Radical Middle: The Politics We Need Now [Hardcover]

Mark Satin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2004

Today, in growing numbers, from kitchen tables to nonprofit organizations to corporate boards, Americans are turning away from the bickering and division of politics as usual and turning toward a new politics-what activist-turned-attorney Mark Satin christens here as "radical middle" politics.Instead of the usual blame games, the radical middle appreciates the genuine and often very reasonable concerns of the left and right, which many of those disillusioned with political partisanship will find refreshing. As the nation heads into the 2004 presidential election, the radical middle dares to propose bold and innovative solutions to problems that affect us all, from health care reform to corporate accountability to the fight against terrorism.Radical Middle offers an innovative yet practical handbook that addresses many of the most vexing social problems of our time. A whole new movement is on the march-the radical middle movement-and this is its manifesto. It shows how to understand politics, how to quiet the din of overheated rhetoric, and how to make modern politics reflect the true expression of rational and creative people everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Condemning what the author sees as the divisive partisanship and polemical half-truths of liberals and conservatives alike, this militant but muddled manifesto urges left and right to unite behind a "politics of creative problem-solving." Satin, publisher of the Radical Middle Newsletter, pushes a poll-certified grab bag of public-private partnerships and wonkish policy nostrums pitched explicitly at professionals (a.k.a. "knowledge workers" or "the creative class") whose only political identity is that of "caring person." The result is a confused, ad-hoc program that aims to achieve great public purposes without aggrandizing government or alienating special interests. Some proposals, like affirmative action based on poverty, not race, represent a fresh take on important issues. Others, such as his energy policy, which is largely a hodge-podge of minor tax incentives for fossil-fuel alternatives, are half-measures. The boldest initiatives—a universal health-care plan that uses tax credits to subsidize individuals’ purchase of private insurance, a universal jobs program that offers employers tax credits for hiring workers—channel their largesse into massive state subsidies to the private sector. Satin’s often glib analyses of policy issues will not satisfy knowledgeable readers, and in his de-politicized politics of caring, real conflicts seem to be ignored rather than confronted.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

I think this is one of the more important reads of the last five years . . . and it's easy to read. -- Tony Trupiano, Michigan Talk Radio Network, July 20, 2004

Makes a lot more sense than . . . the many braying pundits at the edges of the national parties. -- Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2004

Mark's life is the story of the second half of the 20th century. . . . [Finally] Mark arrived at the radical middle. -- John Batchelor Show, ABC Radio Networks, April 14, 2004

Must-reading for those who are trying to find a ray of sanity in our present political climate. -- Tucson Citizen, March 18, 2004

Passionate, popularized, and personalized, with frequent asides about Satin's [activist] background. . . . [A] fresh and often original voice. -- Michael Marien, Future Survey, April 2004

Satin . . . draws his ideas from the best of what both the left and the right have to offer. -- Nancy Beardsley, Voice of America, July 27, 2004

Satin does a good job in laying out . . . "third way" policies concisely, and his advocacy is more than welcome. -- Ed Kilgore, Washington Monthly, June 2004

This book is moderate in tone and intelligently reasoned -- shockingly so. -- Baltimore City Paper, February 25, 2004

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1ST edition (March 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813341906
• ISBN-13: 978-0813341903
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A message of hope..., August 16, 2004

By 

Sandra PWassilie (Seward, AK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Radical Middle: The Politics We Need Now (Hardcover)

Ostensibly about politics, Radical Middle is more than that. I appreciate that Mark Satin dares to go beyond the labels and finger pointing to offer us a framework from which we might evolve a new way of managing issues in the public arena. He cuts to the chase of those problems that currently daunt us, problems like declining energy supplies, disengaged youth, random terrorism, and more. He helps us by introducing us to the best ideas of the current thinkers and policy makers in these different arenas, synthesizing and reporting on these ideas in clear, easy-to-read prose.
What makes his discourse particularly engaging (and courageous) is the way Satin relates his personal experiences and evolution of thought to the issues. I like the message of hope he weaves into the description of challenges we face as a society, national and global, and the encouragment we can be involved in meeting them.
I recommend this book to any activist, public official, business leader, parent, teacher, student or person who truly desires a safer, kinder, more humane world.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb Personal Effort, Fits in With Other Vital Contributions, December 23, 2006

By 

Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Radical Middle: The Politics We Need Now (Hardcover)

I like this book very much. It is a cry from the heart--from a very informed heart--and it captures much that needs to be understood. It is not, however, the first effort in this direction. This book was published in 2004. Paul Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson published "The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World" in 2000, coincident with the appearance of Marianne Williamson's extraordinary edited work, "IMAGINE: What American Could be in the 21st Century." Ted Halstead and Michael Lind published "The Radical Center: The Future of American Politics," in 2001. In 2002 Ralph Nader capped off decades of activism along these lines with "Crashing the Party: How to Tell the Truth and Run for President." In 2003 we had Matthew Miller's "The 2% Solution: Fixing America's Problem in Ways Liberals and Conservatives Can Love." See my reviews of all of those, and my list on democracy, to appreciate this book by this author, in a larger context.

