Political Books Roundup: Reading Politics '08

The 2008 presidential campaign has proved more gripping than any in recent memory, and readers enjoying the media focus on the candidates may well relish the chance to explore other contours of the American electoral landscape. Whether Left or Right, popular or academic, the authors here all treat the current Bush administration failures as a given and focus on other areas of discussion as more worth the reckoning. Books below with a particular political viewpoint will most likely sustain the beliefs of their self-selected readers, while the disinterested studies should appeal across the political spectrum and have a longer shelf life. Popular bloggers have contributed some of these titles, but their work here is new rather than compilations of recent posts.

Political and media junkies will appreciate—and even be surprised by—the who, what, when, and how that Buell (public policy, Denison Univ.) and Sigelman (political science, George Washington Univ.) present up through the 2004 election. Looking at both presidential and vice-presidential nominees, they base their findings on campaign statements quoted in the New York Times, as well as published accounts by those involved in the campaigns. Cogent research and analysis, plus choice quotes, mean this deserves a place in every political history collection.

This is a fast-paced recounting of the international wheeling and dealing of the Sawyer Miller Group, political consultants across three decades of presidential elections and other major campaigns, both of foreign leaders (e.g., Shimon Peres) and corporate giants. Harding (London Times) calls the globalization of the industry of politics Sawyer Miller's lasting legacy. Lively anecdotes and colorful detail make for a gripping story. Recommended for public libraries.

This hopeful book from Adam (her coauthor's former student) and Derber (sociology, Boston Coll.) will resonate most with Democrats, but it's aimed at a general audience. The authors interpret the polling data of recent years as indicating more "feminized" values in the electorate and advise all Democrats to embrace these values. Recommended for public and undergraduate libraries.

Falk (political science, Johns Hopkins Univ.) uses only the newspaper medium (not "media") to study bias against the women who have run for U.S. President from Victoria Woodhull (1872) to Carol Moseley Braun (2004). Challenging the idea of equal political opportunity, she argues that scant and unfavorable press coverage still causes fewer women to run for political office. While the use of newspapers alone is reasonable for her 19th-century research, it limits the value of her work for the 20th and 21st centuries. Falk refers in preliminary ways to Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign. For public and undergraduate collections.

This likable book, while not offering much new, is both practical and inspiring. Advocating for more women in politics, Kunin (former governor of Vermont) has been in touch with many of today's pioneers to add their take to her own on this subject. Throughout, she intersperses profiles (e.g., of Abigail Adams and Gloria Steinem) with discussions of the barriers women still face in politics. The results: motivation for upending the status quo in an accessible book for high school and public libraries.

Never mind that liberal has for decades been a perjorative word when used by the Right. The "we" in Alterman's title stands for America rather than merely progressive Democrats. That's Alterman's point: he reminds readers that many Americans define themselves as embracing liberal values and that the country's political future could turn on a renewed understanding of liberalism. Those open to the concept will enjoy this read—and may wish to recommend it to others who think that liberal is a dirty word. (This is not a "handbook" in ready-reference terms.) [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/07.]

Connery (cofounder, Music for America), who helps organize the get-out-the-youth vote, provides a history of recent youth engagement in politics and assesses the contours of the Millennial generation's involvement. He notes that the Right has been organizing youth for decades, while "the Democratic consulting class" has been slow to similarly galvinize this instinctively progressive demographic. His concise and fascinating book ends with a call to the Democratic Party status quo to embrace the youngest voting generation. Recommended for current collections.

These two Democratic political consultants offer a rich, even gripping narrative, well sourced, of our century's transformation in political engagement by means of "netroots." The "Deaniacs," the draft Clark effort, the campaign against Tom DeLay, and Jim Webb's unlikely victory (Feld coordinated Webb's online fundraising) are among the stories told here. Feld and Wilcox are not sure what the future holds for the netroots phenomenon, but their book has long-term value for large public and undergraduate libraries. [eBook 978-0-313-34661-3. $43.95.]

Attorney-turned-blogger Greenwald's hypocrites—e.g., John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Rush Limbaugh, and the Bush administration—have been thus labeled before. Greenwald's examination of them as marketers who successfully created images of themselves and their causes through use of favorite American themes (e.g., the rugged cowboy, the thirst for freedom) isn't all that new either. He's caustic but supports his points with sound research. The results may well have appeal in public libraries.

The blog Huffington cofounded is among the most read, and the 200,000-copy first printing assumes that her book will be popular, too. Huffington organizes her text thematically, e.g., by the media, Congress, the "War on Science," Iraq, torture, and immigration. Noting how "moral values" became a brand for the Right, she provides many highlighted boxes showing examples of Right inconsistencies. For all public libraries.

Noting that the country is once again divided against itself after majority Republican rule from 2000 through 2006, these two Atlantic Monthly editors point to America's working class as responsible for the election-by-election tilt from one party's gains to the other's. They offer reasoned advice on how the Republican Party, with small, carefully programmed government, can embrace the working class and rewin a full governing majority. This accessible read will provoke discussion. Recommended for all public libraries.

Veteran of the U.S. conservative movement, former Oklahoma congressman (1977–93), and chair of the American Conservative Union, Edwards (Woodrow Wilson Sch., Princeton; The Modern Conservative Movement) looks at the conservative movement today and doesn't like it. The principles that he and his peers had adhered to don't form the credo of those power brokers now calling themselves conservatives. With erudition and passion, Edwards presents his case for reclaiming the former conservatism and ends with eight steps, e.g., "Reread the Constitution." First read this book. For all collections.

The concept of fair elections is considered a hallmark of democratic society, but sometimes it's just a concept. With zeal and style, Poundstone digs into a long-term problem and suggests strategies for improving the system now. For example, he discusses range voting, where balloters rank the candidates rather than casting one vote. For political science collections in public and academic libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/07.]

Shenkman (history, George Mason Univ.; Presidential Ambition) combines his talents as a reporter and a historian to assess why the American voter can be rational and yet so capable of "being played like a fiddle" by politicians. The vaunted "People" (a misconceived American notion, he says) fail sufficiently to understand the issues or the nuances of debate. While more Americans have college degrees, presidential speeches are now pitched to the seventh-grade level. Providing fascinating background and current observations, Shenkman is ultimately optimistic. Highly recommended for public libraries.