Not Democrat or Republican but One Nation
352887
I loved this book! Whether you are Republican or Democrat and in my case, an Independent, you will be inspired. It reminded me of who we are as a nation and why we are here. God, Country and each other is the component that made us great and will continue to make us great. Being separated by political beliefs will be our downfall instead of being joined by knowledge of our country and the cause we should be fighting for. Awesome man and awesome book! A required reading for every American citizen.
2904653
I voted for Ron Paul when he ran for Prez.  I knew he would not win (just as I know he will not win this time) but intellectual honesty bested "throwing my vote away". The problem with a Ron Paul candidacy is the growing "single issue" voting.  Few look at the entire picture and the title of this handy book - "A Foreign Policy of Freedom" says it all.  To Paul (and myself) the notion of freedom is intrinsically bound with economic rights, foreign policy and the role of government.

Contrary to what is commonly believed, foreign entanglements - as opposed to wars - are not formulas  for security but recipes for disaster.  It is almost inevitable that we, the only super power, will be drawn into a conflict given the creeping tide of intervention. It should be remembered that in 2000, Bush ran as a NON-interventionist, scorning nation building and meddling.  Oh how times have changed though I'll admit these have been tumultuous times.  The idea of an American Empire requires on-going intervention at some part of the world and the attitude that we are the world's nanny.  For some reason, we still pay billions to defend Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Israel, Egypt, Korea and the Saudis.

A look 10 years in the future will see a waning Mideast as alternative energies become commonplace.  It is NOT true (as is pointed out) that "they" have always "hated us".  In fact, they love America - our food, clothes, movies, music, speech and science. Until recently the US was  popular with the masses, the heaven on Earth to which they aspired. Paul outlines philosophical reasons for opposing unrestricted intervention, reaching back to the Founding Fathers and their intentions.  He also reminds us of our desperate financial situation and the cost of being Big Brother. In the process, he sets out to alter not just foreign policy but our whole attitude toward the State and what it should and should not do.  That latter idea will prove the hardest to change as we are, from every corner, led in the direction of an authoritarian nanny State.

If you've ever been bothered by US foreign policy but was disturbed at the Left's embrace of dictators and terrorists (Stalin, Mao, Castro, Arafat, Chavez) this is the book for you.  It explains why you opposing US foreign policy does not require praising those who do not value freedom. Run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore and urge your friends to do so also. You are in for a revelation.
3628465
Honest elections shouldn't be part of our national heritage. This book documents the theft of our Democracy. Anyone who waves the flag should read this book.
913366
I had a love/hate relationship with Obama!  Years ago before I even heard of him I wanted Hillary Clinton to run for president.  But then Obama won and I ended up agreeing with him just as much as I did for Clinton.  In the Pennsylvania primary I had a tough choice on who to vote for.  I respected both candidates mutually.  I ended up voting for Clinton not because she wasn't black, but because I have been a supporter of hers for years.  Anyhow this book is great for both Democrats and Republicans.  Even Republicans are realizing that we need some change in this country from the current direction of the Bush-controlled white house.  Even McCain tried to distance himself from Bush and coencidentally Bush didn't appear at the Republican National Convention.  This book is a great story of Obama's idea for America.  He showed that his view were popular with Americans struggling to get by and other Americans feeling sympathy for those who were struggling.  Now that Obama is elected we can definately see where he is going with his policy choices.  I was more than thrilled that he considered Hillary Clinton for the Secretary of State position!  I hope with an Obama and Clinton in the white house we can take back our country and start a new direction welcomed by both parties.  Whether you're Democrat or Republican you'll enjoy Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope."  Highly reccomended.
1103910
Ron Paul is quite a dualistic figure. neither republican nor democrat - - - hes simply a confederate with an insane racial past.
2484983
The recent election is a practical application of Woodard's premise--that the United States is not one nation, sharing a common culture and values, but rather a collection of almost a dozen sometimes conflicting and competing historical traditions and beliefs.  It is an eminently readable and informative analysis of what lies behind our present dichotomy of Red vs Blue America.
3463504
I wrote a previous review about this book where I praised some things and castigated others, notably Trump's opposition to Israel.

I believe I was misunderstanding Trump. First and foremost, Donald Trump is a nationalist. It is very telling that he flew to Britain and praised Brexit, which itself was a stunning moment of nationalism. My eyes were therefore opened, and I considered viewing Trump through an admirable nationalist lens, and finally his policies become evident. We need nationalism, all of our nations around the world. Simply put, in Donald Trump I see a force for nationalism who will stand up to the Fed, to the world, to the political establishment, to the progressives, and everyone who quite frankly deserves to be pissed off and given the finger to.

