A red-hot diary in the "recommendeds" has inspired me to share what I know about Democrats throwing the fight to Republicans, time after time, and why. Why do right-wing war policies continue to triumph despite most of America being against an escalation in Afghanistan? I guarantee if you read this book you will never look at the Democratic party the same way again. The late Walter Karp was a well-known writer for Harpers Magazine (Louis Lapham, editor, not the "Bazaar!") The book is "Indispensable Enemies."
He says there is really only one party: the Incumbent Party and its big money contributors, who get bail-outs, end-games on health care reform that are just what they want (they both have their scripts cut-out) and endless, profible-for-Halliburton war.
It is encouraging to see real discussion taking place on about the most staid Democratic website there is. Go, MoTruth.
First customer review on Amazon:
The best political science book you'll ever read, July 11, 1998
I learned more from this book then I did in all the classes I was required to obtain my political science degree. The main premise of the book is that the Republican and Democratic party leaders collude to keep power, often by not contesting elections that could easily be won with any money or effort expended. A quick example from today,25 years after the book was published: in my home state of Florida, half the congressional seats this year will not even be contested (several other "contests" simply have write-in candidates with zero chance of winning). Yet, the public perception is that the parties fight like dogs to win elections at all possible costs. Karp sees what pundits today can't: the goal of party leaders is to maintain control of their organizations,not to win elections. One quote from former Democratic speaker Sam Rayburn demonstrates this principle;when faced with a coming landslide for his party and a gain of many seats for his party,he ruefully says :"I'd just as soon not have that many Democrats, they'll be difficult to control." This is the shocking but real story of how politics in America really works.