Start Making Sense: Turning the Lessons of Election 2004 into Winning Progressive Politics [Paperback]

Don Hazen (Author), Lakshmi Chaudhry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 2008

The first look at the lessons learned from the 2004 election, and an opening salvo from leading American thinkers, writers, and activists on how citizens can begin to deliver U.S. politics from fear and fundamentalism.

Millions of Americans were shocked by George W. Bush’s victory in the 2004 election. How could a majority of voters support a president with such a dismal and dangerous track record? The answer is clear for Democrats and progressives: It is time for new thinking and an end to our politics as usual.

Start Making Sense brings together the best progressive thinkers, critics, and organizers to explain what went wrong and how we can build a new Democratic Party that best represents and communicates our values and vision for America. It offers new ways to think about organizing, communicating, and investing in the structures and resources required for a truly democratic grassroots movement. This book outlines innovative solutions for reaching out to all voters who value hope and tolerance over fear.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Don Hazen is the executive director of the Independent Media Institute and the executive editor of AlterNet. The former publisher of Mother Jones magazine, he has edited several books, most recently After 9/11: Solutions for a Saner World.

Lakshmi Chaudhry is a senior editor at AlterNet. Previously a staff writer at Wired News, she has written for various publications including Mother Jones, The Village Voice, Bitch, and Ms.Magazine. She is coauthor of AlterNet’s book, The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq.

Other contributors to the book include: Arianna Huffington • Amy Goodman • Thomas Frank • Naomi Klein • Barbara Ehrenreich • Farai Chideya • George Lakoff • Ken Salazar • Tom Hayden • and other leading progressive activists, thinkers, and writers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing (July 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931498849
• ISBN-13: 978-1931498845
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 5.5 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,452,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting Down to the Business of Winning May 3, 2005

By Mick McAllister

Format:Paperback

Anthologies usually are a mixed bag. If half the essays are interesting, you are doing pretty well. And there's always at least one that is a total waste of time.

This is the exception we hope for. There is not a page of the book that doesn't either illuminate an exciting idea, provide a useful fact, or suggest a promising course of action. Every sort of thing is here from the course-defining DNC speech of Barack Obama to a list of topics you could hook Letters to the Editor on for various holidays. (Mother's Day? Social Security, Medicare, Parenting.)

The book is divided into three sections and ten topics. The first section analyzes what has happened. It asks some hard questions, like what it might cost us to adopt Conservative means to our Liberal ends ("Fighting Dirty"). There is a handful of tough essays in here, like Michael Lerner's on Liberal contempt for the electorate (which is significantly different from, though no bigger than, Conservative contempt for the electorate). But the overall message is one of hope and optimism. The last section emphasizes organizing and suggests ways to do it.

This book and George Lakoff's Don't Think of an Elephant (also from Chelsea Green) will pay for themselves in a few hours. We got angry; now it's time to get active. Start Making Sense will provide some direction.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Full of good ideas! August 19, 2005

By Alpha B. Quincy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is full of good ideas written by people who know! The articles are short and most worthwhile for anyone who wants to know what happened at the last election and what might be done next time! I have rated it only four stars because the book itself is hard to hold and the print is too close to the spine to open wide enough.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is beautiful! October 27, 2011

By James Price

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Such a great book. A great analysis of the condition of civil activism post 2004 Presidential Elections. I've read this book three times already.