Middle Class Dreams: The Politics and Power of the New American Majority, Revised and Updated Edition [Paperback]

Mr. Stanley B. Greenberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 29, 1996

The United States is in the midst of a historic political upheaval. Its middle class is increasingly disillusioned with official Washington and with the two major parties, neither of which is able to inspire confidence. Now Stanley Greenberg, the nation`s preeminent analyst of public opinion, gives a brutally honest account of the causes and effects of this middle-class rebellion. Greenberg shows how Democrats and Republicans have historically wooed the middle class and why these traditional party strategies produced thirty years of growing party failure. He outlines the daunting challenges each major party faces in order to win back the middle-class voters in this new period of our history. In this major new and revised edition of his book, Greenberg analyzes the 1994 election upheaval and offers some provocative opinions about the presidential election of 1996. Acclaim for the previous edition: "What makes [this] book interesting, in part, is knowing that you`re seeing some of the concealed endoskeleton of the presidency, the strategic political calculation that must be in Clinton`s mind as he manages each succeeding crisis but that he can never discuss openly."-Nicholas Lemann, The New Republic "An ambitious book, . . . more intellectually provocative than an insider's tell-all."-Janet Hook, New York Times Book Review "A substantial contribution to contemporary thinking about politics. Students of campaigns and elections, public policy, and public opinion will find things of value in this book."-Darrell M. West, Brown University

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Greenberg, a former Yale political science professor who is now Bill Clinton's pollster, ignores the "daily grind of presidential politics" to assess the nation's political situation. He draws on history, on years of research in suburban Detroit (Macomb County), and on interviews with ordinary citizens across the country to argue that the 1992 election "confirmed the collapse of the dominant political traditions that had organized American politics for more than a century." The Democrats' bottom-up vision and the Republicans' top-down view, he maintains, have actually been dead for decades: both LBJ's Great Society and Reaganomics tried to breathe new life into old social contracts but left the middle class feeling betrayed. Greenberg calls for a new social contract built on universal social insurance programs (not safety nets), growth-oriented economics, respect for middle-class values, and reform of government operations. In the face of the November 1994 Republican surge, Greenberg's book, scheduled for major TV and press promotion, should stimulate healthy debate about our future. Mary Carroll --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

President Clinton's pollster charts a course for US politics through the current turbulent period and beyond. Greenberg, former Yale professor of political science and now Clinton adviser, says we've lived in this century with two political visions: the Democrats' ``bottom up'' promise of aid to working people and the Republicans' ``top down'' promotion of business for the general prosperity. The pollster says both visions have been discredited, the Democrats' approach now seen as little more than favoritism toward minorities, Republican policies as benefiting the rich at workers' expense. He offers a brief political history of the century, including the ``Great Republican'' (18961928) and ``Great Democratic'' (193264) eras, concentrating on the rhetoric of those periods and how it contributed to current political beliefs. The key to future political and economic progress, Greenberg says, lies in aiding a hard-pressed and increasingly angry middle class, people like those in Macomb, Mich., a longtime Democratic bastion whose voters turned overwhelmingly to Ronald Reagan in 1980--and where Greenberg has done extensive political research. Though he questions whether anyone can lead us during this period when ``the old is dying and the new cannot be born,'' Greenberg saw promise in a young Bill Clinton's disavowal of old orthodoxies, in his advocacy of efficient, activist government whose policies ``had the breadth to reach the middle class.'' He describes Clinton's rise, the campaign-trail development of his message, and how it was eventually made to click with voters. This book will serve as a reminder, for those stunned by Clinton's struggles, of the premises of his candidacy and how his subsequent actions have missed their mark. Greenberg offers a succinct diagnosis of the current political malaise and a prescription for mainstream political renewal. His book is most likely to be read by Democrats, but its lessons should be taken to heart by all who care about our nation's future. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; Rev Upd edition (May 29, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300067127
• ISBN-13: 978-0300067125
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,893,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars partisan, but that was expected, September 21, 2011

By 

anymouse - See all my reviews

This review is from: Middle Class Dreams: The Politics and Power of the New American Majority, Revised and Updated Edition (Paperback)

well, it was well written, and the man is knowledgeable. Of course it does lean to certain views, but what do you expect from a guy who's resume is almost exclusively Democrats?

If your a democrat, you'll give it 5 stars.
If your not political, 2-3; depends on how much you can tolerate
and if your a Republican, less

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile read !! Greenberg gives this book life!, September 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Middle Class Dreams: The Politics and Power of the New American Majority, Revised and Updated Edition (Paperback)

This book is a facinating read for those interested in modern American political history. The book traces the political sentiments of one average middle class blue collar community from the eighties through the Clinton years, and tells much about what we might expect from America's middle class this election year. It is scholarly, but not dry. Great book.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile read !! Greenberg gives this book life!, September 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Middle Class Dreams: The Politics and Power of the New American Majority, Revised and Updated Edition (Paperback)

This book is a facinating read for those interested in modern American political history. The book traces the political sentiments of one average middle class blue collar community from the eighties through the Clinton years, and tells much about what we might expect from America's middle class this election year. It is scholarly, but not dry. Great book.