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Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "One reason liberals today find themselves vulnerable to vituperation from so many quarters simultaneously is the difficulty they face in explaining, even in the most..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, President Bush, White House (more...)

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This item: Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America by Eric Alterman
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Alterman, journalist and proud liberal, readies his readership for the coming day when the word liberal is given a wash and rinse after being slimed by conservatives. Arguing that liberals are so downtrodden they may have forgotten who they are, Alterman provides a refresher course, explaining what liberals believe and why liberal policies are reviled, even though most people approve of their basic ideas as long as they aren’t identified as liberal. His insightful examination of so-called liberal problems (secularism, abortion, dovish foreign policy) leads into an extensive and sharp rebuttal of all the crimes attributed to liberals. In ironically entitled chapters—“Why Do Liberals Hate Patriotism?” “Why Do Liberals Blame America First?”—Alterman fights back with facts and wit. He busts myths in “Why Do Liberals Deny America Was Founded as a Christian Nation?” but he owns up to the fact that liberals do like to tax and spend (conservatives do, too, just on different things). Readers of Alterman’s What Liberal Media? (2003) will find some familiar points here, but this rock-’em, sock-’em defense effectively proves that not all liberals are wimps. --Ilene Cooper

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"â€¦important reading for the men and women making the life-and-death decisions of our own time." --Los Angeles Times Book Review --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Viking Adult (March 13, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0670018600
ISBN-13: 978-0670018604
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #504,922 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
One reason liberals today find themselves vulnerable to vituperation from so many quarters simultaneously is the difficulty they face in explaining, even in the most rudimentary terms, their basic philosophical beliefs. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, President Bush, White House, Supreme Court, Fox News, New York, John Kerry, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Republican Party, Bill Clinton, Democratic Party, Weekly Standard, Ronald Reagan, Ann Coulter, New Deal, Iraq War, World War, Lyndon Johnson, William Kristol, Andrew Sullivan, Washington Post, John Edwards, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich

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	79% buy the item featured on this page: Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America 3.7 out of 5 stars (16) $18.21
	10% buy How to Win a Fight with a Conservative 4.3 out of 5 stars (15) $8.95
	4% buy The Conscience of a Liberal 4.3 out of 5 stars (137) $10.85
	4% buy Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics 4.2 out of 5 stars (29) $10.17

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

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3.7 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Standing up for the Silenced Majority, March 31, 2008

By	Kellie M. Powell (NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Republicans have devoted a lot of resources to the smearing of liberals, but Eric Alterman is not going to let them get away with it. He has a mission to correct misconceptions spewed by conservatives and regurgitated by mainstream media. His well-researched Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America is chock-full of the staggering statistics, rational reasoning, and liberal principles that are under-represented - and sometimes completely absent - in the so-called "liberal media." This history of liberalism is an opportunity for young progressives to read about a time when liberalism was unbelievably popular, and to discover the origins of stereotypes that plague modern liberalism, many of which are baseless.

In chapters like "Why Do Liberals Hate Patriotism?", "Why Do Liberals Hate Religion?" and "Why Are Liberals Such Wimps?", Alterman attacks the assumptions that liberals are "soft" on national defense and crime and rejects the nonsensical labels - like "elitist," "tax-and-spend," and "anti-family" - that form the modern liberal public relations crisis. While any self-described liberal should realize the ridiculousness of these accusations, many are treated as fact by both conservative and moderate pundits and media sources. Proud liberals may feel the book is preaching to the choir, but as the old saying goes, "That's how you make them sing." Liberals have a lot of singing to do if they want to reclaim their good name, and provide the logic and compassion America needs to fight the reactionary politics and religious fundamentalism offered by conservatives.

Alterman insists that liberals have a unique opportunity at this particular moment, and also acknowledges the difficulties we face. He has no problem with telling liberals what they're doing wrong, and he makes some interesting suggestions for politicians and pundits in the wake of the utter catastrophe of the Bush regime. Some of his ideas are already being used by prominent Democrats; however, other ideas of his walk a fine line between pragmatism and abandoning liberal ideals. Alterman does not want liberals to make the same mistakes they have made in the past - a logical, if somewhat bloodless stance.

The most inspiring part of Why We're Liberals may be the argument that a supermajority of Americans hold liberal viewpoints, but do not call themselves liberals. In his conclusion, Alterman writes: "...most Americans are indeed liberals. They'd prefer to live in a society with increased equality of opportunity; greater access to health care for all; a more equitable system of taxation; a healthier respect for the environment; and a less belligerent and more cooperative foreign policy." If liberals are in fact a silent majority, it is time for us to demand the representation we deserve.

