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The bestselling author and Newsweek columnist takes a characteristically irreverent look at the rampant mistreatment of liberals and liberalism

The "most honest and incisive media critic writing today"(National Catholic Reporter), Eric Alterman is committed to restoring the liberal tradition to its honored place as the political philosophy of mainstream American citizens. In this bracing and well-documented counterattack on right- wing spin and misinformation, Alterman briskly disposes of the canards and false definitions that have been foisted upon liberals by the right and have been accepted unquestioningly by nearly everyone else. The perfect post-election book for all those who are ready to fight back against the conservative mudslinging machine and reclaim their voices in the political process, Why We're Liberals brings clarity and perspective to the possibility of a new day in America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Defense of Liberalism
Eric Alterman defends the word and ideology that a lot of conservatives have made a career out of smearing.
Liberalism is much more than a label and Mr. Alterman does a good job of explaining the truth about the political themes and beliefs of liberalism and he is correct about Democrats preference for identifying themselves as "Progressives" rather than "liberals".

A lot of "liberal" policies are much more popular that conservatives will ever admit and the purpose of this book is to "open the way for Americans to get the government they repeatedly say they want."

He also debunks the myth of a "liberal media bias" by exposing the fact that token liberals are seldom really liberals but moderate Democrats. Liberal views are seldom presented, much less defended in American media. The fact is that the media bias is more conservative. Not just Fox News but the other major media groups mimic Fox News for ratings. PBS and LinkTV air more of the liberal views.
One can't help but notice what Alterman is writing about when viewing the major news broadcasts.

Mr. Alterman also provided a quote from Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" that reveals a liberal philosophy on government. You won't hear or read that quote very often in the main-stream media!
He discusses the link between liberal politics and Christianity that gets lost in the current Christian connection with the conservative Republicans.

Another interesting subject is the impact that the internet and blogs in particular have had on connecting liberals.

On page 208 the author writes- "The prophetic warning of James Madison in Federalist Paper No. 10, that 'a religious sect may degenerate into a political faction' has come to fruition 200 years later in the contemporary conservative movement."
On that same movement he adds that it is "dominated by censorious Christian fundamentalists, favor-seeking corporate CEOs, and neoconservative ideologues dreaming of a global empire." From page 264. He astutely identifies the make-up of the conservatives.

One of the complaints that Mr. Alterman has of the liberal Democrats is that they don't defend their ideology in the event that they really have continued to believe in it.

This is an entertaining book and the author presents an effective defense of liberalism.
It includes 45 pages of Notes and an Index at the end of the book.

Bush bashing
I am an indepedent and wanted to learn more about liberalism. I found the book loading with so called facts that are untrue. Europe standard of living is poor compared to America yet you would think Europe is paradise. Why do so many people continue to want to come to America? I did not learn anything about liberalism.

A book every liberal (and non-liberal) should read
What an amazing defense of liberalism.But what's sad is that liberalism even needs to be defended in the first place.What Alterman does is set down facts and evidence that will make you see that conservatives in this country will do and say about anything to get power and keep it.He makes it known that the right wing has demonized the term "liberal" and "liberalism" when in fact the country is leaning more and more towards what the real definition of "liberalism" is.Definitely a book every liberal (and non-liberal) needs to read.

Accurate explanation of liberalism
This book gets four stars because part one is a moaning about how liberals (real ones) have lost opportunities.

The essence of the book is in part two.Here Mr Alterman takes stereotypes (put out by the lunatic fringe of the conservatives) about liberals and proves how wrong the stereotypes are.

Most people who consider themselves "conservative" are honest, peaceful, hard-working, law-abiding, God-loving persons.So are most liberals.However, the lunatic fringe -- a very tiny percentage of the conservative group -- is extremely vocal, virulent, and strident.People like Limbaugh, Coulter, et at (the "pundits") promote hatred and fear, tell vicious lies, call themselves "Christians" (but don't follow the basic precepts of their own religion), encourage divisions between people, show blatant prejudice to minorities, etc.

It is the lies by the pundits of the conservative lunatic fringe that, unfortunately, get broadcast, and too many people believe them.So this book is an antidote for the virulent hatred of the radical right.

