Customer Reviews

Winning Back America

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4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I just finished reading Howard Dean's, "Winning Back America". It was an inspirational experience that renewed me with confidence that Dean is the "real deal" and has the vision, values, experience, and drive to make an outstanding President. What's packed in these 179 pages are the thoughts of a man who understands what America has historically stood for in the eyes of its founders, citizens, and countless millions around the world. Dean writes with clarity and passion about his intense desire to work to restore America to its traditional role of "leadership in which our power is multiplied by the appeal of democratic ideals and by the knowledge that our country is a force for law around the world, not a law unto itself."

Like millions of Democrats, I was flabbergasted by the Supreme Court's "interpretation" of the 2000 election. I figured with our democracy so blatantly compromised, things in America couldn't get any worse... then they did. Lots worse. I felt alternately embarrassed and dumbfounded by the audacity of George W. Bush. The kicker came the morning after 15 million of us marched against his plan for a pre-emptive strike against Iraq. Bush's response to history's largest protest was "I don't care." If 15 million protestors around the world couldn't get this guy to re-think his position, and no one in Congress seemed to be noticing anything was amiss, well, what could I possibly do to make a difference?

Nothing. Or so I told myself. I was that discouraged... Totally lacking courage.

Then along came Howard Dean and the first thing I noticed was that he was pissed off, not just at the Bushies but also at the Democrats for abandoning their liberal ideals and becoming "Bush lite." Good point. Dean was also saying that he was "tired of being divided by race, gender, sexual orientation." And that touched me too. And then he said that we had "the power to take back our country." And that hit a chord -- in fact, it made me teary eyed from the potency of it. I suddenly found myself feeling encouraged about what could be done to change the direction of our government's policies so that those policies really represent who we are. I wanted to be part of that change.

Reading Dean's book I kept thinking that this guy cares so much about people and about moving America forward, it makes you care too.

It's time to join together and do the work. Howard Dean has reminded us that we have the power to take back America. So, if you've got some folks on your gift list who are feeling depressed about the way things have been going since Bush took over, buy them a copy of "Winning Back America". It works better than Paxil.

I get such a kick out of reviewers like the one who calls dean a "rich preppy boy." Please. Like George W. Bush is NOT a rich preppy boy?

Let's stick to reviews of the book please. Howard Dean states a case for winning back America that is, in my opinion, articulate and intelligent.

In light of Al Gore's recent endorsement of the man, you owe it to yourself (if you want to be an informed voter) to read what the man HIMSELF has to say, and not rely on any "reviews" to decide for you. Including this one, of course.

Get it from the source. It's a well-written book, and worth your time.

Howard Dean's Winning Back America was a pleasure to read, an optimistic balance between autobiography and political philosophy, from a passionate and intelligent medical doctor who served as a five term governor of Vermont, who is currently the frontrunner to be the Democrat nominee to challenge Republican George Bush in 2004.

The reader is immediately struck by the sense that this book is one of very few in the political world which is NOT ghost-written. The 15 chapters on topics ranging from Dean's personal background to geopolitical strategy are written in a highly conversational and inimitable style, as if Dean spent a few nights with a tape recorder for later transcription.

In the course of 179 pages, Dean traverses miles of relevant issues with characteristic insight and common sense. This reader's only disappointment was that the book lacks some of the depth Dean is capable of, if only due to the book's brevity.

The author's passion on civic life and good government is manifestly evident in his evocations of Theodore Roosevelt as his champion of an environmental vision that has withstood the test of time. Dean presents healthcare and balanced budgets with the vision of Kennedy - extolling the nation to do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

The book's introduction is a call to civic action, to work together in common cause, to restore America's sense of community, after years of being divided by past and present administrations on matters of race, gender, sexual orientation, and income.

The reader learns about Dean's roots as the eldest of four boys in a well-established family with American roots which can be traced back to the 18th century, his youth in East Hampton, his decision to choose medical school over a life in the investment banking business (explaining the one part he did like about investment banking was the money management), his global travels, his days at Yale, and how he met his wife Judith Steinberg.

