Customer Reviews

Take It Back: Our Party, Our Country, Our Future

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I was challenged by a friend to read this and try to refute the facts brought up by the authors about the current rampant corruption in the Republican Party. Honestly, as a former Republican voter, I have to agree with the authors.

1. The current Republican Party is not my father's party, nor the party I thought it was.

2. The amount of corruption in this Republican Party and current administration would make turn of the century Robber Barons blush.

3. The evidence cited in the book is irrefutable. The current Republican Party and current administration do not have our (Americans) best interests at heart. To them it is Party first, Greed second and maybe, Americans a distant third.

Lastly, what makes this book all the more readable is the fact that they (authors) own up to the horrible mistakes made by the democrats in the last two presidential elections. I hate to admit it, but if democratic strategists follow the steps to 'take back' the government, as outlined in this book, my former party is in big trouble.

This is the first truly ground-breaking contribution to the "How on earth can Democrats win if they couldn't even beat Bush in 2004?" genre. Carville and Begala stake out a position that bridges the gap between bold Progressivism and DLC-style triangulation.

Make no mistake about it: while this book calls for a big tent attitude on issues like abortion, it is decidely NOT another rallying cry for a retreat to the center. Contrasting their vision to the moderate, wishy-woshy "something for everyone" campaigns Democrats have waged (and usually lost) in recent years, Carville and Begala demonstrate that Democrats can win when they have a strong, simple message rooted in morality and principle. They make a persuasive case that an anti-corruption, pro-energy independence, pro-tax fairness, and pro-health care agenda is both good policy and good politics. Best of all, they do so with considerable wit and charm, annihilating the common Republican depiction of liberals as "elitist" and "politically correct." In both content and form, an indispensable guide to progressive political strategy.

Democrats have failed at the basics: defining their message, attacking their opponents, defending their leaders, inspiring their voters. "Take It Back" is focused on a set of issues believed to have cost Democrats recent elections, and presents alternative approaches.

The Kerry-Edwards ticket carried only 8 states outside the Northeast, while Republicans took 97 of the 100 fastest growing counties with a margin of 1.7 million. The Republicans did it on the basis of being regular guys (vs. Democrats seen as snots). Bush tied Kerry among college graduates, but beat him 53 to 47 among the non-college group.

Bush's campaign portrayed Kerry as weak, waffling, and weird. No president has lost re-election in wartime - knowing this, Bush used 9/11 as his answer to everything. Portrayed the election as "a choice, not a referendum" in response to Bush's low poll numbers. Attack, attack, attack - that was the Republican focus - Kerry's not one of us. Conversely the Democratic Convention banned attacks on Republicans.

Abortion: The percent of abortions dropped from 28 to 24.5 under Clinton (was unchanged under Reagan) - the authors sees this as partly due to the expanding economy, and the Clinton commitment to sex education and contraception. Democrats should also stress that being "pro-life" means doing something regarding jobs, health insurance, and support for mothers.

Americans are conflicted on abortion - they don't want to ban it, but do want to restrict it. (Examples include precluding abortions during the last three months, wanting the M.D. to inform potential patients of abortion alternatives, requiring a 24-hour waiting period, requiring those under 18 to get parental consent, requiring a woman to inform her husband first, and banning partial-birth abortions. Yet, despite these strong preferences for restrictions, all eight Democrat candidates supported the special interest groups in this area and supported no restrictions. Instead, Democrats should focus on efforts to reduce abortions - eg. a 95% cut in ten years, backed by specific programs.

Gun Control: The NRA says "enforce the laws already on the books" - we don't need more. Actually they opposed passage of those laws, but realize they don't have the votes to repeal them. McCain-Lieberman sponsored a bill to extend background checks for gun show buyers - however, this is like tilting at windmills because only an estimated 1.7% of crimes involved guns bought at gun shows. The authors further suggest a position of leaving the topic to the states - 18 states already require background checks for those buying at gun shows. Carville and Begalla also suggest Democrats show respect for gun owners.

