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121 of 132 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A warning for conservatives, August 9, 2005
I am confused by the reviewers of this book who act as if "The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy" was a polemical attack on leftist ideology. Liberal reviewers denounce the book, and some conservative reviewers are gloating about it. Did we read the same book?
Byron York's "The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy" is a detailed political analysis of the Left's unprecedented organization in the 2004 election. The most committed elements of the American Left came together like never before to defeat George W. Bush. Independent activists like George Soros, Michael Moore, MoveOn.org, America Coming Together, Air America, and the Center for American Progress emerged and circumvented the traditional party structure in order to ensure Bush's defeat.
In spite of the money and effort poured into the cause, Bush, of course, won the race by 3 percent. York's diagnosis is that the new players -- MoveOn, ACT, etc. -- essentially were preaching to the choir, while the whole time thinking they were forging a broad, national, anti-Bush consensus.
Drawing from interviews with key operatives, York documents the inside story of the 527s and other new groups that emerged in 2004. He demonstrates how MoveOn.org grew from an idea into a powerhouse of the Left; how America Coming Together grew out of MoveOn; how George Soros became interested, got involved, and legitimated MoveOn and ACT; and how these fringe groups found themselves at the center of the Democrats' run for the presidency. He also documents how these groups stretched the campaign finance law that they had so vigorously supported.
But the scary part is this: York, a columnist for National Review, notes that in the wake of conservative icon Barry Goldwater's landslide defeat to Lyndon Johnson, conservatives took decades to build the institutions of the conservative movement that we know and love today (a network of think tanks, grassroots issue-based groups, talk radio shows, etc.). Now, the 2004 election could be for liberals what that 1964 election was for conservatives: a turning point. But conservatives took decades to overcome the Democratic majority (at least in Congress). Conservatives today don't have that big a majority and the Dems are nevertheless organizing to re-establish a sizeable political majority of their own. Just today (8/7/05), there was a Washington Post story about rich liberals pouring money into creating new "progressive" think tanks.
"The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy" is a warning for conservatives, one which they would be wise to take seriously.
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178 of 217 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific read, May 17, 2005
This book is a fascinating look behind the scenes look at the Democratic Party's efforts to unseat President Bush in the 2004 election. But, the slightly hysterical title aside, the book is as objective as one could hope. It discusses how the Democratics, frustrated with being out of power in Congress, the White House, their anger at the Clinton impeachment and the 2000 election results attempted to regroup. Using a copy of Karl Rove's "get out the vote" plan they attempted to regroup and energize the American voter to their way of thinking. What they came up with was the Moveon.Org internet site, 527's (several of which, the author argues, ignored campaign finance laws), the movie Fahrenheit 9/11, Liberal talk radio and think tanks. What I found especially interesting was the author's contention that when all was said and done the people behind it all were talking to the choir and made little impact on anyone outside their "loop". For example, the hype (and the box office) indicated that Fahrenheit 9/11 was a phenomenal success and it was expected to go a long way to defeat President Bush. But by breaking down the by region box office York is able to show that the film was really only popular in the areas (and with audiences) that weren't going to go for the President anyway. It made no impact in the swing states. During the election Moveon.org was so popular that they people behind it thought they were touching the average American. It turns out they weren't and were, in fact, only talking with other similar minded people. (Interesting, this same "talking for the average American" is something Richard Poe talks about in his book "Hillary's Secret War: The Clinton Conspiracy to Muzzle Internet Journalists". I wondered as I read this if both sides are wrong and they are both talking to their respective choirs. But I digress). The think tanks started were very limited in scope (seemingly dedicated to only defeating the President instead of developing new strategies that aren't necessarily tied to any particular political party -as the more successful Conservative think tanks have done and what the Democratics were trying to duplicate). While they raised unprecedented sums of money in a losing effort, they've changed the way they're looking at political campaigns and will attempt to strengthen and sharpen these new tools for future elections. Republicans should be prepared.
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49 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well Researched & Informative, May 30, 2005
I'm someone who is fascinated by the human capacity for nonrational thinking, mob behavior, self-delusion, and the success of well-engineered social movements. If you are a student of human behavior, particularly of how social movements are packaged and sold, and how ideologies can spread like diseases through a population, you'll find this book insightful and illuminating. The title of the book is more provocative than the material inside, which is well-researched and not particularly inflammatory (except to the most thin-skinned among us). The book chronicles how the American Left is re-making itself to become competitive in today's highly communicated and regulated political world. It could be viewed as diagnostic and prescriptive for both Left and Right, in the great competition for hearts and minds that defines modern American politics. My favorite chapter was the one the author almost left out: "From Fringe to Mainstream." This chapter captures how unimportant and irrelevant actual evidence is in demonizing one's political enemies, showing how accusations are virtually as good as evidence when denigrating the other side. "If it might possibly be true, then it most probably is true," seems to be the creedo of the modern viralized ideologue. Also fascinating is how humans feel they can plumb their opponent's inner psychology--in the absence of any formal training--discovering that the opposition is perpetually driven by sickness and evil impulse, while the motives of "my side" are pure and honest and moral. This book is certain to increase the cynicism of all readers, whether from Left or Right. And that's not a bad thing. Our republic depends upon our citizens' ability to recognize and resist emotional manipulation, which this book chronicles in fascinating and informed detail.
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