While establishing his medical practice in Burlington, VT, Dean became involved in local politics after successfully campaigning for a bike trail around Lake Champlain. He served as Lt. Governor while maintaining his medical practice, becoming Governor at age 43 in 1991 upon the death of Richard Snelling, whose example Dean admired as a "person of integrity who wanted to run the government properly without regard to party". Dean proceeded to win five two-year terms as Governor, and here tips his cap to 30-40% of the Vermont Republicans who supported him (in addition to his Democrat and independent support), primarily for his fiscal responsibility.

Dean makes reference to his legendary "cheapness" in an amusing anecdote about a suit he bought at JCPenney in 1987 for $125, a story of Dean's utility and frugality (he still wears the suit), reminiscent of the charm from Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger at a Berkshire Hathaway shareholder's meeting.

The reader also learns about the death of his younger brother Charlie, how Dean overcame this loss, and how Charlie's death shaped Dean's outlook on life.

The second half of the book focuses on Dean's candidacy for President of the United States, our current situation and his ideas for the future. Dean points out that he knew George Bush as a straightforward man back when they were both Governors, and expresses his alarm at the radical departure from the relatively moderate governorship Bush provided in Texas (moderate by Texas standards anyway), and Bush's jerking the nation sharply to the right upon becoming president, contrary to Bush's past record and his campaign promises.

Here Dean spends several chapters focused on solving the issues of today's America - from job losses, budget deficits, the threat of terrorism, environmental degredation, and loss of community, to global epidemics and strife that threaten to engulf us all.

Dean makes his vision for America clearly stated in his views towards multilateralism and international cooperation, economic fairness, balanced budgets, and equal rights for all. Throughout, he emphasizes the values of truth, innovation and moral clarity in leadership. He makes a passionate and effective call for providing all of America's citizens with healthcare and secondary education, and how to make these things available and affordable for all, for the good of all.

He closes with the words of Marin Luther King who said "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter", and Dean repeats his constant admonition that "I am not going to tell any American that I can solve all their problems. That power is in your hands, not mine."

An excellent book which I can only hope to scratch the surface of in such a brief review, Howard Dean's Winning Back America is candid, timely, and highly recommended.

Updated 21 Dec 07 with links.

I was one of the first "substance experts" to believed that Dean could and should be President, and I remain very upset with the Democratic Party for sabotaging his chances.

This is a great book for the masses who want the stump speech in a very easy to read doubled-spaced form. Unfortunately, it reflects zero understanding of the real world (see my 400+ reviews of non-fiction national security books at Amazon) and it reflects zero understanding of the core issues that need to be dealt with in the US economy (see my review posted today of Robert Rubin's "In An Uncertain World").

I still believe in Dean, but if he does not get his policy and outreach acts together at the substantive level, but Dean and his campaign manager gave policy substance short-shrift, and this is important *not* because of the details, but because it must be the foundation for creating a coalition government that integrates Independents, moderate Republicans, Greens, Reforms, Libertarians, and "Drop-Outs" (where Barack Obama is making great gains in 2007) into a united electorate that will a) work together in the open and modified primaries to overcome the Democratic Leadership Council bias in favor of beltway "suits" and b) work together in the general election to defeat the well-fended and often illegal endeavors of the Republican extremists, who are *not* playing by the rules and who believe they have a God-given right to steal the 2004 election just as they stole the 2000 election.

This is a fine book for those who want a quick "read" on Dean as a man and potential leader. It does *not* fill the bill for a serious book about integrated policy issues and an executable sustainable budget that addresses the needs of the vast majority of Americans who are not represented by the incumbent President, nor for that matter by the incumbent Democratic and Republican Senators and Representatives that have chosen to give the incumbent President a blank check for over-turning 50 years progress in multilateral global security, environmental and labor protection, public health and education, and civil rights.

Dean has his heart in the right place, and this book documents that. Now we need to read about where his head is at, and that will take another book entirely.