The most important meme to come out to me--an aggressive iconoclast if ever there was one--dealt with the importance of turning away from rebellion for the sake of rebellion, and focusing instead of being a player, on bringing corporations to the table as Paul Hawken and others suggest in "Natural Capitalism" (which the author cites).

Early messages from this book include: Ignore the noise including Moore and Franken; Creative borrowing from all points of view to achieve public policy; Radical middle provides concrete answers instead of platitudes; Work with corporations instead of attacking them blindly; Idealism without the illusions. Four on key values: maximize choices, fair start for all, maximize human potential, help the developing world. The author then gives us four sections, with the highlights listed below.

Maximizing choices:
1) Universal health care that is also preventive and integrative
2) Law reform--affordable, meaningful
3) End oil dependency--parallel energies, seven paths (conservation, renewables, fossil fuels, hydrogen, nuclear, biobased, and values-change path

Fair start
1) great teachers (overlooks two-parent family, serious games, total change to curriculum)
2) affirmative action with teeth, not just letting in black-skinned white minds
3) Job for everyone and a financial next egg as well

Maximize human potential
1) corporations we can be proud of
2) biotech with adult supervision
3) bring back the draft--for EVERYONE (one of the best pieces)

Help the developed world
1) Globalization with savvy and feeling (address poverty, raise standards)
2) Make the WTO transparent
3) Humanitarian intervention in time--no more genocides (great piece)
4) Tough on terrorism and causes of terrorism

Be a player not a rebel
1) professional schools, not radical groups, are our incubators now (compassionate MDs, holistic MBAs, visionary JDs,
2) stay informed
3) join groups that matter and push them to the middle
4) run for office
5) open up the political process (free media, tax credits, proportional representation, instant run-offs, non-partisan redistricting,

Just this morning, a friend in Seattle sent me an email about a new meme that goes beyond the split between "for profit" and "non-profit" to speak of "new profit." That is the distillation of what Paul Hawken and Herman Daly ("Ecological Economics") are trying to capture. The old concept of corporate profit loots the commons. The new concept of profit, what I call Communal Capitalism, others call it Capitalism 3.0 or Natural Capitalism, understands that true profit must be perpetual and distributed.

This author has a following and is part of the solution. I recommend all the books I listed above, and this one.

See also:
A Power Governments Cannot Suppress
Society's Breakthrough!: Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People
The Two Percent Solution: Fixing America's Problems in Ways Liberals and Conservatives Can Love
The Radical Center: The Future of American Politics
The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly impressed, greatly needed, September 25, 2004

By 

Stan Perrin "pragmatic transformationalist" (McHenry County, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Radical Middle: The Politics We Need Now (Hardcover)

"Radical Middle" is several things: The title of Mark Satin's new book being reviewed here, the title of his newsletter, the title of his web site and the name of an exciting new political concept.

I have followed Mark Satin for a long time, having been a charter subscriber to his previous newsletter, "New Options" and to his current "Radical Middle" newsletter. And I have read two of his previous books in addition to "Radical Middle."

Because of occasional disagreements with some specific content from the current newsletter, I was ready to be skeptical of Mark's new book. But instead, I must admit that I am highly impressed. I believe the book does a thorough job of explaining the Radical Middle concept to readers, regardless of their background, political leanings, or even newsletter subscriber status. In each book chapter, Mark expanded upon past "Radical Middle" newsletter articles and included more nuances and detail, which help to flesh out and explain his positions better.

While there were still a few points where I winced, there were many more knowing smiles and nods. In fact, in some cases I found that my position was not that far away from Mark's after all, once I finally understood his position more fully. And even where there remain points of disagreement, I commend Mark for creating, thoroughly explaining and maintaining his voice and his ground.

I should also state that I had my wife read the education chapter. She is a former full-time teacher, and currently does some substitute teaching. She had not read any of Mark's past books, newsletters, web site, etc., so had a fresh perspective. And she loved the chapter, agreeing with Mark's central thesis that quality teachers are what great education is all about.

The resource lists at each chapter end are also very useful, and I recommend readers to pursue some them to follow up with your own investigations of issues. I am doing so.

Overall, I deeply respect how Mark has utilized all his varied life experiences in coming to a mature, organized synthesis of ideas.

And in our polarized times, the Radical Middle political concept is exactly what we need to grow from concept to full-fledged reality.