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 up with numerous and highly memorable statistics, studies, relevant examples from recent and past history before finally giving the reader an overall perspective on each issue. For instance, when he debunks the notion of a liberal media, he does so by not through ranting but through citing studies which tallied the number of liberal talking heads that have appeared on the Sunday shows over the past years, how many hours of total time anyone resembling a liberal gets on cable and network T.V.. When he talks about how little conservatives are willing to deal in shades of gray on issues, he gives numerous very cogent examples of exactly this then goes on to cite studies that show things like people who self-identify themselves as conservatives have less activity in their prefrontal cortexes when they attempt to resolve ambiguous visual stimuli in laboratory conditions, i.e. is that letter an "M" or a "N"?

If you're looking for facts you can use in conversation or debate, you'd better be ready to take notes. Can you remember every hypocritical Congressman or Senator or political figure of the right who attacked Clinton or gays or drug addicts or the left while engaging in exactly the behavior they were self-righteously condemning? Can you remember their names and positions and what they said and exactly what they did?I lived through all the examples he cites and was disgusted by each, but I have to confess I forgot the names and details. To see them all paraded here was edifying and astonishing- I had no idea there were so many of them and that they were so shamelessly hypocritical; I'm now a lot more fun at Thanksgiving dinner. For instance, Newt Gingrich is gearing up to Being Somebody another go. He lead the charge to impeach Clinton. He's also the guy who dumped his first wife, who put him through college, with the words "she's not young enough or pretty enough to be a First Lady" and served her divorce papers at her hospital bed where she was being treated for cancer, then went on to marry a younger woman, then dumped HER later when she came down with MS and finally married another woman 23 years his junior.Stillhe thought himself in a position to lecture the country, and the Clintons, about the importance of family values and the sanctity of marriage and all that.

Another example:I didn't know that there was a measure of health care which specifically isolates "cure rate of diseases which are amenable to treatment". This is important because it shows very starkly just how mediocre Americanhealth care really is compared to other countries. This is not something you'll learn about on Fox.

This is a high quality work. Conservatives will hate it and quite frankly it's hard to imagine them reading it through, so the audience is probably the converted, but it's well worth the time it requires to read it. You'll come away with a ton of facts which, even if you're politically savvy, you probably haven't heard before and which taken together devastate a long list of conservative articles of faith such as, "America was founded as a Christian country" or"Europe is in economic decline" or "the U.S. has the best health care in the world" or "there's a liberal bias in the media" or "the majority of people are conservative" or "the economicgolden age of 1945-60 in this country was a result of low taxesand limitedgovernment".

A solid work, a moral work, packed with memorable and effective facts. All stuff, no fluff. Enjoy. ... Read more

Product Description
Six years have passed since the birth of the Liberal Democrats in March 1988. Under the leadership of Paddy Ashdown, a radical new third force is emerging in British politics. This highly informative history of the Liberal Party covers the period from 1900 to 1992. It ranges from the landslide Liberal victory of 1906 and the halcyon era of Edwardian Liberalism, to the diversions and decline of the inter-war years and the advent of the Liberal Democrats in the 1980s. ... Read more

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This book reassesses the liberal political tradition in the light of recent intellectual and political developments. Featuring work by analysts of liberal thought, this volume examines the links between modern liberalism and earlier liberal variants, addresses contemporary challenges to liberalism, and considers prospects for the future. The contributors offer both analytical and historical approaches to understanding liberal thought. Engaging with topical issues and controversies, the book covers issues including the structure of liberal argument, varieties of liberalism, economic liberalism, liberal constituionalism, liberalism and feminism, liberalism and postmodernism, and the future of liberal political thought. ... Read more

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Liberalism at the Crossroads offers succinct, accessible, and well-written surveys of the ideas of the leading participants in the contemporary philosophical debate about liberalism. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from SaskBusiness, published by Sunrise Publishing Ltd. on August 1, 2001. The length of the article is 753 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Politicians should mind their own business.(business people and political party leadership)(Brief Article)
Author: Paul Martin
Publication: SaskBusiness (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2001
Publisher: Sunrise Publishing Ltd.
Volume: 22Issue: 5Page: 54

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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'Garry Tregidga has produced an interesting study . . . A thoughtful and persuasive account of a significant part of twentieth century Liberal history.'- Journal of Liberal Democrat History 29, Winter 2000-01

'Meticulously researched, sourced and argued, like all the best political histories this is a road map of social change, local and national, through the fastest shifting century of them all . . . It is a book that needed to be written, and deserves to be read.'- Western Morning News, December 5, 2000

'A well-researched work, drawing on many sources, this book is, however, not a turgid tome.It is replete with interesting detail . . . a welcome contribution to the debate about the Liberal Party's survival in the face of a sea change in British history.'- Tavistock Times, November 23, 2000 ... Read more

