One Party Country: The Republican Plan for Dominance in the 21st Century

by Tom Hamburger, Peter Wallsten

Overview

The Los Angeles Times bestseller

"Intelligent....Their book represents a burgeoning literary genre--studies of Roveology, which is the art of using what Republicans embrace, marketing information and what they theoretically are wary of, federal power, to elect more Republicans."
--George Will, Newsweek

"Persuasive....Hamburger and Wallsten discuss in great detail the misuse of executive branch power for raw political purposes."
--Mark Schmitt, Washington Monthly

The single greatest priority for the Bush administration has been the consolidation of executive power. That power has been wielded like never before for partisan gain: to win current and future elections for Republicans across America. The Democrats had everything going for them in the 2006 election, but all the obstacles Republicans have been constructing paid off by denying them an even bigger win. Democrats are confident going into 2008, but the Republican advantages endure. Through a rigorous examination of the GOP machine, this book reveals how a true Democratic resurgence faces steep barriers--barriers erected by conservatives who have worked to build their dominant position since the days of Barry Goldwater.

"Incisive journalistic digging...One Party Country does a good job of spelling out the GOP electoral strategy objectively and in detail."
--The Christian Science Monitor

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470327029
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/21/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	549 KB

About the Author

Tom Hamburger is an investigative reporter covering Congress and the executive branch for the Los Angeles Times. Peter Wallsten covers the White House for the Los Angeles Times. Both authors have been interviewed about the Bush administration on CNN, Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC, and NPR.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Chapter 1. The real Cdente3r of Power.

Chapter 2. Stacking the Electoral Deck.

Chapter 3. The End of the Southern Strategy.

Chapter 4. The Rove Doctrine.

Chapter 5. The Organized Shall Inherit the Earth.

Chapter 6. Death by a Thousand Cuts.

Chapter 7. The Business of America Is Business- and Lobbying.

Chapter 8. Put to the Test: Social Security.

Chapter 9. Put to the Test: The Bench.

Epilogue.

Notes.

Bibliography.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

These two books look at the recent consolidation of power by the Republican party. "I am not a member of an organized political party," said Will Rogers. "I am a Democrat." And that disorganization is why Republicans keep winning elections, say Los Angeles Times reporters Hamburger and Wallsten. Democrats formerly excelled in coalition building and retail politics, but over the past 20 years, the Republicans have constructed a well-oiled machine to deliver the vote. The GOP has also worked the issues, winning votes from Democrats whose concerns are ignored by the elites running the party. Even Ronald Reagan was once a convert, explaining "I didn't leave the Democratic Party; the Democratic Party left me." Free of the rants and invective typical of recent political books, One Party Country is solidly reported, lucid, and fascinating in explaining the origins of today's power structure. Highly recommended for all libraries. The similar Building Red America, by Washington Post reporter Edsall, has a bigger canvas: the rise of postwar conservativism and how the Right has won with cultural issues. But the story needs touching up, for in a rush to produce the book before the mid-term elections, editing seems to have been minimal, which results in a cut-and-paste narrative that flows and jerks in fits and starts. The endnotes rely extensively on web pages, and this greatly reduces the scholarly value, as Edsall often cites secondary electronic sources that will not long be accessible when there are printed primary sources available. Even larger collections should consider Building a marginal purchase.-Michael O. Eshleman, Kings Mills, OH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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