If you would like to read any of these books, simply click on its cover or title and you will be taken to Amazon.com. Any book purchased through this list results in a referral fee to the Colorado DLC. Thanks! |
Roy Romer Is Alive and Well and Living in California is complied and edited by Helen Williams, the former Colorado Governor's right-hand person. Rocky Mountain News columnist Peter Blake calls this collection of remembrances of 50 friends and former aides "a steal."
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The Vanishing Voter looks at why more and more Americans are choosing not to participate in the world's greatest democracy. Patterson reviews what turns off voters and offers some solutions. He may not have all the answers but his book is a definite, good start on the discussion.
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Power Plays: Win or Lose-How History's Great Political Leaders Play the Game is an excellent analysis of how leaders match (or do not) their vision with their times. Dick Morris' insightful advice is useful to anyone practicing politics today or even trying to get ahead in the private sector.
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Blinded by the Right is a tell-all expose' of the dirty tactics of the right-wing during the Clinton administration. If you read the book, you will end up questioning if you can ever believe the conservative media again. To put it very nicely, fact-checking is not a high priority.
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Democracy Heading South contends national politics is becoming more like the South's and vice versa. Cochran cites the similarities - elections focused on blurring or ignoring issues, personality politics, etc., resulting in no coherent agenda to make globalization work for all Americans.
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Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency is the in-depth, inside and behind-the-scenes story of the Florida recount. Tapper documents the strategy and hardball tactics of the Bush and Gore campaigns. With the presidency on line, it was no holds barred.
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Deadlock provides another analysis of the Florida presidential recount debacle, ending what was the closest and perhaps most bizarre presidential election in American history. The authors, Washington Post reporters, document all the events in fascinating detail.
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How to Hack a Party Line is an inside look at the growing relationship between New Democrats and Silicon Valley executives. Miles, a contributor to Wired magazine, tells the story of how two former DLC staffers organized political fundraising with the Valley elite.
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One Nation, After All is an in-depth analysis of what middle-class, suburban Americans really think. Wolfe concludes that the so-called "culture war" has been blown out of proportion and almost all citizens support tolerance and oppose "topdown" political moralizing.
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Paradise Lost sends a strong warning - California's recent troubles will soon be coming to the rest of America, especially states like Colorado. Among other trends, Schrag focuses on the destructive impact of Proposition 13 on the Golden State's education system and quality of life.
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The Decline of Representative Democracy provides an in-depth, scholarly analysis at what is happening in state legislatures around the country. Rosenthal passionately defends deliberative democracy against populist impulses, calling for a wide range of reforms.
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Dixie Rising argues the South is increasingly defining and reshaping American values. For example, most of the national GOP leadership - Bush, Armey, Delay, Lott, and Nickles, as well as influential Democratic leaders (Clinton and Gore, to name just two), are from the region.
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Values Matter Most advocates that voters now believe "values" are more important than economics. Positions on issues like crime, welfare, race are the new determining factors in American politics. Wattenberg also shows when values worked for and against former President Clinton.
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We're Right, They're Wrong makes the case for Carville's brand of aggressive politics. All Democrats should agree on his major point - progressives must stay on the offensive. Merely playing defense is not good for America and will not get the political job done.
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Why Americans Hate Politics, written in the early 90's, demonstrated that both liberals and conservatives were offering false choices that had no connection to the everyday lives of Americans. Dionne called for what would later be known as the "Third Way" to get the country back on track.
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Essential Books
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