Oh, and they mention Wes favorably a number of times. :)

"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark

blockquote>What would you do for a Klondike Bar?

Your review sold me! Will get to it after Hostile Takeover, COEHM, Conservatives Without Conscience and Armed Madhouse, which I already have and must read before I purchase another.

Getting through Hostile Takeover but don't have the confidence yet to start a review... I'll work on it, I promise! since I was one of those pushing for it to win. I have the feeling ms in la may not be willing to take the lead on this since her choice came in 2nd... :( I'm sorry now because she would have been such a better representative and gotten everyone excited and particpating.

Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right. - Hunter/Garcia

Is no one else reading this book? I really hope that others are reading and just not commenting. I know that Wes thinks this is an important book for us.

Anyway, more....

The book has a foreward by Senator Bob Kerrey which includes this passage:

“Among the central challenges for any good and successful political leader is simultaneously learning the details of complicated issues, deciding what you believe the law should say or our course of action should be, and then communicating those complexities in ways your audience can understand.”

Gee, I think I know a General who could meet that challenge.....

Part 1 is entitled “A Little History Lesson and Some Scandalous Facts”. That is one thing this book is not short on, facts...There’s are loads of them in here...stats of all kinds, voting records, etc...

They start out talking about the 2004 election and how much Bush had screwed up things...and then he won. I know there is some question as to whether Bush actually won fair and square but, still, Jarding and Saunders provide some sobering numbers in here... For the first time, exit polls showed equal numbers of people identifying themselves as Republicans and Democrats (37 percent for each...whereas before Dems also had the higher percentage); Bush’ vote totals improved from 2000 in 48 of the 50 states; Bush won 97 of the 100 fastest-growing counties in the US; exit polls showed working class, white voters trusting Bush to do a better job on the economy than Kerry by a 55 to 39 percent margin....the economy, mind you!! All of that can’t be rigged voting machines and voter intimidation, etc.....

Bush even won the Catholic vote over Kerry, the practicing Catholic....Steve and Mudcat contend that had Kerry gone after the Catholic vote, showing he was proud to be a Catholic even though he didn’t agree with all Church doctrine, he could have won them over...but he never even tried.

They take the Kerry campaign to task mostly for just giving up the South...and then later so many other states....We just didn’t even contest so many states, just handed the electoral votes over to Bush. They’ve got a point there....It seems politically stupid to do so but they also make the point that it is morally wrong to write off certain regions of states or the country. Every American deserves representation. Someone running for national office has got to represent all of America, not just some parts of it....

They stress that Dems have to learn how to define themselves and their opponents before their opponents define them...and that “when someone attacks your character with a bazooka, you attack his (or hers) with a nuclear weapon.”

Oh, and I thought this was an especially good line from this Chapter....”George Bush thought Purple Hearts were flavored marshmallows in Lucky Charms breakfast cereal.” That sounds about right....

More to come...

Please people, do read this book...and discuss it if you can.

"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark

There was a wealth of information, and what I found particularly interesting was Chapter 7, "Lie 2: REpublicans are the Party of Fiscal Conservatism."

Jarding and Saunders list a variety of facts, including this gem, that they attribute to the 2005 Economic Report of the President: Over the past 45 years, spending rose twice as fast under Republican presidents as it did under Democratic presidents.

As long as people think the opposite is true, the Democrats will have an uphill battle fighting the perception that the Republicans are careful with the tax dollars in their care.

Steve and Mudcat break down presidential politics into three major categories of issues:

1) bread-and-butter issues (education, health care, jobs, etc), which Dems so fairly well on

2) moral issues, which they argue the Dems have let the Republicans define...and they define them as polarizing issues such as abortion, gay marriage, etc.

3) nationalistic issues, which Dems lose on since the Vietnam War....

This chapter focuses on the first category and lists all of the things Democrats have done for the American people, especially with FDR’s New Deal and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. The government cared for the people of this country and worked to better their lives...This is something we need to be emphasizing in the South and rural areas...Dems have been the friends of the people...Republicans the friends of the big corporations and the wealthy.

They do argue that in order for Kerry to move the debate to the bread-and-butter issues, he had to address the other issues first...like terrorism and national defense. They argue that Kerry needed to attack Bush on the Swift Boat attacks and that he needed someone with military credentials on the ticket with him...They say that “war heroes Wesley Clark and Bob Kerrey” were at the top of their list. I wasn’t a proponent of Wes as VP but it’s nice to see that these guys were anyway.