Gay Rights: At best .08% of the total population is direction affected by the gays in the military issue - again, not worth getting into the hassle. Instead, should focus on the approximately 10% in the general population to ensure employment non-discrimination (a position supported by polls). Another suggestion is to repeat that Dick Cheney is correct - its possible to oppose gay marriage and acknowledge that such relationships deserve some legal protection. Still another suggestion is to attack Republicans for attempting to divide the nation and distracting us from more important (per polls) issues.

Religion: Democrats should give voice to their faith - for example, argue on moral and even religious grounds that all Americans should have economic security, health care, and educational opportunity. Republicans are wrong to restrict religion to individual moral choices and sexual ethics. Democrats should quote Christ and the Bible in the discussion about progressive taxation (Luke 12:48), point out that most eggs for use in stem cell research are going to be destroyed anyway - one might as well get value out of them. As for charges that Democrats will throw out the Bible - respond that the Republicans are violating a basic commandment (bearing false witness), and we'll need even more reliance on prayer if the Republican programs continue. Republican inconsistencies should be pointed out - eg. Sen. Santorum believes it is bad for mothers to work, yet repeatedly opposes measures that would make this less necessary (eg. healthcare, higher wages) - while reaping great benefits himself as a Senator.

Defense: "If you're not tough enough to fight Dick Cheney, you're not tough enough to fight Osama bin Laden." Carville and Begalla believe that Democrats have allowed the Republicans to steal this issue, and use as an example Bush's first opposing the idea of a Dept. of Homeland Security (Dem. idea), then supporting it but making a major flap out the minor issue of civil service status for its employees.

At this point "Take It Back" degenerates into numerous well-worn Bush criticisms on various topics (energy, environmentalism, Katrina response), and offers few if any constructive suggestions in some areas (eg. Iraq). Further, it does not deal with the serious issue of outsourcing American jobs - manufacturing and service, thus relegating Democrats to "me too" status on NAFTA, WTO, etc. The initial topics and recommendations, however, were very impressive, and suggest the type of thinking needed to make Democrats effective again.

For any Democrat depressed or disillusioned about our country's future, this is just what the doctor ordered.

Carville and Begala tell us why achieving real reform isn't about moving left or veering right. It's about staking out clear positions and fighting for them -- on affordable health, national security, energy independence, tax reform and more.

They challenge Democrats to put their faith into action, and refuse to sit back and let extremists define America's values. They remind us that it's the Bible, after all, that says, "Be not afraid," and that Democrats can't be timid, weak or wishy-washing on values debates.

Here's the bottom line: this is a powerful book that, if followed, will help Democrats win the White House back. It's clear that Carville and Begala are more than brilliant political strategists. They are true-believers that want our country to do better.

I saw Carville and Begala on Meet the Press Sunday, and bought the book that afternoon. They have nailed it, especially regarding message, values and national security. There is no question we were message-challenged in 2004, and are still finding our way. But as Carville and Begala point out, message is more than a list of issues. I am Chair of the Georgia Democratic Party, and have sent a copy to all 30 members of our Executive Committee. Every state chair, party official, and activist should read and learn from this book. Carville and Begala are, of course, very entertaining, but more importantly, they offer a roadmap to victory in 2006 and beyond.

James Carville and Paul Begala are tired of losing; they want to win. They believe the first step for their party (Democrats) to get back in the winning ways is to take an honest look in the mirror and then *gasp* learn a lesson from the Republicans.

By covering most of the important political issues and dissecting why each has contributed to the current status of Republican dominance in elections, the authors provide alternatives for Democrats. Rather than being consumed by absolute, unyielding devotion to abstract principals, the authors stress the importance of more pragmatic policies that will remain true to liberal principals but won't draw lines in the sand that moderates won't cross.

Where is the precedent for this type of compromise working? Across the aisle in the Republican Party. The authors show how the Republicans have won the PR war in the last two elections, presenting a wolf in sheep's clothing to voters. By voicing more populist opinions on issues like affirmative action, the Republicans have been able to appeal to the people in the middle, even if (in the author's opinion) they have been disingenuous about their beliefs. Democrats, on the other hand, have focused on the most extreme issues and have driven many from the middle away.

