Synopsis
Argues that Democratic incompetence is behind the current surge in Republican dominance
Reviews
Despite the title, this book is less a contrarian projection of the future than a savvy if incomplete analysis of our current political landscape. Washington Post columnist Dionne (Why Americans Hate Politics) suggests that our current political chaos derives from multiple crises-of economics, politics, morality and our national purpose-with interesting parallels to upheavals the country faced in the late 19th century, culminating in the first Progressive era. And the "Anxious Middle"-the swing group in elections-is pandered to, says the author, by both parties. He goes on to suggest that President Clinton, even without his gaffes, would have faced intractable divisions within his party, that Newt Gingrich represents a new breed of technology-oriented conservatism and that journalism must adapt to promote a more serious level of debate. Dionne argues quite plausibly that the new conservatism will fail because it "seeks to define away" the problems we face, yet his vision of a new Progressivism ignores some practical steps, such as a move away from identity politics, that must presage such change. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The author of Why Americans Hate Politics (LJ 4/1/91) wants to know why the Democrats hate themselves so much that they brought about the Republican victory through their own failure to govern.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Beltway journalists produce so many books each year that it can be difficult to guess which ones will leave a lasting mark. Washington Post columnist Dionne scored a hit with Why Americans Hate Politics (1991); he may repeat with this lively, confident study of the nation's problems and the potential for a resurgent Progressivism to bring the Democratic Party back from the wilderness. Dionne diagnoses four problems the U.S. faces: economic, political, and moral crises and redefining the country's role in the world. As at the end of the nineteenth century, Americans and the politicians seeking their support are looking for a new organizing vision. Radicals led by Newt Gingrich, Dionne argues, want to go beyond Reaganism to destroy the fruits of Progressivism and restore laissez-faire. But the American people, Dionne suggests, don't hate government itself; they hate ineffective government. Democrats can win wide public support, he urges, if they reclaim their heritage, the "broad Progressive project" : "the use of government to expand individual choice and protect communities [and] to improve living standards across the society." A timely, provocative analysis. Mary Carroll
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