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Judith Brett, award-winning author and well-known Australian political scientist, provides the first complete history of the Australian liberal tradition, as well as of the Liberal Party from the second half of the twentieth century. The Liberal Party of Australia was late to form in 1945, but the traditions and ideals upon which it is founded have been central to Australian politics since federation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A refreshing history
Little scholarship exists on Australia.Even smaller are the books on Australian Politics.Here is a short history of the Liberal party of Australia, created in the 1940s by Mr. Menzies as a conservative party in opposition to Labour this is the party of the current PM Mr. Howard.This fascinating look explains Australia and its issues including its foreign policy, its role in Vietnam and he struggle for morality among other things. From Menzies, the anti-communist, to Holt who disappeared this is an amazing account. A very interesting story and a necessary read where so little exists on modern Australian politics.

Seth J. Frantzman ... Read more

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This account tells the story of the Liberal Party of Australia from its formation in October 1944 to 1994. It is a history book, but also an autobiographical account of the individuals who made the Liberal Party - Robert Menzies, Elizabeth Couchman, Paul Hasluck, Garfield Barwick and Malcolm Fraser. It is the story of success and failure at both national and state levels, and an analysis of the reasons for the party's successive Federal election losses. The book includes many interview extracts from the author's discussions with Pattie Menzies, Paul Hasluck, Margaret Guilfoyle, Garfield Barwick, Andrew Peacock, Nick Greiner, John Howard, Jeff Kennett and others, shedding light on the personalities, frailties and divisions behind the Liberal Party's 50-year history. ... Read more

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In The Big Red Machine, astute Liberal observer Stephen Clarkson tells the story of the Liberal Party's performance in the last nine elections, providing essential historical context for each and offering incisive, behnd-the-scenes detail about how the party has planned, changed, and executed its successful electoral strategies. Arguing that the Liberal Party has opportunistically straddled the political centre since Sir John A. Macdonald--leaning left or moving right and as circumstances required--Clarkson also shows that the party's grip on power is becoming increasingly uncertain, having lost its appeal not just in the West, but now in Quebec. Its campaigns now reflect the splintering of the party system and the integration of Canada into the global economy.

An ideal political primer, deftly written and filled with a wealth of fact and analysis, The Big Red Machine is a fascinating history of Liberal pragmatism, communication tactics, and dramatic changes in leadership style. "Even if the last century did not belong to Canada, Canada turns out to have belonged to the Liberal Party," Clarkson concludes. Although he forsees considerably less rosy prospects for the Grits in the years ahead, the "big red machine" remains a formidable political force. ... Read more

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This updated sixth edition volume attempts a relatively short survey of the fortunes of the Liberal Party during the period since 1900. Since the history of the party during these years must be seen in the context of the Victorian era, the first two chapters of the book are devoted to a brief survey of the main events of that period.
... Read more

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This enlightening book presents the first modern overview of British Liberalism during the period from 1830 to 1886 when it was the dominant political force. Focusing on the strategies of successive Liberal leaders from Grey to Gladstone and Hartington, Jonathan Parry finds that Liberalism tried to maintain the rule of a propertied but socially diverse, rational, and civilized elite, and that it was a much more coherent political force than has generally been recognized. ... Read more

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In the United States of America, a nation overwhelmingly Christian, literally any sign of Christmas in public can now lead to complaints, litigation, angry protests, threats, and bruised feelings. Every year the limitations get tighter and tighter and spread to more and more communities, far from the big liberal cities. And as Fox News Channel’s John Gibson reveals in this shocking exposé, it’s not happening by accident.

Secular liberals say they’re just protecting the constitutional rights of non-Christians who don’t want to see or hear about Christmas. But what about the constitutional rights of millions of Americans who simply want to celebrate their traditional holiday—without insulting anyone else but also without having to hide behind closed doors?

Gibson unveils the coordinated work of American Civil Liberties Union lawyers, professional atheists,and Christian haters who have taken the war on Christmas to your front door.

The War on Christmas is heating up, maybe in your own town. Don’t let it catch you unprepared. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (350)

missing the point
He's missing the point and seems paranoid.This is scary reading. Even scarier is that the author's ideas may be shared by an increasing number of people.If you are reading this opinion, please do your best to challenge ideas presented by authors like this.