See also, with reviews:
A Power Governments Cannot Suppress
Al On America
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World
One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization
The New Craft of Intelligence: Personal, Public, & Political--Citizen's Action Handbook for Fighting Terrorism, Genocide, Disease, Toxic Bombs, & Corruption
THE SMART NATION ACT: Public Intelligence in the Public Interest

Wonderful book! A great, fun read! Some of the right wing wackos on amazon.com are hopelessly trying to give lame one star reviews of this great book. They are off their rocker and need to go back and tune into Rush or O'Lielly so they can do their thinking for them.

This is a fabulous book, well written, well researched. Dr. Dean has got my vote in 2004! And I was a former Dubya supporter! God help me! Howard Dean rocks!

This succinct book covers the highlights of Dean's career and gives details of his personal and professional history. A must read for those working on the campaign. Go Dean!

Mike Dutton... you sir, are an ideological, conservative panty waste with the intelligence of a thimble. It is my sincerest wish, that you be wrongly suspected of being a terrorist, arrested, thrown in a cell at Guantanimo, and not allowed the basic right to legal council

Alright, moving on... this book is a great read. Howard Dean proves that he is by far the best candidate for the Democratic Party, illustrating courage, willpower, 21st century american values, and just the right amount of anger that should fuel and motivate every Democrat in the country to get out and vote in November '04. If you want your country back, take the first step by buying and reading this book... then take the second step by passing it on to a friend... and of course, the third step: the voting booth

The Berlin Wall came down without a single shot being fired because people on the other side wanted to be like us, Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean writes in this book, "not because they were afraid of us."

He cites former presidents Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy who "inspired and mobilized other countries because they believed there was no more powerful force on earth than that of free people working together." It's one man's opinion, and obviously Dean hopes a majority of Americans share his view of America as a free nation inspiring people throughout the world as a beacon of hope and justice typified by the Statue of Liberty, formally known as "Liberty Enlightening the World."

There is an alternate view. The Bush administration portrays America as being great because Americans had the courage to accomplish what seemed impossible to the less courageous -- a heroism that didn't need government programs such as Social Security, Medicaid, jobless aid, education programs, environmental protection and dozens of other programs designed to protect, preserve and enhance life for Americans and all people.

It's what this year's election is all about. Bush is a decent man, as Dean learned when both were governors; but, the ideologues around Bush want to take this country back a hundred years to a social system based on survival of the fittest. Dean writes, ". . . . . it is the very same fear that James Madison and Thomas Jefferson spoke about more than two hundred years ago: the fear that economic power would one day try to seize political power." A century ago, Republican President Theodore Roosevelt became a trust buster who smashed the monopolies. In contrast, Bush rewarded the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans with 42 percent of his tax cuts and plunged the federal budget into a massive new deficit.

Instead of democracy and a free economy inspiring people, which is why East Germans dared to "tear down this wall" which long divided Germany, right wing ideologues think democracy can be imposed at gunpoint in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Whose fault is this? Dean writes, "By being afraid to stand up to the Republicans and their radical agenda, the Democrats have actually empowered the radical right." It's why he represents the democratic wing of the Democratic Party, in contrast to some of the other candidates who voted early and often for the Republican agenda. Dean admits, "A lot of Democrats have given up on their party." He wants to restore faith in the Democratic Party as representative of ordinary Americans.

Dean, as the Democratic nominee, will offer a clear alternative to Bush ideologues on all significent policical issues. This book clearly outlines substantial policy differences, not merely on the unilateralist doctrine of pre-emptive war against countries deemed "evil" by Bush's ideologues, but on all social and political issues.

This book, like his campaign, is based on Dean's belief that "I don't think the voters want George W. Bush's policies. I don't think they want me-tooism either.: More than anything else, they want someone to stand up to George W. Bush, explain to the American people why he is wrong, and treat them like adults."

Excellent book. Dean really makes the reader think about America and being an American. The public needs to get more involved in politics AND hold their politicians accountable. Dean may have won a vote from this Republican!

This is a good, well rounded book, covering Governor Deans background, 12 years as Govenor, medical practice, and political experience. Discussion of his brother, Charlie, whose remains were recently discovered, and when this book was printed was still listed as MIA.