Listen to Your Mother: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win (Paperback)

by Robert Creamer (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A stand-up book from a stand-up guy, showing us how to put progress back into ?progressive.? From broad vision to minute details, Creamer offers an invaluable manual for those who want to reassert our country?s historic egalitarian values of fairness, justice, and opportunity for all. -- Jim Hightower, Best selling author, radio commentator and editor of the Hightower Lowdown.

Bob Creamer has been at the center of every major progressive political movement in America for four decades. If anyone in America knows how to run and win issue campaigns it is Bob. Stand Up Straight is nothing less than the bible for progressive political activists. - Brad Woodhouse, President, Americans United for Change --Brad Woodhouse, President, Americans United for Change

Creamer's classroom has been the frontlines and trenches of progressive organizing, from the Civil Rights Movement to the battle for children's health care. Here, he shows us how to replace fear with hope, to renew the call to commitment, and to create our society's next historical movement. -- Congressman John Lewis (D-GA)

If Progressives are ready to move beyond the Age of W into a winning era, they can start with Stand Up Straight. This is more than a call to arms. This is a battle plan from one of the best campaign minds in America. Bob Creamer takes his readers from values to votes with practical tactics and insight gathered over decades of experience. This book is for players...spectators need not apply. - Senator Richard Durbin (D-Illinois), Senate Democratic Whip --Senator Richard Durbin (D-Illinois), Senate Democratic Whip

If every activist in America read Listen to Your Mother: Stand Up Straight, we could change our country. This book will help bring on the New Progressive Era. It's that good - Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) --Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)

Stand Up Straight is a straight up shot in the arm for progressives.Robert Creamer has successfully turned decades of campaign and organizing skills into an essential handbook for understanding political power, activism, and progressive values. Creamer rightly argues that progressives should embrace their core principles and fight for the real political center in American politics today--issues like universal health care and pre-k, energy independence, redeployment from Iraq, and a return to sane and sensible national security policies. -- John Podesta, President and CEO, Center for American Progress and former Chief of Staff to President William J. Clinton

Stand up Straight is a one-stop, nuts-and-bolts manual on how to run a winning campaign ? and, in the process, return America to its progressive roots. Filled with learned-in-the-trenches lessons, Creamer?s book is a master?s class in electoral politics. -- Ariana Huffington, The Huffington Post

This former Congresswoman from Colorado feels a little silly recommending a book by the husband of one of Congress's greatest progressive current representatives, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky from Chicago! The real political experience of Robert Creamer makes "Listen to Your Mother, Stand Up Straight!" one of the best "how to do it" books around. Progressives are always accused of being policy wonks with no real political experience on how to deliver. Not the case here, you get the policy and but also how to make that policy a reality! -- Pat Schroeder, President Association of American Publishers, Former Member of Congress

Product Description
To turn this historic opportunity into long-term political realignment, Progressives must forcefully reassert our commitment to fundamental progressive values and to our vision for the future. Some people think that in order to win, Democrats need to move to the political center by adopting conservative values and splitting the difference between progressive and conservatives positions. History shows they are wrong. To win the next election and to win in the long term, we need to redefine the political center. In this book one of America s most experienced political strategists and organizers lays out a broad strategy for progressive victory and describes the tactics needed to win real-world political battles one at a time. The book analyzes: The self-interests of voters; Our targets for political communication; The principles of political messaging; The secrets of winning electoral and issue campaigns; What we mean by progressive values; How to describe a compelling progressive vision for the future.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 618 pages
• Publisher: Seven Locks Press (November 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979585295
• ISBN-13: 978-0979585296
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #341,548 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, informative and inspiring political treatise, January 26, 2008

By	Dusk2Dawn - See all my reviews

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This is an excellent book, and it's not just an organizing tool although the entire part six is brilliant in that sense, as well as down-to-earth. It's to be devoured not only by progressives but everyone in this land who thought that ideals such as freedom and community could somehow be reconciled as guiding principles of our nation.

All the suggestions and inspirational topics are quite good, and extraordinarily useful. Another incredibly perceptive discussion is in part seven that goes into the Lakoff discussion: namely, attitudes. Creamer, when discussing the ideas of Lakoff, takes apart the misguided and nonproductive position of "radical conservative moral system." That is the ideological position of holding the struggling responsible for their woes, which are in actuality caused by many factors.

It is the political position of radical conservatives that in fact feed into and prolong human suffering. There is also a nice discussion in part eight of some of the ideas of Jared Diamond, author of Germs, Guns and Steel and Collapse. Creamer in this section discusses the folly of shunning the natural and social interdependency of human beings, an intensely social species. In a sense, this is perhaps the most urgent of messages in a day and age where those who rule and who follow rulers, delude themselves into thinking that they don't need others.

Anyone who is from or knows about Chicago is aware of the fine work of Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who is the spouse of author Creamer, and her constituents are in good hands.

But after reading this inspiring book, the message is clear: we need to take on more in our own, individual hands to make the good society our foreparents dreamed of a reality for our children and descendants. I wholeheartedly recommend this fine book to anyone, from 9 years old to 109, or anyone who knows how to read.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm standing up straight now, January 24, 2008

By	M. A. Filippelli "Marc12074" (Elk Grove, CA, US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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A good book and very appropriate for this time when we are considering who to vote for in the up coming election.

While the book is lengthy but it does cover a lot of subjects and ideas. Changing our thought process in the way we vote. really examine the issues beyond part lines. How campaigns are started and run. How potiticians thing and try to sway voters and opinion. pre electon canvasing, the use of the madia, the funadmentals of Progressive thinking and so much more.


Keep in mind that candidates will make broad statements about topics in order to reach more possible voters and votes. Ask your self does the candidate really believes what she\he is saying. Have their voting records reflected that.

The responsibility of voting and what you are voting for or against. Empowering ourselves as voters.

How to defuse disputes between parties in a non violent way. Accepting and embracing diversity and critical thought that may not be inline with what you think. The mastery of communication and how to present you opinion in a non confrontational manor. Using those communication skills to help a cause.

We as voters are a commodity, something tangible and as such we have the responsibility to think and vote responsibly.

After reading this book I felt very enlightened about the entire political process. Stand up straight covers so many subjects in the news today. It talks about the way that these problems are being dealt with and the short comings. It talks about how to re approach these issues having learned from past mistakes. The strength of being a Progressive. The fundamentals of a progressive society. This book was a great learning experience for me and I highly recommend it to any one of any party affiliation.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative thinking., January 18, 2008

By	Greling C. Jackson Jr. (Atlanta) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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There's one thing Mr. Creamer knows and it's strategy. As a veteran progressive on the forefront of political battles, he surely knows his stuff. This book was well put together and very well organized. Though a little on the thick side, it provides an ocean of ideas that will swell your ranks with fresh thoughts on how to become active. If you are into progressive campaigns and grassroots activism, this is definitely one of the better books to add to your collection.