You Have the Power: How to Take Back Our Country and Restore Democracy in America [Hardcover]

Howard Dean (Author), Judith Warner (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2004

If you are worried about the way America is being governed and want to reclaim the country you know and love, now is the time to take it back. Governor Howard Dean argues that you have the power to change the future course of America.

You Have the Power is an energetic and detailed guide to restoring American democracy. It exposes the radical extremism of today's "mainstream" Republicans and shows Democrats how to be Democrats again. By reigniting hope, by tapping into the energy and ideals of the American people, Dean writes, the Democrats can restore America's strength and standing at home and abroad.

Drawing on his experience in the 2004 presidential election and the hope and inspiration of the people he met on the campaign trail, Dean shows how real people -- ordinary Americans like himself -- can come together to take their party, the political process, and their country back.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Months after his fall from Democratic primary front-runner to also-ran, the former governor of Vermont remains an inspiring figure for the voters and activists (many of them new to politics) who joined his confident, Internet-savvy campaign. Dr. Dean spent the summer encouraging fans to unite behind Kerry while building his own group, Democracy for America, to assist "fiscally responsible, socially progressive candidates." Clear, forceful and brief, Dean’s book explains his new goals. The governor integrates snippets of his own life (from his Park Avenue boyhood to the Iowa caucus) with familiar positions from his campaign (Bush’s tax cuts were reckless; America must not "inspire... hatred and fear"). While he has little to say about the advisers (Joe Trippi, Kate O’Connor) whose differences got in his way, the doctor does offer a diagnosis for his "scream" speech, calling it a mistake, but blaming its outsized impact on big media gone wild. Dean also praises Vermont’s cooperative traditions, lauds Kerry, rips into Ralph Nader and compliments Bill Clinton, who "won not by moving to the middle but by giving people hope." Though it is unmistakably a campaign book, Dean’s volume has long-term goals too, encouraging readers not only to vote but to get involved by "building a community, locally and nationally."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Dean's passionate, infectious personality is apparent in this short critique of modern American politics and his own failed campaign to win the Democratic presidential candidacy. Dean, a physician and former governor of Vermont, brings his fascinating experiences to an analysis of his own campaign and an overview of the faltering political process. The behind-the-scenes look includes recollection of the impassioned holler--totally misrepresented, says Dean--that raised so many eyebrows, the avid grassroots movement he built, his contentious relationship with the press, and a heartfelt talk with Al Gore on the eve of deciding whether to stay in the race. He criticizes the powerful for not "getting it," for failing to understand the disillusionment of average Americans with major institutions, from the government to corporations to the Catholic Church. Rejecting what he calls a strategy of becoming "Republican lite," Dean urges Democrats to be faithful to their mission and provide the moral leadership he sees lacking in modern politics. Dean also urges voters to hold politicians accountable and to get involved in government and politics and reflects on the historical cycles that have seen the interests of the wealthy and powerful supersede those of ordinary Americans. Despite the partisanship, this is a passionate appeal for political involvement by a man who has had undeniable influence on presidential campaigning. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1St Edition edition (September 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743270134
• ISBN-13: 978-0743270137
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,190,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A handbook for Democrats, September 15, 2004

By 

R. Wetmore - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Have the Power: How to Take Back Our Country and Restore Democracy in America (Hardcover)

Written by the Gov. Howard Dean, MD who surgically implanted a new spine into the Democratic Party this book lays out what has gone wrong with our party (and our country) and plots a course for the future. For those who didn't pay attention to the Democratic primary race - who may only know Howard Dean as that `scream guy' - read this book. There are at least 700,000 people out there who are better citizens, better Americans because of this man. All Democrats, Liberals, Progressives should read this book. Republicans who think all Democrats are wild-eyed America-hating socialists may learn a thing or to also. I purchased my signed copy at a Dean speech in Ohio.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth Of Our Times, October 1, 2004

By 

Michael Mendelevitz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Have the Power: How to Take Back Our Country and Restore Democracy in America (Hardcover)

Howard Dean really speaks his mind in this book. Despite the media's portrayal of him as a red-faced, raving, leftist fanatic, he is actually quite a moderate Democrat. This book is a how-to guide to succeed in the political world, and is a wake-up call for both sides on what they should be doing to bring our country back together again. Also, unlike Bill Clinton's My Life, the book is small enough that you can read it on a long airline flight. I urge everyone, Democrat or Republican, to at least give this book a try.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better as a memoir than a manual, October 28, 2004

By 

John B. Maggiore (Buffalo, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Have the Power: How to Take Back Our Country and Restore Democracy in America (Hardcover)

Inevitably a book like this has two interwoven parts - a memoir and a litany of "we musts and we needs." As is often the case, the memoir of this rather unfortunately named book (sounds like a self help manual) is the far more interesting part. Dean is at his most interesting when discussing his take on his own campaign and various political figures. The famous scream? Dean makes a compelling case that it never happened (really!) Bill Clinton? A uniquely skilled politician who tried to undermine Dean and left many would-be successors with the wrong impression that he won because he was centrist. George Bush? The worst president since Harding (and even more dangerous). In acknowledging that his operation was not prepared to win a front-runners campaign, Dean sort of explains why he, as one of the guys who lost, should be writing about what Democrats need to do to win. I would have liked more analysis of what went wrong, and what went right. On the whole, though this slim volume is worthwhile and engaging enough to read in one or two sittings.