They also say that Dems have to figure out what issues rural voters are voting on and address and neutralize those issues.

Then they write of how Reagan came into office on the negative message that government is bad and that changed a lot of people’s opinions of what a force for good the government could be. They discuss the beginnings of the Southern Strategy of the Republicans and Strom Thurman and Lee Atwater and how calculated the whole thing was...It really is maddening to see how these guys were able to put into motion this pretty much evil plan to destroy what the Dmeocrats had built up in the South...Of course, the Civil Rights Act and playing on racial fears were a big part of the whole thing.

"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark

Steve and Dave recount all of the ways that Republican rule has damaged those living in rural communities, from education to health care to economic opportunity....and it's not a pretty picture.

Interesting point made.."Republicans found they could win in rural America on the strength of single polarizing issues, with no pressure to deliver tangible goods in return"....So the Republicans get their votes and have to give back little ot nothing in return. Also interesting fact that while southern states have sent more Republicans to Congress in the last few decades, they have not been rewarded with an increase in House and Senate committee chairmanships. They just get ripped coming and going...

Basically, they suggest, both the Dems and the Republicans have looked upon the southern or rural voter as a fool. The Republicans throw some divisive issues out there and assume they will get the votes without having to do anything to really earn them. And Democrats have not taken the time or trouble to try to understand the southern or rural culture and just write these voters off as fools whom they won't be able to get through to.....as the authors put it, "belittling or ignoring what they did not understand".

One other thing I did not realize but learned from this chapter is how much damage the Reagan Administration did to public transportation in these areas...Deregulating the airline industry and then the bus industry really screwed these areas over when it comes to public transportation....

Reminds me of something that Wes made me think about in regard to gas consumption. I used to think that the way to get people to conserve was to have the gas prices skyrocket....but then I heard Wes say somewhere, and I'll never remember where, how that wasn't the answer because then the people who can least afford to pay will be forced to because they have to travel far distances to get to their jobs...so the little guy, again, would be the one paying the biggest price. I never forgot that...Wes, always thinking of the little guy....Me, thinking of myself with all this public transportation all around me and everything I need so close at hand.

"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark

In these Chapters the authors give us some pointers on how to win back these voters....

BIG IMPORTANT thing we have to do...learn to understand the rural culture....

In Chapter 4, Steve and Mudcat talk a lot about what they did with Warner's campaign in Virginia...It's a fun read.

There's a long explanation of the differences between rednecks and Bubbas (who are not all white males). We may as well forget the rednecks but we can get the Bubbas back....

As for the Warner campaign, they discuss how they got involved with NASCAR, college football, sportsmen and my favorite, rural music. They had a popular hillbilly band record a version of a Dillards standard whose lyrics had been rewritten to tout Warner and what he would do if elected...They got the song played on the radio, at races and events....The band played live often...Sounds like a lot of fun and a great way to get the people to like and trust you....

I want to record a Wes song when (I mean, if) he runs...Well, not me personally...I can't sing or play...but I'd love a bluegrass Wes song...Maybe it could be recorded in different musical styles for different parts of the country and different music fans but always with the same words...

Important point about the sportmens thing, though...The candidate has to be authentic....No posing for photos with hunting gear and a dead bird or whatever, if it's only for show. They stress that they weren't selling Warner as a sportsman but a friend of the sportsmen. They knew, with his background, they were not going to be able to pass Mark off as some kind of avid hunter...and apparently Mark never failed to point out that he wasn't an experienced outdoorsman...but that, if elected he would champion the sporting culture.

"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark

Dave and Steve explain what they call the 5 simple lessons here...

1) Learn How to Count
Here, although they do bring up the possibility of the election being rigged, they also stress that Democrats have to contend for every vote in every state. Kerry, by conceding the South (164 electoral votes) early on and then suspending operations in seven more states (63 electoral votes) shortly after the Convention, basically handed Bush 227 electoral votes, uncontested! Sounds ridiculous to me also. And then there is the issue of simply getting your message heard by everyone in all parts of the country (Something Wes spoke about at the Soros fundraiser last spring) and covering your down-ballot candidates.

