The Bluest State: How Democrats Created the Massachusetts Blueprint for American Political Disaster

by Jon Keller

Book Overview

What's Happened to Massachusetts? At one time, Americans thought of Massachusetts with pride. It was the place where the charge against British oppression was incubated and first battle of the Revolutionary War was fought. It was the intellectual center of the United States, the home of the country's first university - Harvard - and the birthplace of some of our most famous writers -- Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, to name just a few. What do Americans picture when they think of Massachusetts today? They think of taxes on everything that moves and a burning desire to tax what doesn't. They think of unctuous, doomed Presidential candidates from Michael Dukakis to John Kerry. And, most of all, they think of "Kennedy Country" - not the moderate politics of JFK who backed supply-side tax cuts and saber-rattling foreign policy, but a place influenced by the ideology of his little brother, Ted, a punch line for bad political jokes and the relic of a dream gone bad. Over the past thirty years, Massachusetts has been the test kitchen for the baby boom's political impulses and instincts, with devastating results: urban deterioration, failing public schools and a vanishing job base. Unfortunately, the story of Massachusetts' decline has national implications. Other states share its problems. And the cautionary tale of their mishandling in Massachusetts speaks to a broader issue. What's gone wrong with the Democratic Party? In a book that echoes Tom Franks' bestseller "What's the Matter With Kansas?" Jon Keller, a veteran political commentator, shows how the collapse of the Massachusetts Miracle into the Massachusetts Miasma mirrors chronic failures within the Democratic Party and American liberalism. After an election in which Democrats elsewhere regained power in Washington by moving toward the political center, the story of how failed boomer politics ruined one of America's great liberal citadels is a timely warning to the party for the election ahead.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312368313
• ISBN13: 9780312368319
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Long overdue!

Having been born and lived for most of my life in Massachusetts, it's refreshing to read the other side of the Boston Globe. Too bad that the "boomers" won't get the message.

Great Book for Democrats To Learn From

Having grown up in Massachusetts and having spent a lot of time working in politics, I read this book with great anticipation. And my high expectations were exceeded! Mr. Keller's knowledge of the intricacies of Mass. political history is awesome. He uses this knowledge to entertainingly critique the excesses of the Mass. Democratic party's liberal establishment. Along the way, I gained facinating insights regarding the Kennedy family, John Kerry, former Boston Mayor and political living legand Kevin White, former Massachusetts Governor and current presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and so many more of the political personalities that make this study of Bay State politics so interesting. As a life-long Democrat, I found Keller's critique instuctive. And as another reviewer suggested, I too hope that Democratic candidates read this book and take note. Finally, I give Mr. Keller credit from weaving some of his own personal history into this book, because ultimately it's Mr. Keller's personal passion for politics and, in addition, his passion for the plight and diginity of the economic have-nots of Massachusetts that comes shining through. Enjoy this book! I did.

The truth about Massachusetts

I have been following Jon Keller for years here in Massachusetts, starting with his weekly coverage of all things political at the alternative newspaper, The Boston Phoenix. When he moved to TV, he continued to develop an ability to root out the rats in state government. For twenty years, he has been the voice of truth about what makes the voters tick in this bluest of states, and it's now a pleasure to see his voice back on the pages of this book. Part serious, part hilarious satire, I can't wait for the next installment. Kudos!

Hilarious Political Commentary

I am a liberal and I love this book because it rings so true and is a pleasure to read. The anecdotes will make you laugh out loud. The book is getting a lot of attention in conservative media circles, but it's also for liberals. Jon is a broken-hearted baby boomer who wants Democrats to wake up and get back on course. He's not a conservative per say, but rather a very sharp independent thinker who isn't afraid to speak truth to power. I hope that the Democratic candidates will read this book and take note!