What We Do Now

Rating:
Summary: 1 star for the ideas....
Review: ...because they are, of course, hopelessly muddled. But 5 stars for the effort. The very best thing the left can do is assert itself unapologetically; when they do so, they lose. The curious thing is that the left believes, perversely, that their past success was an era of open progressivism to which they must return. More power to them! The truth is, of course, that their past successes depended exclusively on manipulations and sleights-of-hand that have finally been unraveled. The emperor, now naked, is flatly and consistently rejected; those of us thankful for this fortunate turn cannot be more pleased to see the left so clueless as to believe that the trick is to assert said nakedness proudly!

Have at it. Buy the book. Advance your ideas. Be strong and proud. There is honor in going down with the ship. You must not allow your ideas and principles to be compromised merely because they are being relegated, rightly, to the dustbin of history. Howard Dean indeed!

Rating:
Summary: What's the right afraid of?
Review: Anybody who says, as does the review below, that this book is written by people to the left of Marx--Donna Brazile? Howard Dean?--has obviously not read Marx, or apparently even read about him. So if they'd lie about that, chances are they'd lie about reading this book, too. But I have read it, and it's thoughtful, fiery, interesting, and inspiring. Just like the current generation of neocons to fear that.

And just like them to go all the way back to the Cold War to try and smear the left with accusations of Communism. What's Marx got to do with it? Organizing the left and thinking constructively about progressive politics is unpatriotic to these people . . . they're fearful of intellectual engagement, and intellectually dishonest . . . which only shows you why we need books like this. Highly recommended!




Rating:
Summary: Only read this if you consider yourself radical left.
Review: For the record, I am not a left winger, or a right winger. In fact I can't stand the "wings" of this country's current political environment. But rest assured if you find Marx too far to the right then this book is for you. Yes it has clear moments of validity, however for the most part the book does poor job of formulating the ideas to convince you that is speaks the truth. Most of the articles are based in paranoia. I found many historical facts to be taken out of context. Think F911 on paper, a interesting read, but more agitation than education. I bought this book after I heard three of the authors speak, and was sadly disappointed. If you think we are at the end of days in this country, then run out and buy this book, but if you are looking for any balanced arguments you will want to look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Not the same old same old
Review: I got this book because I saw a program about it on CSPAN that was very stirring. Some of the contributors had gathered the day after the inauguration in the famous Cooper Union hall, where Lincoln spoke out against slavery. They were quoting him as they spoke about what they'd written and while they were all talking about different issues, they all said the same thing: don't quit, we can win, but it's a serious struggle and we must start now. The very best was the poet Robin Morgan, who read from the writings of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Franklin, and so on, showing how secular they were; most were even atheists (Washington never even used the word "Jesus" in the thousands of letters he wrote). They worked hard to keep church and state separate in the Constitution and in the government they devised but you'd never know that from the fundamentalists in charge now.

I bought the book for Morgan's essay, but the thing I wound up loving about it was that it had other essays in it from not just other artists but from people who aren't the usual talking heads. For politicians, it's Howard Dean, for example, not one of the usual hacks. So I felt like I learned something different from all of them. But the best things in the book, to me, are the things from artists. My favorite essay is from a novelist named Steve Almond. I also liked that the book has some humor, such as a really stunning satire from another novelist, George Saunders. There's even an essay about taxes from a fiction blogger named Maud Newton who is a tax attorney, too. There's even a lovely essay from a poet suggesting poems to read to keep heart! This is very refreshing and in a funny way it made me want to rengage in the struggle in a way I haven't for a long time. It's not just about supporting stiff rich men like John Kerry, it's about the whole culture. I really love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Welcoming the left...
Review: Not sure what Cahill is talking about below - references to Marx in discussing this book are wholly appropriate. Indeed, one may safely assume that it is Cahill who has not read him. Nonetheless, Cahill's characterization of the book as thoughtful, fiery, interesting, and inspiring is dead-on accurate. Unfortunately, the book is also deeply and fundamentally flawed in precisely the same way as Marx. The political and economic philosophy advanced simply doesn't work; it's utopianism of the worst sort.

While some quarters of the right do indeed evidence fear of the left, as Cahill asserts, such fear is totally unnecessary. Those on the right who have confidence in ideas, who depend upon intellectual honesty, welcome this book with open arms. The best case for the capitalism and freedom is made by leftists with the guts to offer their unalloyed ideas. These people are wrong, and dangerously, even sickeningly so - but how much better that said wrongness is laid out for all to see? Certainly this is preferable to being hoodwinked by the seductions of glib, slick manipulators.

Leftists: buy this book. It's totally consistent with everything you already believe. It doesn't offer anything new, particularly if you've read Marx, but there's nothing wrong with more modern formulations. The old "class struggle" rhetoric is a bit tired, after all.

Conservatives: the left, having held sway since FDR, are finally coming to be seen for what they are. They are in fact taking the lead in the unmasking! The more people who read this book the better - except for the already committed left, this book can only generate more capitalists.

