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Uniting America: Restoring the Vital Center to American Democracy (The Future of American Democracy Series)
 
 
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Uniting America: Restoring the Vital Center to American Democracy (The Future of American Democracy Series) [Hardcover]

Norton Garfinkle (Editor), Daniel Yankelovich (Editor)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Book Description

January 11, 2006 The Future of American Democracy Series
In Uniting America, some of the country’s most prominent social thinkers—among them Francis Fukuyama, Daniel Yankelovich, Amitai Etzioni, Alan Wolfe, Uwe Reinhardt, and Thomas E. Mann—reject the myth of polarization. On topics ranging from the war on terrorism, health care, economic policy, and Social Security to religion, diversity, and immigration, the authors argue that there are sensible, centrist solutions that are more in keeping with prevailing public sentiment and that would better serve the national interest. On issue after issue, the authors show how the conventional framing of the debate in Washington has misled Americans, creating a series of false dilemmas and forcing choices between two extremes—at the expense of more balanced and pragmatic policy solutions based on enduring American values.
Uniting America provides a blueprint for a fresh approach to American politics, grounded in moderation, pragmatism, and the shared values that unite Americans.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If there is, indeed, an expanding chasm separating the left and right in contemporary American politics, it exists largely as a specter employed by politicians more interested in manipulating voters than creating policies consistent with mainstream America's values. Editors Garfinkle, chairman of the George Washington University Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies, and Yankelovich, founder and chairman of policy research organization Public Agenda, note America has rebounded from periods of great strife and disunity (the turbulence of the '60s and '70s, the Civil War), and the current divides aren't as bad as they could be. Essays examine topics from environmentalism to the war on terror and all conclude compromise is the key to finding acceptable ways to promote a healthy democracy. If the thesis sounds simple enough, the authors also dutifully bolster their case with a barrage of statistics and research (though a not unsubstantial portion of figures are supplied by Yankelovich's Public Agenda) to dispel the notion that the nation is being torn between two poles. Not a light read, the book will be appreciated and debated by scholars and those who work in public policy. Casual readers may soon find themselves in over their heads.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"In a polarized age, it is increasingly hard for moderate voices to find a platform. These essays from the thoughtful center help us to understand the sources of this democratic challenge, and also help to provide a remedy. A welcome and illuminating collection."-Jeffrey Rosen, author of The Unwanted Gaze and The Naked Crowd (Jeffrey Rosen )

"Americans tired of both Republican and Democratic bromides will find much to think about in this collection of centrist thinking."-Morris P. Fiorina, author of Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America (Morris P. Fiorina )

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Yale University Press; 1st Printing edition (January 11, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0300108567
  • ISBN-13: 978-0300108569
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #719,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthwhile Volume, July 8, 2007
This review is from: Uniting America: Restoring the Vital Center to American Democracy (The Future of American Democracy Series) (Hardcover)
This edited volume presents a readable and erudite argument for the return of a "centrist agenda" in American public life (p. 265). The book consists of fourteen essay chapters by respected scholars. The essays are arranged under six major themes: the vital center, social security and health care; diversity and unity; security; citizenship; and environmental and electoral reform. The authors seek to encourage a "rebirth of a spirit of unity and compromise" within American politics (p. 6). The claims of contemporary polling and political observers about the bifurcated American electorate are disputed in a comprehensive manner. If fact, the authors suggest an importance degree of national unity has prevailed in many areas, although "polarization" has reigned in Congress and in the news media. The first two chapters form the gravamen of the volume. Chapter One (Yankelovich) suggests that Americans have created a moderate and tolerant social and political order. Chapter Two (Garfinkle) details the moderate consensus in economic policy since World War II. Other chapters, especially Chapter Five (Wolfe), concerning religion as a unifying force in America society, are less persuasive.

Lee Cheek
[...]
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Today's political thinking is colored in tones of red and blue. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
new conservationism, redistricting standards, habeas jurisdiction, new social morality, wicked questions, fair society, top marginal tax rate, congressional redistricting, personal savings accounts, wage base, enemy combatant
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Social Security, New York, World War, Security Council, Patriot Act, Congressional Budget Office, Health Affairs, First Amendment, United Nations, White House, Cold War, Harvard University Press, The Brookings Institution, Institute of Medicine, John Muir, Justice Department, Justice Souter, Anthony Corrado, Civil War, Santa Ana, University of California Press, Washington Post, Web Exclusive, Cambridge University Press
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