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."
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