I agree with Donald Trump. I agree with the simple, forceful, politically-incorrect things that come out of his mouth. I'm sick and tired of these smug globalists, so certain of their superiority with their Ivy League opinions, who care nothing at all for the history, culture, or spirit of nations, and to whom the entire world is just some game to toy around with the latest fad ideology. At his core, Donald Trump is a nationalist who is going to stand up to America's oppressors and do what he feels best in order to make our country great again.

And you know what, I believe in him. Sometimes a nationalistic revolution is necessary before a nation can return to an era of glory. At the end of the day, I think Trump's revolution can take us there.

And, honestly, I just can't wait to drink those liberal tears.
2726163
I got this book as a gift from a friend, and it really opened up my eyes  And make no mistake about it the Republicans are just as guilty as the Democrats. We have a two party mafia  running America into the ground with incredibly stupid trade policies and endless wars. The Russians are not our enemies despite what both parties say, China is the real enemy. Of course you won't see this in the mainstream media, nor mention of this fantastic book. So I recommend you buy it and read it.  Im libertarian and a nationalist, America first but I admire some of the things Sanders stand for, I believe he wanted to do the right thing  but I am disgusted by his silence now, a pox on both political parties
3296230
I once heard Bruce Springsteen say that, as a young person, he had asked his mother why their family were Democrats.  His mother replied, "because Democrats are for the working people."  I have been voting since 1984 and I have to look back over these thirty-odd years and admit to myself that Mrs. Springsteen's assessment hasn't been true in all that time.  Of course, the Republicans certainly haven't been for the working people either.  Oh, both parties give plenty of lip service to what they believe the working people want to hear.  The Democrats play "identity politics" and the Republicans counter with "culture wars."  And this has worked to a certain extent for both parties, particularly in presidential elections for the Democrats and in mid-term elections for the Republicans.  But, in fact, neither party cares to address the lingering and worsening problems of the people who make up the majority of the economy and the country.  The Republicans offer "trickle down" economics and the Democrats counter with "trickle-down-with-patches."  Oh well, at least the Democrats have cared enough to hand out those band aids, but after a while, and especially after the financial and economic catastrophe of 2008, it's time to admit that not one more patch is going to fix this game.  The game is a lemon, it doesn't work!
  In order to regain true health, our economy needs a new approach, one that gives great consideration to the needs of working people.  And to get that it will need a political party that actually represents this majority of the electorate.  Thomas Frank's latest book is a well-conceived, well-supported, and oh-so-timely argument that the Democratic Party has much to answer for concerning these decades of neglect of what is supposed to be their "base."  They can blame the Republicans all they want, and no doubt they'd be right with nearly every critique, but sooner or later, rank-and-file Democrats will have to face the hard facts that they have been taken for granted and played for chumps.  Thomas Frank's "Listen, Liberal" is a clarion call that we have met the enemy, and he is us.
1704097
The most important information from this book is that the Democratic Party is the anti-Christian party.  I do not think that this will surprise many religious people.  That being said the authors (implicit) definition of Christian is incorrect and nullifies even this important insight.

The only Christians (disciples of Christ) in the world are Roman Catholics.  And by Roman Catholics, I do not mean those Catholics who follow Anti-pope Francis.

[Anti-pope means a pretended pope. The anti-popes were men who by the aid of faithless Christians or others unlawfully seized and claimed the papal power while the lawful pope was in prison or exile.  Baltimore Catechism #3 Q 537]

(For the truth about the institution which calls itself Catholic Church, search the internet for the Pope in Red.  Note that we are living in the time of the great apostasy.)

What makes the Democratic Party anti-Christian?  One word: liberalism.  The Democratic Party is the bastion of liberalism.  Do not misunderstand me.  This does not mean that Republicans are not liberals.  Probably more than 90% of Republicans are (and this is a charitable estimation).  The Democrats (at least the elected officials) are logical liberals while Republicans (along with almost every other American) are illogical liberals.

What is liberalism?  Liberalism asserts that the individual is independent of God and Gods authority (Liberalism is a Sin, TAN, p. 10.  I highly recommend this book and it can be viewed online for free).  This definition shines the light on liberalism and shows how it logically leads to atheism.  In politics, liberalism is secularization.  By this definition, the only true anti-liberals in this country are true Roman Catholics.  (Even the vast majority of people who label themselves as conservatives are liberals.)

The culture wars which the author writes about in the book is the pseudo-war between logical (radical) liberals and illogical liberals.

The only war that matters is between Roman Catholics and liberals.