They give a detailed account of how Tom Daschle won his first race for US Senate, in a red state against a very popular Republican incumbent, by simply counting and working hard to reach each and every possible voter in the state..

They also contend that had Kerry somehow been able to win even with the campaign writing off so many parts of the country, it actually would have been worse for the Democrats in the long run because we can’t keep up with that strategy and hope to win....They point out that, as the South is growing in population and thus gaining more electoral votes, and that trend doesn’t look like it’s going to reverse itself anytime soon, the South is gaining in political importance when it comes to elections and we have to start worrying about reaching those voters now or we’re sunk.

2) Define Yourself and Define Your Opponent
I do agree with them here that this is a very important part of a campaign and that Kerry and his campaign did an extremely poor job on this account. One thing, though, that it seems to me they don’t take into account is the role of the media. It’s a lot easier for the Republicans to define themselves and their opponents when they’ve got basically a propaganda machine in the media...not just Fox News but all of the news networks....Look what they did to Dan Rather when he tried to investigate Bush’s national guard stint.

To plug another book here, read David Brock’s “Republican Noise Machine” to get a better idea of how the Republicans work the media and are so successful with it. Look what they did to Al Gore...and maybe he could have handled it differently but, come on, the media was certainly stacked against him. It’s a major hurdle, I think, but not brought into the discussion in this book.

Anyway, they say they were excited to see the Swift Boat ad because they thought this offered Kerry the opportunity to go after Bush’s service record...or lack of one. No way Kerry, with his cautiousness would have done that...even with a more sympathetic media, as far as I can tell.

One of their rules here: “When you find a strength in your opponent, where possible turn that strength into a weakness.” This is what Bush did with Kerry’s service record....

3) Show Some Passion
Boy, do I agree with this one!

Show passion in a positive way, they say, show the voters you understand their concerns and you have the passion to fight for them....and don’t forget the promises you make once you are elected.

And show passion when attacked...Candidates need to put aside the reserve and stand up for themselves.
Great quote from Bob Kerrey in this chapter....When asked about the Swiftboaters contention that Kerry volunteered for swift boat duty to “pad his political resume”, he responded, “Oh, F**k them. Quote me on that. The idea that you’d volunteer because you’re thinking about a political career...That’s what you think about doing if you want a posthumous political career.” Gotta love that passionate reaction...Too bad we didn’t see more like that from the Kerry campaign.

4) When Someone Assassinates Your Character, Retaliate!
There will be attacks in any race...You need to expect them and respond to them. Use them as opportunities to show the voters the real you...

If the attack is true, address the charge but then get off the issue and onto turf that will better help you win...

If the attack is false, respond immediately with indignation and disgust. Paint your opponent as one who will do anything to get elected. They had really hoped for Kerry to shift the attacks from attacks on his service to attacks on Bush’s character, military competence and patriotism....Of course, didn’t happen.

5) Talk to People Where They Live
Dems need to go out and talk to the people, make sure they hear our side of things, not just the garbage the GOP is spouting...Politicians need to remember that even if someone is different from them, they have a responsibility to represent everyone. Dems have to be out there, talking to the rural voters about their hopes and fears and what they mean to do to help them...Good advice.

"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark

Part 3 deals with four big Republican lies and how to counter them....

Chapter 6 - Lie 1 “Republicans are the Party of Family Values and God”

As the authors point out, it’s kind of ridiculous to believe that God cares about politics or political parties....

Democrats have to do a better job of reaching out to those Christians who don’t wear their religion on their sleeves and who do care about Christian values that encompass more than opposition to abortion or gay marriage....values like feeding the hungry, healing the sick, tending to the poor....values that Democrats have acted on for years.

We also need to do a better job of defining issues like greed and materialism in moral terms. We need to show that it’s Democrats who care for others and Republicans who care for themselves, that Republicans have continuously taken from the poor and middle class so they can continue to give back to their rich buddies...and that’s a moral failing.

And we have to remind rural and southern voters what real family values are...that without good education, good jobs, affordable healthcare and health insurance, it’s hard to keep a family together...and these issues are a lot more likely to affect their families than two gay people getting married....

Good advice.

Chapter 7 - Lie 2 “Republicans are the Party of Fiscal Conservatism”

Lots of interesting and surprising facts in this one that Democrats have to get out there....