Rating:
Summary: I am not alone
Review: This book examines what we in the left should do after George W. Bush was elected to a second term.

Although a majority of people were against his Iraq policies, the allegedly 'liberal' mass media made the election returns seem like a solid mandate. Bush actually had won by a slim margin of victory, and Kerry actually had put up a good showing in that close race.

Notable progressives such as Leslie Cagan and Jenifer Ponzer eschew hand-wringing and finger pointing for constructive and proactive solutions. I fear that we on the left have become too accommodating to other viewpoints without giving the American people an affirmative reason to vote for our own side.

We consequently have allowed our opponents to define (mislead others) what being a liberal is instead of reminding people that liberalism is the very same ideology which has fought against tainted food, lynching, and segregated public facilities. I personally do not want to live in an America without these and many other developments.

I also appreciated that this book offered contact information so we could get in touch with other like-minded people, and build an America which all people can be genuinely proud of. This book is not just the authors venting steam, but represents a collection of people who actually want to move others into collective action.

Notable progressives such as Leslie Cagan, Donna Brazille, and Jenifer Ponzer eschew hand-wringing and finger pointing for constructive and proactive solutions. I fear that we on the left have become too accomodating to other viewpoints, and have allowed our opponents to define (mislead others) what being a liberal is instead of reminding people that liberalism is the ideology which fought against tainted food and segregated public facilities.

I also appreciated that this that it offered contact information so we could get in touch with other like-minded people, and build an America which we are proud of. This book is not just the authors venting steam, but people wanting to move others into collective action for the common good.

Rating:
Summary: 24 Progressive Essays
Review: This book is a wonderful collection of 24 progressive essays that is a must read for all persons who are concerned with the direction of the USA political process. This book is to give inspiration and hope to the persons on the left who lost the election to President Bush. The left has had a failure to organize and the progressive forces did not have a plan to win the election. What happened to Ralph Nader's list of over 3,000,000 progressive voters? When the left joins together they will win.

Rating:
Summary: Howard Dean will rise again!
Review: This is a book more people should be talking about. Lots of good ideas in here I never heard of before, like what Howard Dean says about instant runoff voting. None of the media seems to talk to Dean any more, so I was glad to see these editors talked to him. The George Saunders piece is sheer genius, too.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing like it
Review: This is the only media I've seen really talking about the current situation progressives find themselves in. Not the NY Times, not NPR, not the Atlantic . . . for sure not television . . . are talking about the fact that progressives are on their own right now. That wasn't the Dems who delivered the vote in November. So it's the only handbook for "the rest of us." Thankfully, it's well done, and all the right people are in here. The essays are short and to the point. Hope they do a follow-up!

Rating:
Summary: It obviously infuriates the right!
Review: Well, at least old "Sarah Taylor" from the well known right-wing bastion of San Francisco figured out how to match what she was saying with the proper star rating, unlike the earlier genius who wrote a nasty review and then gave the book, duh, five stars . . . . But none of these large foreheads can come up with anything other than the sixty-year-old tactic of the Communist smear. So again "Sarah Taylor" uses the obviously unread Marx to talk about this just-as-obviously unread book. I mean, heaven forefend that such a brainiac notice, let alone comprehend, a book where, for instance, there is an essay criticising NAFTA and free trade -- policies the Dems themselves instituted under Clinton. Or that there's another essay using extensive quotes from the Founding Fathers to discuss the secular intent of the Constitution. Or that there are several rollicking attacks on the mainstream media (something the right themselves seems to think they are the only ones allowed to do). I mean, as the right-wing commentaries against this book show, and as this book itself discussses, the average person on the right, not so well educated as the neocon leaders Wolfowitz et al, simply does not engage in discussion of ideas. They love to throw Marx around but clearly don't comprehend what it means or they would realize the embarrasing irrelevance in this particular discussion. So, tmore typically, they smear, they insult. It's ugly and ignorant and unpatriottic and un-Christian and childish.

And so thank God for books like this that say keep your chin up, be a patriot, and consider this wide-ranging discussion of a variety of topics as a way to get re-oriented and re-charged in the necessary counterattack against these stupid but powerful extremists. I found many great ideas here (some terrific things to do on getting environmental threats back in the discussion) and among those ideas was a discussion saying don't waste your time on the ugly "bar fighters" like we see on this page, but be more concerned with the neo con intelligencia, which is real and very smart indeed. The book also attempts something that takes a page from the right -- while the right tends to float nincompoopish books such as Ann Coulter and the Swift Boats Veterans tomes, it does, behind the scenes, conduct endless intelligent conversations within the high walls of its think tanks. In a sense, this book tries to do something similar for progressivess and liberals, but in a more open format. In that sense, it joins with Lakoff in an effort that must become more widespread.

Meanwhile, take hope from this: This book obviously stings them, and stumps them at the same time. Enjoy!