Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America

by Eric Alterman

Book Overview

The bestselling author demolishes myths about liberalism in a spirited polemic Thanks to the machinations of the right, there is no dirtier word in American politics today than liberalyet public opinion polls consistently show that the majority of Americans hold liberal views on everything from health care to foreign policy. In this feisty, accessible primer, bestselling author Eric Alterman sets out to restore liberalism to its rightful honored place...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670018600
• ISBN13: 9780670018604
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 401 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

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. Still he 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 American health 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

Excited to start reading this book!

Why We're Liberals: A Handbook for Restoring America's Most Important Ideals I love Eric Alterman and am looking forward to getting into this book. I've got a backlog of about 40 books right now...but this one arrived exactly when promised and in great condition--I could give it as a gift it's in such great shape. The price was right on and the content should be amazing. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to actually learn something about the conditions of our government, the people who run it, and what they can do to help better their lives...in spite of the government.

Exactly Why Are They Liberals ?

The first question this title (by a noted Ph.D., pundit, and intellectual) brings to mind is: don't they know why they are liberals. Or, shouldn't they have thought about it before they became liberals. Or, honestly, what are they - idiots. To conservatives, liberals are, quite simply, and impolitely, people who don't think or who can't think very well. So, you have to give Mr. Alterman much credit for being a liberal who is so proud, pugnacious, and intellectual that he is one of the very few in their ranks to even consider that there ought to be a reason for being a liberal beyond,for example, hating the way Bush struts and talks or their own perfect hindsight about the war in Iraq that 1) the Congress voted for and continues to fund, 2) deposed a Nazi-like dictator, 3) we are now winning after a surge which liberals said could never work, 4) still might spread democracy throughout the Middle East and 5) may, in the fullness of time be a decisive front in the on-going war on terror. The book starts out with the admission that there is no doctrine to liberalism and so it really can't be taught or explained on, for example, talk radio the way conservatism can, but that it is, nevertheless, extremely nuanced and intellectual to the point where it just defies classification or even description. It is, in short, a critique of pure reason applied to every new issue in a creative and inexplicable way and, rest assure, a very very thoughtful way that has always yielded superior results throughout American History. Mr. Alterman's assumption seems to be that if you've got an IQ over 125 you probably "get it" and you're in the liberal club; if not, you're a dolt conservative. He would undoubtedly appreciate the Denise Richards reality show whose subtitle is, "its complicated." To demonstrate the transcendent creativity of liberal thought, and its integral connection to the founding, the author approvingly quotes Thomas Jefferson's dictum that the gov't which governs best governs least, but then goes on to assure the reader that creative liberalism can also mean the opposite too. It all depends on the situation, and there are lots of opposing situations. The opposite presumably is the monarchical, communist, or liberal notion: the gov't which governs best governs most. "It's complicated", as Denise Richards and Mr. Alterman like to imply. In a court room there are two sides to every issue: the prosecution and the defense. There is a reason for that which Socrates explained long ago. In this book like, admittedly, so many books there is the prosecution and the straw man, and for 400 long pages. What you get is an exhaustive stream of one sided liberal diarrhea, albeit a well done one befitting a serious minded Ph.D., but one from which it is, nevertheless, impossible to learn a thing. However, if you want to know about Rush Limbaugh's sex life or how Newt Gingrich told his second wife he wanted a divorce or any other gossip that might reflect badly on Re

An exceptional effort.

In this well-researched and expertly-written book, Eric Alterman succeeds in disproving and discrediting most of the usual right-wing slanders against liberal/progressive individuals and their approach to goverance. In the end, he also gives reason to hope that, in the near future, the liberal political philosophy, incorporating the belief that government is here to help the people rather than to ignore or persecute them, will once again become ascendent in our country. Few Republicans will like this book. Highly recommended!

Standing up for the Silenced Majority

Republicans have devoted a lot of resources to the smearing of liberals, but Eric Alterman is not going to let them get away with it. He has a mission to correct misconceptions spewed by conservatives and regurgitated by mainstream media. His well-researched Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America is chock-full of the staggering statistics, rational reasoning, and liberal principles that are under-represented - and sometimes completely absent - in the so-called "liberal media." This history of liberalism is an opportunity for young progressives to read about a time when liberalism was unbelievably popular, and to discover the origins of stereotypes that plague modern liberalism, many of which are baseless. In chapters like "Why Do Liberals Hate Patriotism?", "Why Do Liberals Hate Religion?" and "Why Are Liberals Such Wimps?", Alterman attacks the assumptions that liberals are "soft" on national defense and crime and rejects the nonsensical labels - like "elitist," "tax-and-spend," and "anti-family" - that form the modern liberal public relations crisis. While any self-described liberal should realize the ridiculousness of these accusations, many are treated as fact by both conservative and moderate pundits and media sources. Proud liberals may feel the book is preaching to the choir, but as the old saying goes, "That's how you make them sing." Liberals have a lot of singing to do if they want to reclaim their good name, and provide the logic and compassion America needs to fight the reactionary politics and religious fundamentalism offered by conservatives. Alterman insists that liberals have a unique opportunity at this particular moment, and also acknowledges the difficulties we face. He has no problem with telling liberals what they're doing wrong, and he makes some interesting suggestions for politicians and pundits in the wake of the utter catastrophe of the Bush regime. Some of his ideas are already being used by prominent Democrats; however, other ideas of his walk a fine line between pragmatism and abandoning liberal ideals. Alterman does not want liberals to make the same mistakes they have made in the past - a logical, if somewhat bloodless stance. The most inspiring part of Why We're Liberals may be the argument that a supermajority of Americans hold liberal viewpoints, but do not call themselves liberals. In his conclusion, Alterman writes: "...most Americans are indeed liberals. They'd prefer to live in a society with increased equality of opportunity; greater access to health care for all; a more equitable system of taxation; a healthier respect for the environment; and a less belligerent and more cooperative foreign policy." If liberals are in fact a silent majority, it is time for us to demand the representation we deserve.