In America, we have a nation of MANY RELIGIONS, a nation where we all ALL free to practice (or not practice) our religious beliefs and holidays. Does this mean that local governments should allocate public budgets for purchasing Christmas wreaths, lights and trees to adorn the streets? I believe not. The role of government is NOT to adorn our towns with Christmas decorations.Leave it up to the residents to decorate their private homes, cars, recreational vehicles, dogs, lawns, with whatever they feel like theywould like to decorate with.But once those religious objects and symbols are purchased by municipal governments and displayed on public properties, the government is essentially promoting religion through the acquisition and display of the objects.And that is unconstitutional.No one is waging a war on Christmas.Feel free to privately celebrate as much as you want.Put those decorations wherever you want (ON YOUR OWN PRIVATE PROPERTY).Our founding fathers and mothers were smart people for realizing that a separation between government and religion is wise.I am reminded once again what a wonderful country we live in. Hopefully we can all educate ourselves more on these issues and become wiser together.

Helpful, Understanding in todays Society

I thought it was a very informative book, that help me to understand why Christmas seems to be taken from our public lifes and not celebrated, like it was when I was a kid. Our country has been based on Christian values and morals, and we need to get back to it. God bless our country.

Merry Christmas
I completely agree with this author. Actually speaking, I am/was not worried to say "Happy Holiday", still I say "Happy Holiday" but I can't hear the same in Middle East/India during a Muslim/Hindu holidays instead I see more religious intolerance in the world where Christians are minority. I want our next generation will allow practicing Christianity or NOT practicing Christianity. I want to save our way of our life. If not, all of our daughters will walk with the hijab and sons won't shave. The first step to save our way of life is to say "Marry Christmas". Liberals are digging their grave along with other Christens/Jews by doing the war on Christmas and all other Christian symbols. Liberals know Christians won't react, so they will continue this against Christianity but not any other religion (They already burned there hand just by drawing a Cartoon against the PROPHET MUHAMMAD).

You mean this is an actual book?
Someone actually wrote this book?I saw mentioned in an article and thought it was a joke.I can't review since I haven't actually read it, but unless the author's tongue was planted firmly in cheek when he wrote it, I give it one star for sheer asininity.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!
I believe GOD inspired Mr. Gibson to write this book!All lovers of GOD and JESUS need to buy a copy!And one for everyone of their families and friends! With every passing year the GOD haters gain more and more ground and pollute it with their vile, Satan inspired liberal garbage ideas.We TRUE CHRISTIANS are a persecuted and set upon by the atheist hoard from all directions!We need to fight back and teach these GOD haters that our CHRISTIANnation will not tolerate their evil ways!

In my very own home town, two families, one Jewish (JESUS killers) and one atheist (GOD haters) complained over and over about our town's lovely CHRISTmas town hall decorations.With the backing of the ACLU and some other evil atheist group, they bullied the town with the threat of lawsuits.So we had to move the nativity into the front yard of the Christian family living next door!GOD bless them for taking it!Praise JESUS!We had to move it a whole 15 feet to the east!What a travesty.And last year, some GOD hater swapped the blessed baby JESUS with the black lawn jockey across the street.Sick.How long must the righteous suffer this persecution before we stand up and demand for it to be stopped???!!!

And the CHRISTmas light display.They told our town we either had to put a sign by the CHRISTmas tree saying "Holiday Tree," or take the lights off.As for all the lights on the property....we had to waste 4 hours of city workers' time removing all the green and red bulbs from the strings and replacing them with other colors.This is sick, just sick, since all good CHRISTIANS know Jesus wore red and green robes, and HE is insulted by the removal of those bulbs.

It would have taken much longer to remove the bulbs, but for the help of GODLY people from the local churches coming out to help, and chipping in the $11.24 need to pay for new bulbs.We got the last laugh about the bulbs, though, by stringing up the rows of only red and green lights around the crèche of the BLESSED JESUS next door.Neighborhood children stopped to watch and some were crying.They couldn't believe anyone would insult OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS in that way.Their tear streaked little faces nearly broke my heart.
However, a couple of GODLY church members (bless their generous souls), gave them all hot chocolate with cross shaped marshmallows and promised to take them to the local abortion baby-killing mill next week and let them hold up signs of bloody fetuses for an hour.And if they were really good, to pass out Chick Tracts.That cheered them right up.

