conservative, and that that was their primary problem. They spent too much, became too adventurous, and too confident of their own abilities to act alone in the country and in the world. As Scarborough said, one can't double the national debt and claim to be the fiscally responsible party. The party needs to be a big tent party again, according to Scarborough, which means it need to have a place for both Cheney and Powell.

Everyone quotes Ronald Reagan, he states, and that ideology is a good conservative one, but the specifics of Reagan's policies won't necessarily work today. It is more of an attitude, Scarborough says - Reagan was not someone who emphasized "hate" in the way that some conservative commentators do today. If the Republicans are to survive, Scarborough contends, then they must be more inclusive and become once again true to their conservative roots. This is an interesting feature - Scarborough admires Ronald Reagan, but he does not deify him. Reagan had many great qualities, but Scarborough refuses to engage the revisionist history that removes all flaws from Ronald Reagan. True conservatism much take Reagan warts and all, realizing that there was much success despite the flaws.

Scarborough is in some ways an outsider to the current conservative trend. His position on the liberal network MSNBC demonstrates this in some respects; his failure to always adhere to party or ideological talking points also demonstrates this. However, this also makes him a more effective critic, as he is far from being a liberal. In the book, Scarborough also addresses a few topics that also show this - he has criticism for the current Obama administration with their continuation of spending policies that are fiscally suspect (without denying the fiscal irresponsibility of their immediate predecessors, as some other conservative commentators often do). He also looks at the economic issues of the Wall Street banking collapse, including the collusion of both Democrats and Republicans over the past twenty years that contributed to an unsustainable housing bubble, whose collapse contributed greatly to this now-worldwide economic recession.

For those who enjoy watching Scarborough on the Morning Joe program on MSNBC, this will be a welcome book. For those who enjoying arguing with Scarborough, this will also be a welcome text. For liberals, conservatives and moderates, there is something here worth reading. We are at a crossroads in American conservatism, and Scarborough's text is an interesting addition to the ongoing debate.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It Only Skims the Surface, June 20, 2009

By	C. Burke (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have great respect for Joe Scarborough. It can't be easy being the only conservative host on MSNBC.

After reading glowing reviews from Peggy Noonan and Christopher Buckley, I knew I had to get this book. Returning Conservatism back to its Goldwater/Reagan and even Edmund Burke roots has been a personal passion of mine for some time. And while my positions against Medicare Part D, Bush administration management of the Iraq War along with my generally federalist approach to same-sex marriage were against the day's grain, I still wore the R tag proudly.

But this book takes a while to get to its central point. The chapters really didn't tell me anything I didn't know and the positions for the future felt a little vague and generalized.

You're on the right track, Mr. Scarborough. Maybe you were aiming for a more general audience, but I would like a little more depth and specific policy proposals. But if you're planning a 2010 or 2012 run for office, please ignore my recommendations.

Amazon readers, if you're looking for a little more depth and exploration, check out The Conservative Soul by Andrew Sullivan.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Liberal's review, June 15, 2009

By	B. Flinchbaugh "symtrumpeter01" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After the era of George W. Bush, I started leaning left and was drawn to Obama during the campaign. I voted for him, but now am concerned with his fiscal irrationality and "dig the hole deeper" mentality. I also abhor people like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh and think that Newt and Cheney are the destroyers of the RNC.

But in this book, Scarborough clearly lays out the difference between GWB and conservatism. He reminds us that Bush was more liberal than he was conservative on matters of military use, foreign diplomacy, and more socialist on matters of TARP and bailouts. The problem now is that the current republican leaders have bought into the GWB madness too, leaving the party in a state of total disarray and leaving the US with no conservative-intelligent choices.

The RNC needs to do as Scarborough says and adopt green policy. They also need to distance themselves from dogmatic ideologues on all fronts, especially (imo) the evangelical right. If republicans could somehow bring themselves back to being fiscally responsible while not trying to impose ideology on the people, they would be on the road to recovering from the Bush mess.