They list the three greatest liberal spenders in American presidential hstory as George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush, in that order....while the presidents who ranked one, two and three on Forbes’ list of greatest presidents of the past fifty years with regard to creating economic prosperity are Bill Clinton, Lyndon Johnson and JFK.

Over the past 45 years, federal spending rose almost twice as fast under Republican presidents as it did under Democratic presidents....

Of course, we know the deficit story...There is so much for the Democrats to use.

The authors’ formula for a Democratic economic agenda includes:
1) a balanced budget amendment
2) give most Americans a tax cut...but a cut that is fair to all
3) simplifiy the tax code
4) ged rid of the alternative minimum tax
5) quit taxing different kinds of income at different rates
6) lead the charge against the crazy high gas prices....propose a real energy plan that supports alternative energy sources, for starters...

Chapter 8: Lie 3 “Republicans are the Party of Patriotism and National Defense”

Well, we all know what a lie this one is and we know how hard General Clark and the Fighting Dems are working to combat this lie.

Steve and Dave define patriotism as a two part equation....1) It is the duty of a patriot to speak out against his leaders' actions if he believes those actions will harm the country he loves; 2) A patriot must respond with indignation and anger if someone then attacks his words as unpatriotic.

I think Steve and Dave would like Wes' "I'll kick the shit out of them" response quite nicely.

They talk about how Republicans use patriotism as cover for a greedy political and economic agenda and that they change the definition of patriotism to fit that purpose. We saw how General Clark takes them to task for using "patriotism" as a cover for their failed Middle Eastern policies also in the WSJ this week...More people have to call them on this.

They do make mention of the media here and how they fear the propaganda machine of the Republicans and thus remained silent as the Republicans twisted the whole patriotism issue....but this is about the only place I remember them mentioning the problems with the media.

It's also important for Democrats to make known how shabbily the Republicans have treated active troops and veterans...through lack of correct equipment, lack of leadership, lack of funding etc...and it's not just the Bush Administration that's been guilty of this.

They also point out the need of Democrats to embrace the culture of the military and military families and offer pro-military and pro-veteran legislation and suggest something I found interesting...that the Democrats push to allow military recruiters on campus. At first read, this put me off...but they do have a point that it may be a good thing to, as they say, "broaden the ideological gene pool" in the military.

There's another Wes mention here...They write of how Peter Beinhart of the New Republic suggests developing a group of military experts to help the party shape national policy, speak out on defense and veterans’ issues and put pro-defense and pro-veterans face back on party...Wes is first on the list of people that immediately come to mind for the authors....Me too.

Interesting fact brought up that I did not know....There was a Pentagon Channel in hospital rooms of wounded vets who return from Iraq with “news’ created and vetted by Defense Department....Talk about propaganda.

And then, my favorite idea of all in this book is included in this chapter. Steve and Dave suggest that the Democrats start a clock that counts how long Bush has let bin Laden go free....Now THAT's a good idea!

Chapter 9: Lie 4 “Republicans are the Party for Hunters, Anglers, and Outdoors Enthusiasts

A point the authors make strongly and repeatedly in this chapter is that a large portion of the population are hunters, anglers, and outdoors enthusiasts....This is not a fringe group and Democrats need to recognize them as such.

Republicans are selling the idea that the greatest threat to the hunter, etc is that Democrats want to take away their guns, when the biggest threat to hunters, fishers and wildlife watchers is the loss of land for these activities through pollution and sprawl, the anti-conservation and anti-preservation policies of the Republican party. Democrats have to trumpet this fact over and over again. They have to pound home the fact that the Republicans are destroying the land and the Democrats ae trying to protect it. They also have to learn to understand the culture and show that they do.

The corruption of the NRA and its downward spiralling into extremism is also chronicled here...What a mess that organization has become! I bet a lot of its members don't even realize it.

Finally, they list all of the Senators and Congresspeople with their 2002 grades from the NRA and from the Leauge of Conservation Voters and Chuck Hagel, who it seems many Democrats kind of like and respect for some of the stances he takes, gets an A from the NRA and a 0 from the LCV....That knocks him out of my list of politicians I can respect...

"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark

Well, this was an interesting book by a couple of interesting men. I'm glad Wes recommended it.

Please do be sure to also check out Steve's blog on Jim Webb over on Kos...The General comments in the thread and Steve responds...Seems he's a bit of a fan of the General's too. ;)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/8/11/134559/798

"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark