The Democratic Party, charges Faux, echoes a Republican view of the world by positioning itself as a socially conservative, pro-business, centrist party with a long-term commitment to austerity. President of the Economic Policy Institute, Faux, who was an adviser to Clinton's 1992 campaign, believes that the Democrats, trapped by their timidity, have betrayed their historic role. As an example, he cites Reagan's brainchild, the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Clinton campaigned for and which, Faux estimates, has cost the U.S. some 300,000 jobs. Faux envisions a revitalized Democratic Party grounded in a "liberal nationalism" built around the class interests of working Americans of all colors. Among the salient proposals in his vigorous manifesto are: Rebuild America first, aiming for full employment with a higher minimum wage, investment in infrastructure and cities and lowered interest rates; slash the military budget and retrain and retool defense-related firms and workers; invest in public education; widen corporate responsibility to include employee training, profit sharing and portable pensions.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
For liberal Democrats searching for recognition both by their own party and the general electorate, this book offers some intriguing suggestions. Faux, a 1992 Clinton campaign adviser, president of the Economic Policy Institute, and contributor to the New York Times and other publications, argues that the Democratic Party's message has become too much like that of the Republicans and consequently has seen its popular appeal eroding. After a brief but rather liberal interpretation of political history since FDR, he explains how the GOP sweep in the 1994 congressional elections caused the Democrats, in their desire to be accepted, to adopt a platform calling for smaller government, balanced budgets, and cuts in federal programs. In Faux's opinon, the clear winners here are the Republicans. Faux proposes a new Democratic platform: liberal nationalism based on class interests. By convincing voters that the economic system is broken and can only be repaired by a government interested in the welfare of working Americans can the Democratic party reconnect with its natural constituencies. While conservatives will see the book as more liberal whining, traditional liberals and independents will enjoy it. For academic and larger public library political collections.?Thomas J. Baldino, Wilkes Univ., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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