The Progressive's Guide to Raising Hell: How to Win Grassroots Campaigns, Pass Ballot Box Laws, and Get the Change We Voted For-- A Direct Democracy Toolkit [Paperback]

Jamie Court (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 2010

Change is no simple matter in American politics-a fact that Americans have recently learned well. Elections rarely produce the change they promise. After the vote, power vacuums fill with familiar values, if not faces. Promises give way to fiscal realities, hope succumbs to pragmatism, and ambition concedes to inertia. The old tricks of interest groups - confuse, diffuse, scare - prevail over the better angels of American nature.

But populist energy can get change making and change-makers back on the right track.

The key to success, though, says acclaimed consumer advocate Jamie Court, is getting downright mad. It's anger, not hope, that fuels political and economic change. And in 2010 America, anger rules. But it needs to be vectored and focused if it is to succeed in fueling the type of change that the majority of Americans believe in.

If we want that change, the kind that polls show 60 percent of Americans believe in, we need to do more than vote every two to four years or wait for a new president to learn the tactics of confrontation. The Progressive's Guide to Raising Hell is a road map filled with concrete tips and rules of the road that average people can use to force change between elections.

How can progressives get what they believed they voted for? Court, a longtime organizer of ballot campaigns and other initiatives, tells readers how to heat up their issue, take grassroots action, organize their community, use publicity to their advantage, employ internet and social media to build support, and get the change they want.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Americans angry about the state of their government or the fallout from the BP oil disaster might find in Court's persuasive manifesto a cause for action. As the president of Consumer Watchdog, the California-based consumer advocacy organization, Court has gone toe-to-toe with powerful politicians and corporations-and won. Without straying far from Advocacy 101, Court provides a how-to on taking a stand and making a difference. Following "10 rules of Populist Power," "Rousing Public Opinion in a New Media Age" explores the use of the Internet to rally and mobilize support. For instance, MoveOn, with over five million members, has become "one of the most successful Internet-based political groups in America." Court also outlines how to build a "Populist 2.0 Platform" using e-advocacy, blogging, social media, and other technologies. Other chapters serve as case studies for taking on energy companies (the author was once recruited into a California task force on gas prices), Wall Street, and Governor Schwarzenegger ("Taming Arnold"). With great accessibility and a fired-up attitude, Court brings his lessons in empowerment to the people.
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Review

Publishers Weekly-

Americans angry about the state of their government or the fallout from the BP oil disaster might find in Court's persuasive manifesto a cause for action. As the president of Consumer Watchdog, the California-based consumer advocacy organization, Court has gone toe-to-toe with powerful politicians and corporations--and won. Without straying far from Advocacy 101, Court provides a how-to on taking a stand and making a difference. Following "10 rules of Populist Power," "Rousing Public Opinion in a New Media Age" explores the use of the Internet to rally and mobilize support. For instance, MoveOn, with over five million members, has become "one of the most successful Internet-based political groups in America." Court also outlines how to build a "Populist 2.0 Platform" using e-advocacy, blogging, social media, and other technologies. Other chapters serve as case studies for taking on energy companies (the author was once recruited into a California task force on gas prices), Wall Street, and Governor Schwarzenegger ("Taming Arnold"). With great accessibility and a fired-up attitude, Court brings his lessons in empowerment to the people.

"Tough, smart, strategic. Read it and take action. NOW."--Robert Greenwald, director and producer of Iraq for Sale and Out-Foxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism, founder of Brave New Films



"Political 'leaders' can only lead if there is a parade for them to get in front of. They can act effectively only if the public forces them to. Progressives need to start many more parades. Jamie Court tells you how in this guidebook to action."--George Lakoff, author of Don't Think of an Elephant! and The Political Mind



"I've often said, 'First we will elect people who we can talk to into positions of power, and then we will hold their feet to the fire so we get real change. This book is the manual for holding Democratic feet to the fire."--Howard Dean, former Chair of the Democratic National Committee and Vermont governor; author of Howard Dean's Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing; 1 edition (August 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1603582932
• ISBN-13: 978-1603582933
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #979,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Having read the book... September 8, 2010

By Michael Lighty

Format:Paperback

Court melds analysis, messaging and mobilization in a provocative how-to for progressives. Identifying corporate power as the problem and direct action by people as the solution, using campaigns as case studies, Raising Hell challenges activists to go beyond party loyalty and fight for meaningful, sustainable change. After half-hearted financial reform, healthcare reform that enriches insurers, and a mostly white corporate-funded conservative movement claiming the populist mantle, Court's call for an authentic activism to take back the country from the plutocrats, banksters and corporate profiteers is timely and necessary.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Hell-Raising" Gets Back to Its Roots September 9, 2010

By Aussieblue

Format:Paperback

American progressives have in recent decades gotten too shy, or too afraid, to raise hell about injustice and unfairness. They peeked out during the 2008 presidential campaign, then fell silent at the first disappointment. Perhaps they're afraid to be tagged with the dreaded label "liberal." The populist space got filled from other directions, including by Tea Partiers who happily put themselves on the line in public.

Jamie Court aims to reverse that course by rearming progressives with tools for making change from below, and steeling them to be a whole lot less polite to power. Also a whole lot more demanding, and more nimble on their feet.

Frederick Douglass, a granddaddy of civil rights and civil action, famously said "Power concedes nothing without a demand." In modern terms, Court tells us, that means constant vigiliance to avoid being co-opted. A "seat at the table"--whether in the corporate boardroom or the government conference room--is power's most effective tool for watering down outsider demands.

After telling hell-raisers what doesn't work, Court offers a different toolkit for what he calls "political jiujitsu"--being alert and leveraging opponents' mistakes to shame them. then building waves of public pressure for change. His anecdotal examples of the David-and-Goliath stunts by him and colleagues at his small foundation called Consumer Watchdog range from hilarious to hair-raising.

For instance, don't be embarrassed to carry a pig into the halls of government to make a point. Grab the chance to clobber a corporate opponent for an ad that appears weirdly racist, using shame to undercut the corporation's sponsorship of anti-consumer legislation.

Court's anecdotes of stunts, tricksterism, successes and failures keep the book rolling, wrapping the practical details of his hell-raising toolkit. Court echoes tough progressives of the past, from Emma Goldman to the late Sen. Paul Wellstone. But his aim is to inspire action, not homage.

It takes more dedication and resources than most individuals possess to employ Court's toolkit, but he also offers practical advice for small groups on how to amplify their message and band together. "Raising Hell" will make the most dedicated couch-potato progressive sit up and start hoping again--maybe even acting.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Are you mad as $%#&? September 13, 2010

By H. Rosenfield

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you're angry about the direction of the country (or your state, city, town, or even neighborhood) and you're ready to do something about it, this is the book you need to read.
Forget about political theory: I've worked with Jamie Court for fifteen years, and "Raising Hell" condenses decades of experience fighting the Establishment into a handful of simple rules and strategies. These are the tactics that explain our successes in taking on the insurance companies, HMOs, oil and cable companies, utilities - as well as the politicians who protect them, from the lowliest state legislator to the Terminator. Follow these rules and you will win, and have fun doing it, too. And it doesn't matter what your cause is: the book is framed as a guide for progressives who want to win money-saving reforms such as government control over insurance rates, but the truth is that "Raising Hell" will be equally valuable for people of any political persuasion.