The liberal media is attempting to cover up events like this in all our towns!In the next town over, those disgusting gays arranged the CHRISTmas bulbs in the lights on *their* city hall to put them in rainbow order.And no one listened to the complaints!It never made the news!It makes me want to throw up.I might even email Bill O'Riley. And don't even get me started about the store circulars that don't say CHRISTmas!Every day I pick through my mail and return all of the GOD hating ones back to sender with a tract taped to it.Sometimes I even write bible verses over Satan inspired ads, like fancy ladies' undies, low cut blouses and football shaped phones.An abomination!And my verses always come straight from my King James Bible, because if it was good enough for JESUS, it's good enough for me!

So buy this book and do whatever the author says...before it's too late!GOD bless you!MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
... Read more

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When George McGovern lost the 1972 presidential election, Richard Nixon's landslide victory buried more than an insurgent campaign. In resurrecting the largely forgotten story of McGovern's remarkable presidential bid, Bruce Miroff reveals how his crushing defeat produced an identity crisis for liberals torn between their convictions and the political calculations required to win elections--a dilemma for Democrats that has never gone away.

Miroff follows the campaign from its surprising rise to its catastrophic fall to remind us how a dark-horse candidate captured the nomination--and then disastrously chose a running mate with a hidden past. Drawing on interviews with dozens of participants--including McGovern himself--who share a wealth of anecdotes and insights, Miroff traces the insurgency to the political struggles of the sixties, explores McGovern's ideology, and assesses the Republican attack politics that linked McGovern to "acid, amnesty, and abortion."

Miroff shows how the transformative election of 1972 signaled a major shift in the Democratic base--from urban blue-collar New Dealers to suburban, issue-oriented activists (feminists and gay rights advocates among them)--as the party shed its Cold War past and embraced an antiwar orientation. He also illuminates how the McGovern campaign mastered the new game of presidential primaries and explores the formative experiences of a generation of talented young political actors, including campaign manager Gary Hart, political newcomer Bill Clinton, and future party strategists Bob Shrum and John Podesta. In excavating the 1972 landslide, he follows the subsequent careers of the young McGovernites and describes the loss's effects on later Democratic presidential campaigns.

By tracing the transformation of American liberalism and sixties idealism from their political crash in 1972 to the muddled centrism of the twenty-first century, The Liberals' Moment shows what the McGovern insurgency has to teach us today--and identifies what Democrats must do in order to reassume the mantle of progressive change. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I was actually there!
Having been a McGovern delegate to the l972 convention, I read this book with rapt attention.While we were in the maelstrom, it was hard to see what was really happening, but this book puts perspective on the time.I now understand why the delegates from Alabama came up to me (from NY) and said, "Why are you destroying the Democratic party?"We weren't.We were coaching it.

A Must-Read for Democrats!
I enjoyed The Liberals' Moment tremendously. The book is well-organized, clear, and most importantly, relevant to today's politics. It is relevant because it lays clear the central dilemma of the modern Democratic Party today: How do national Democratic candidates connect with the ideological passion of the party grassroots while still winning a majority in a general election?

Miroff's first part of the book describes the actual 1972 campaign. The earlier 1968 Democratic presidential nomination campaign is briefly described. That contest situated George McGovern alongside Bobby Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey, Gene McCarthy and others as the party tries to pick up the pieces after LBJ declines to seek re-election. The book moves into the jockeying in the years before the 1972 campaign and describes the strategy and tactics of the campaign. In this, Miroff introduces us to McGovern's biography and the issues he cares most about.

Two chapters are titled "The Left-Center Strategy" and "A Downward Arc." These describe the blueprints behind his 1972 campaign strategy and the successes and failures of it for both the primary and general election campaigns. The chapters also describe the chaotic Miami Beach Convention, the Eagleton affair and the principal architects and practitioners of the strategy and tactics of the campaign.

A critical theme that is described is the intense campaign against McGovern by fellow Democrats that lasted into the convention itself. The attempt by Humphrey to reclaim his throne and the hostility of labor leaders all forced the campaign to fight a prolonged two-front war. The campaign was distracted from focusing on in Nixon until very late. In one sense, this made victory almost impossible in November 1972.

However on the positive side, the joy of grass-roots politics comes across well. The strong showing in New Hampshire and his win in Wisconsin remind readers about the importance, and power, of idealism in American politics.

The second part of the book is about the campaign's meaning. Among other topics, Miroff delves into how "radical" the campaign was. In one sense, it was radical because McGovern directly criticized the Vietnam War. The war was immoral (at least to McGovern). This kind of truth is radical.

However there was also an image of radicalism that was painted by his opponents. Feminists, gays and lesbians and African-Americans found a visible place in the campaign. Their inclusion as a core, and noticeable, component of his campaign were an easy target in the culture war that was developing.