Thus, it is quite easy for liberal Catholics to be Democrats.
851870
The truism holds that "history is written by the victors." At first I thought this book was an attempt to tell U.S. History from the opposite perspective--the perspective of the non-victorious, like American Indians, Mexicans, blacks, conscientiousness objectors, union organizers, socialists, and the non-rich (i.e. most of us).  Turns out, that wasn't really Zinn's objective.  His objective was, just like the title says, to tell history of the U.S. "people" as compared to a conventional history, which focuses almost exclusively on individuals, particularly those in power.  It just so happens that "the people" are frequently (though not always) non-victorious in American history, hence my initial misapprehension.

Dense with facts but very engaging, I would recommend A People's History of the United States to just about anyone, including my conservative friends.  It ultimately stands for the proposition that "the people" really can affect change, and are more likely to affect change than our leaders.  Pretty much anybody can get behind that.  But read with the understanding that Zinn does not pretend to be neutral.  No Fox News-style "fair & balanced" here.  Not even NPR-style neutrality.  Zinn just puts it right out there that he's sympathetic to the struggles of the oppressed.  In other words, he's not writing from a conservative perspective.  As Zinn points out, history has far too many facts containing too many implications for anybody to avoid telling it from a particular viewpoint.
3467440
This is a very interesting topic that doesn't gets much coverage.  The arguments and examples are good and this seems like something that could be genuinely bipartisan. Unfortunately I worry that it is bipartisan in the sense that redistricting is (as in bipartisan agreement to ignore it). I think Yglaesis really under estimates the political power of the NIMBYS. The solutions he lays out may fit well with different parts of both parties ideologies but pandering to your current electorate will always beat making some future theoretical electorate happy.

Check it out though and ignore the 1 star reviews.
591218
That we all love our country is a given, but to close our eyes and mind to the competing interest and the dominant influence of those who exercise control over our governments direction; who ultimately defines the totality of who we are as a nation but more significantly where we are today is doing himself a great disservice.  That is not a legacy worth leaving.

Mr. Edward Luce's "Time to Start Thinking: America in the Age of Descent" if nothing else opens and provoke the mind to ask questions that each of us as a citizen have to seriously ponder.  Is this the America we want our children to inherit?

I would hope not.
4956440
Inciteful of a segment of America I sort of understand but don't also.  I am part of a distinct group different but with similar tendencies. This group is important for helping elect Trump and I need to gain insight. Makess me wonder what's ahead....
2098622
I'm not american, although I live here.
I want to get that out up front, because the fact that a lot of america could put aside the constitution simply because "their" side won the supreme court decision is baffling to me. All americans lose if democracy here doen't work. I am angry for america, and I cannot understand why the media here (it never really dropped off the radar afterward in europe) let this pass.
Bugliosi does a great job of analyzing the steps that got the US to that position. His outrage is clear, but he doesn't descend into the name-calling, demonizing filth that came out from both sides after the election. He's no author - the language is often dry and isn't as engaging as I expected. But he is a lawyer, and explains clearly and simply the facts as they happened.
His analysis of what he interprets as mistakes by Gore's lawyers are interesting and heart-aching if he is correct, and his descriptions of the 5 conservative judges reasons for their votes are absolutely infuriating.
For further reading on the injustice that came to pass in that election 'decision' I suggest Greg Palasts "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" for the racist nuts-and-bolts of how little brother Jeb delivered Florida, and Mark Crispin Miller's "The Bush Dyslexicon" for how the media covered up/were biased/ignored it.
Bush's continuing to act as if the american people had actually given him a mandate for sweeping conservative reforms gives a new meaning to the words "bare faced cheek". The whole episode was sad (IS sad), and the more people realize this the better america will be.
Kudos to Bugliosi and the ever-impressive "The Nation" for printing him.
3148426
Robinson has written a truly intellectual book on democracy and democracy promotion. While the world debates whether or not the US government can or cannot promote democracy, Robinson demonstrates that Washington has a history of trouncing rather than promoting democracy.  US policymakers have over the years desired pro-US regimes that hold elections rather than truly democratic governments, since truly democratic government may run counter to US interests. His book is a sober and much needed addition to the democratization literature that is mired in an unhealthy acceptance of elections and democratic values as the major characteristics of democracy.
2880025
Some people believe that holding America accountable for it's foreign policy decisions is no less than treasonous and anti-American. Thus they make the mistake of confusing the actions of the American government for the will of the people and rob this great Nation of any moral standing when criticizing the behavior of other nations.
America has supported, trained and funded terrorism for years when it served the elite Washington interest to do so. Any 10 year-old with a curious mind and an Internet connection can tell you that.
Chomsky is a true patriot. Not the cardboard chest-thumping kind we are usually fed as a standard mythological staple, but a thoughtful and intellectually precise critic of America so as to keep us honest and morally consistent. He has his work cut out for him.
So ignore the Orange alert propaganda designed to keep us all cowering until election day and read this book for a fuller context of our (yes OUR. We elect these bozos) moral responsibility to the world as the great United States of America.