Even though Democrats win major points in public opinion on the issues of health care, political reform, energy, the environment, tax cuts for the wealthy, the support they gain is lost when the radical leftists in the party force universal allegiance to their opinions on abortion, gun control and national security. Or better said, for every person who loved Bill Clinton, there is someone who hates Michael Moore. Without stating it directly, the book's thesis questions the benefits of having people like the filmmaker endorsing their party.

The authors suggest the party needs to do a better job tolerating people who don't toe the party line. There should not be litmus tests to get into the party, opening it up to pro-life moderates, hunters and military vets. Carville and Begala definitely make great points and present a solid plan for attracting more people from the middle. The only problem that can arise will be if those compromises lead many of the more radical democrats back into the arms of people like Ralph Nadar.

These two authors certainly know something about how to turn the red states blue- Begala and Carville are from Texas and Louisiana respectively - and know something about politics and what resonates with the red state voter without losing the blue state voter. But then, let's face it, the northeast and Pacific coast are most likely permanently blue and getting bluer so that really isn't a worry. They make the argument that the Democratic party is right on principle and just lacks a spine via a coherent message. The authors mention that they were rebuffed by the leaders of the 2004 presidential campaign of John Kerry when they made this assessment, with the leaders of that campaign saying that they had a coherent message - JHOS - which stands for jobs, health care, opportunity, and security. The authors humorously note that if that were true then the Democrats were certainly J-HOSed in 2004, because that message certainly never got out as the Democrats wound up fighting on the Republicans chosen battlefield of abortion, gun control, and gay rights and understandably losing - again.
One of the most important observations that the authors make is that the Democrats cannot win national elections and continue to ignor the conservative "values voters" who seem to vote Republican against their own self-interests. Instead, the Democrats need to argue their ideology in terms of how it is morally right to want to help the poor, to provide health care for every citizen, and to be good stewards of the environment. As long as the image of the Democratic party is that of a patchwork quilt of affluent tree-hugging hippies, Hollywood celebrities, and government workers interested only in protecting their own jobs and pensions, the Democrats should be prepared to continue losing elections.

I've voted Republican in 3 of the last 4 presidential elections, and in all of the Congressional elections since 1992. I read this book under the philosophy of "know thine enemy". That said, there is some good stuff in here scattered amongst personal attacks on Republicans for winning elections and the defense of the indefensible (Louisiana Governor Blanco). If Democrats actually adopted the policy positions outlined in this book, even I could be tempted to vote Democrat. In particular, there proposal to shift Democratic social policies away from the extreme left wing of the party, the ackowledgement that some of President Bush's tax cuts helped the middle class, ideas for expanding that help and shifting the U.S. tax burden away from those earning less than $90,000 and to those who earn more than that magic number. Approximately 2/3 of the book was filled with good ideas for the Democrats and insider dope on elections. The rest was the normal political ranting I try to avoid from both sides.

This book calls out Democrats as much as (if not more than) Republicans. Carville and Begala lay out a clear vision to give the Democrats a spine and get them fighting back. I highly recommend this book for Dems (or Independents) who have lost hope in the Democratic party.

I think that the book hits the core issue: Democrats are perceived now as the elitists instead of the Republicans. A business owner that drinks beer is a lot more socially acceptable than a professor sipping wine and decrying the evils of the Republicans. Over the past 25 years, Democrats have been characterized as intellectual snobs, tree-huggers, and everything else epitomized by Hollywood. The problem is that in fighting back, the Democrats have marginalized some of the people that they are trying to attract (some on each side of the abortion issue, middle class, pro small business, etc.). The Democrats need to get back to their "big tent" philosophy -- and that includes pro choice Catholics, White Males, Evangelicals, Blue Collar workers NOT in unions, etc. Carville is right -- the Democrats need core values, not planks of a platform to pacify their most vocal funders. Stand up, respect others who disagree with you (particularly in your own party), and get a plan!