The complicated relationships between important interest groups and the McGovern campaign are also described. The tension between electoral campaigns and identity politics is analyzed well: McGovern's campaign staff wanted to win while some interest groups seemed like they were more interested in representation and recognition. There is also description of the attack politics of the Nixon campaign. As Miroff states, "The master's campaign against McGovern became a seminal text for attack politics. It taught his Republican successors how to neutralize or co-opt issues normally belonging to liberals. It instructed them on how to play the cards of race, religion and class to divide the Democrats and pull together a Republican electoral majority." (p. 244)

The last section of the book is over the party's identity. The post-mortems of the campaign are described. Why did McGovern lose so badly? Conservative Democrats viewed the loss as resulting primarily from ideology. Or was the loss caused by McGovern's personality or his handling of the Eagleton affair? It is here where Miroff has identified the ghost that keeps haunting the Democratic Party. It seems that the national media, pundits, consultants, and Democratic presidential candidates can't seem to get over this loss. Once "McGovern" is mentioned, Democrats and liberals seem to reflexively pull back from their convictions, become hesitant and doubtful and cede the power of political passion to Republicans.

Miroff concludes with a chapter on some of the key people that worked in the McGovern campaign: Bob Shrum, Gary Hart, Bill Clinton (and his supporters) among others. Following these careers is instructive in understanding where the party is today. He also describes how McGovern has remained faithful to his liberal ideology since his 1972 campaign.

In his epilogue, Miroff is clear on what he thinks the party should do: "An essential step in resolving the identity crisis of the Democratic Party is to recover what Democrats believe, their core-and liberal-convictions, and to refuse to conceal them any longer. Equally essential is the honesty to work through the traumas of liberal defeat, particularly 1972, and to learn from liberal failings." (p. 304-5)

If "the traumas of liberal defeat" are explored more honestly by Democrats and liberals, there might be some uncomfortable questions that become more visible. In particular, how does the party create an ideological model that can win the presidency while still remain true to the strong anti-war feelings of the party's grassroots? This is where Vietnam is connected to Iraq; 1972 to 2008.

The Liberals' Moment is excellent political history. It is also a work of political analysis which is precise and pertinent to today.

Masterful and penetrating
Bruce Miroff's "The Liberals' Moment" is an in-depth look at the McGovern presidential campaign of 1972 and its aftermath. It's a reminder of that era when the decade of the 1960s was quickly running out of time, in a sense, largely ending with McGovern's colossal defeat and the impending Watergate crisis. Miroff makes no apologies for the campaign and sees it in a broader light than just the run of the last true liberal for president on a major party ticket.

The author covers so many angles...all with clarity. Yes, it was a race about the war in Vietnam and ideology, and it was prompted in large part by grassroots from young people. But it was also a campaign that had an ugly flip side...one has largely forgotten the damage that Hubert Humphrey did to McGovern in the run-up to the Democratic convention in Miami Beach and the loss of "traditional" Democrats...blue-collar workers and ethnic voters. But the campaign, itself, from the Eagleton affair to the "demogrant", right up to Election Day.....we all knew McGovern would lose but for those of us who voted for him (it was my first presidential vote cast as a nineteen-year-old) this was as passionate as campaigns get. And quite rightly, as Miroff points out, that holds true for many of us today.

The legacy of the McGovern campaign is covered well and Miroff balances things to a tee. He's also good at telling us what happened to all those people who were "high-ups" working for McGovern. It's fascinating when he compares McGovern to other candidates who ran in succeeding years for the presidency and how they never had a clear and succinct message. Unfortunately, we're seeing some of those same things appear in the presidential race in 2008.

Finally, Miroff has a few kind words about George McGovern, himself. McGovern has never left his embrace of liberalism and I marvel when I see him now occasionally on tv.....the old warrior of the left still unapologetic and unreconstructed, saying things that make even more sense today. "The Liberals' Moment" is a fine piece of work and I highly recommend it. ... Read more

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No account of contemporary politics can ignore religion. The liberal democratic tradition in political thought has long treated religion with some suspicion, regarding it as a source of division and instability. Faith in Politics shows how such arguments are unpersuasive and dependent on questionable empirical claims: rather than being a serious threat to democracies' legitimacy, stability and freedom, religion can be democratically constructive. Using historical cases of important religious political movements to add empirical weight, Bryan McGraw suggests that religion will remain a significant political force for the foreseeable future and that pluralist democracies would do well to welcome rather than marginalize it. ... Read more

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