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25 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great guidebook defending the liberal position, March 28, 2008

By	Mark Daniels (Anywhere, USA) - See all my reviews

Not since Joe Conason's "Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How it Distorts the Truth" have I found such a wonderful guidebook defending the liberal/progressive ideology while simoultaneously revealing the myths and lies of the republicans for what they are. For decades now, the republicans have systematically associated the "liberal" label with any number of negative stereotypes in the minds of the American people. Their smear campaign against liberals has become so successful that even the most liberal of politicians now shies away from the word for fear of it sinking their political career. Thanks to right-wing politicians and the Punditocracy, Americans have come to associate "liberal" with permissive attitudes, spendthrift "tax and spend" fiscal policies, elitism, political correctness, immorality, socialism, communism, and even treason.

And yet, as both this book and Conason's "Big Lies" point out, polls consistently show that a "supermajority" of Americans take the liberal position on almost every issue. America is liberal, it just doesn't realize it.

This book is actually very similar to "Big Lies" and makes almost all of the same arguments. It's better than Conason's earlier book, however, because the references are more up-to-date. ("Big Lies" was published in 2002.) I'd recommend either book - preferably this one - to any liberal seeking verbal ammunition in his/her arguments with republicans. Let Alterman's "Why We're Liberals" (or Joe Conason's "Big Lies") serve as your Liberal Bible: read it, re-read it, memorize what you can, and the next time a republican tries to trounce you with one of those bogus liberal stereotypes, you can fight back. The Right may have won the victory of semantics - successfully making "liberal" a dirty word - but we continue to win the war of ideology, because most Americans DO agree with our positions. We just have to effectively show them we stand for what they, too, stand for.

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18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A curious title, April 5, 2008

By	Jon Hunt "musician, teacher" (Old Greenwich, Ct. USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

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Eric Alterman's "Why We're Liberals", is a thoughtful if overly dry book about liberalism in America today. It has some merit, much to the author's credit. For a generation, the right has pounded the left to the point where "liberal" is one of those four-letter words, and then some. Alterman reminds the reader that until liberals stand up and defend that term, (politicians especially) we're not going to move very far.

Much of the book has little to do with why so many of us are liberals, but rather focuses in on how conservatives view liberals and how they go about their mischievous deeds with inaccuracies that go beyond the pale. Alterman does a good job in citing quotations to that end and indeed that is his finest contribution. But he also has a proclivity to sink into polls and other factual numbers that don't elevate what should be a terrific expos� of the right wing. When speaking of Maureen Dowd he quotes a journalist as saying that "she's a liberal by default". Given Alterman's fixation on non-liberal thinking I felt myself in exactly the same position....liberal by default.

Alterman concludes with a terrific last few pages about why we are liberals. I wish I had seen more evidence throughout his book regarding the positive aspects of being on the left, but for those who want some comfort food, "Why We're Liberals" will provide some snacking along the way.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars History of, philosophy of, current events surrounding and future direction of
It's all here in spades.

While some books are very thin on facts and heavy on opinion this book is just the opposite- for every point he makes, the author backs it... Read more

Published 15 days ago by mathboy

2.0 out of 5 stars Okay book if you enjoy the blame game, not for serious intellectual debate
I picked up this book for a government class and expected a well written collection of arguments defending liberal ideas or explaining the errors in conservative ideas. Read more

Published 6 months ago by M. von Pohle

3.0 out of 5 stars Persuasive to the choir
This is the typical three star political book: some good points but one-sided and ultimately convincing only if you're already a believer. Read more

Published 6 months ago by J. Davis

4.0 out of 5 stars a liberal "must" read
Conservatives have demonized the term "liberal" but many educated progressives should wear the title proudly. Read more

Published 9 months ago by James W. Estes

5.0 out of 5 stars Excited to start reading this book!
Why We're Liberals: A Handbook for Restoring America's Most Important Ideals

I love Eric Alterman and am looking forward to getting into this book. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Arleen Foster

2.0 out of 5 stars An Alternate Reality
Eric Alterman is part of the extreme left and like any extremists (right or left) their view of the reality becomes greatly distorted due to their overarching ideological dogmas... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Enigma

4.0 out of 5 stars Eye opening
This is a book that every narrow-minded republican should read. To bad they won't.

Published 12 months ago by S. Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly Why Are They Liberals ?
The first question this title (by a noted Ph.D., pundit, and intellectual) brings to mind is: don't they know why they are liberals. Read more

Published 16 months ago by Ted Baiamonte

3.0 out of 5 stars Reminds me of Ann Coulter
As I started reading this book it - strangely enough - starting giving me that "Deja Vu" feeling. I couldn't put my finger on it until I got to the section where Alterman says one... Read more

Published 18 months ago by Jonathan Wren

2.0 out of 5 stars Still Don't know "Why We're Liberal".
First, a few qualifiers, for the reader's benefit. I read the book cover to cover. I was traveling a few weeks ago and checked out this book along with several others from our... Read more

Published 18 months ago by Ben Franklin

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