Recently in
Book Chat Category

A couple of weeks ago in this space we reported on the stellar success of former vice-president Al Gore's book/film/dvd/lecture series/animated cartoon series/action figure/fashion line/video game/fully licensed promotional package combination called "An Inconvenient Truth." (Well, okay, so maybe he hasn't gotten all the way through that list yet. But he will.)

As we pointed out in that threader, thanks in part to Mr. Gore's work having gone box office boffo, environmental politics is the hottest new trend in Washington these days. Global warming: it's not just for science wonks any more. This ain't your grandfather's gas-guzzling old Mobil we're talking about here.

Suddenly it's a whole new solar-powered day. Big-business leaders are suddenly talking about fleet fuel standards in public again. Less-is-more minimalists are discovering that they're the hit of the parties. Conservatives are hugging ethanol corn the way liberals hug trees. Gee, who'd'a thunk it?

And to top it all off a formerly fuddy-duddy former vice president not only wins an Oscar for sticking to his guns and talking about what used to be political anathema, but looks like a shoo-in for winning a Nobel Peace prize over it, too. (When you consider that the last Washington insider to win a Nobel Peace prize was Henry Kissinger, the implicit irony of that is difficult to miss.)

So in these heady post-Gore days, everybody inside the Beltway is in a headlong bipartisan rush to prove that he or she is even more earth-friendly than the next pol. When it comes to cliquing along with the high-powered congressional chi-chi set, green is the new blue (and red).

But while most politicians these days are scrambling to produce some sort of bona fides to buttress their claims of having been environmentally-friendly all along, some of them don't have to scramble to do that -- they've been on the side of the green angels all along. John Kerry is one of the good guys in that regard. His wife Teresa Heinz Kerry is, too. And they've co-written a big new book together, so now they've even got the title page to prove it.

Last night, my husband and I ventured out to see authors, Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of DailyKos and Jerome Armstrong of My DD) read and discuss their book, "Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots & the Rise of People-Powered Politics". We hoped to garner a few good grassroots ideas from the interaction of the authors and those assembled. Cars circled for parking, as we did, identifiable by bumper stickers (Dean, Air America, etc.). The sponsors were SEIU and Drinking Liberally, and the event was held in that church of labor, the Seattle Labor Temple. There is also a bar in the building, so the surprisingly sober talk was punctuated by noises of revelry from below. There was also a nice spread of free food, impressive for a progressive event.

I had learned that DailyKos gets more than a million visitors per day, that traffic has grown by 5-10% per week, that it is about to dwarf the weekday circulation of the New York Times. Combined with the 70 busiest progressive blogs, more people can now be reached than by the DNC per thestranger.com. The time may be passing when mainstream elements of the party could ignore the blogosphere in favor of highly-paid consultants. Blogs have certainly not faded from the scene, following the 2004 election. Bloggers pushed for Dean to be head of the DNC and now many want to transform the party. These authors certainly fall into that group and advocate for a "vast leftwing conspiracy" to rival the powerful conservative network of think tanks and big donors.

To us, the most interesting aspect of the talk was the Q & A session with local residents. A summary follows. Each Q represents a citizen activist, each A one or both of the authors (paraphrased from notes). The audience was made up of a broad spectrum within the progressive/liberal community, moreso than we expected. This Q/A series represents ordinary citizens and questions you or I might have and relates to political activities we already participate in and how we could expand on them.

Q Why don't we say what we're for rather than what we're against, as a message?

[Editor's Note: It's been rainy where I live for three days. It's going to rain all week. I would like to personally thank DiAnne for this thread, since I have read everything except the back of the toothpaste tube. I was looking for some new material and I, too, would love to hear what folks think. Again, many thanks, DiAnne.]

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE: found in a rubbish bin in Oxford, UK)

I just hit University Bookstore in search of new titles by the disgruntled. I was wondering whethering inquiring minds and conspiring pens had been put to paper since the 2004 elections, particularly in the areas of media and election reform. My methodology was to look for a flashy cover, an intriguing title, an self-explanatory lengthy subtitle (if possible), then to delve into the liner notes, index and table of contents and read any juicy parts I could find. I have also given some presumptious awards.

It seemed like after the "2nd bloodless coup" that these three books were trendy:
1. Don't Think of An Elephant - George Lakoff
2. What's the Matter With Kansas - Thomas Frank
3. God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It - Jim Wallis
& I keep recommending
4. The Best Democracy Money Can Buy - Greg Palast

Now I'm curious about the following:

MEDIA REFORM:

Tragedy and Farce: How the American Media Sell War, Spin Elections and Damage Democracy -
Nichols & McChestnuy

Blog! How the Newest Media Revolution is Changing Politics, Business & Culture - David Kline &
Dan Barsten

Sneaking Into the Flying Circus: How the Media Turn Our Presidential Campaigns Into Freak Shows
Alexandra Pelosi (award: best book for fitting into both media & election categories)

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Democracy, the Internet & the Overthrow of Everything - Joe Trippi (award: best title)

ELECTION REFORM:

What Went Wrong in Ohio: The Conyers Report on the 2004 Presidential Election

The Great Divide: Retro vs Metro America - John Sperling

CONSERVATIVE CONSPIRACIES:

The Raw Deal: How the Bush Republicans Plan to Destroy Social Security and the Legacy to the New Deal
Joe Conason

What We've Lost: How the Administration Has Curtailed our Freedoms, Mortgaged our Economy, Ravaged the Environment & Damaged our Standing in the World - Graydon Carter

The Soft Cage: Surveillance in America from Slavery to the War on Terror - Christian Parenti

Jesus Is Not A Republican: The Religious Right's War On America - Eds Willis & Hardcastle

The Republican War on Science - Chris Mooney

BAD FOREIGN POLICY:

Weapons of Mass Distraction: Soft Power & American Empire - Matthew Fraser

The War on Truth: 9/11, Disinformation & the Anatomy of Terrorism - Nafeez Mosadeqq Ahmed

INSPIRATION:

Mr. Galloway Goes to Washington: The Brit Who Set Congress Straight About Iraq

ACTION:

Had Enough: A Handbook for Fighting Back
- James Carville

Going Nucular: Language Politics & Culture in Confrontational Times - Geoff Nunberg

Welcoming comments, critiques & suggestions

In February, the DCP Book Chat will be focused on the much talked about book by George Lakoff, "Don't Think Of An Elephant." Personally I think it's a mind-blowing book and a must read for anyone interested in developing democracy cells.

Much of the buzz about the book has been focused on how Dems can get better at framing. And I think framing is exceedingly important. The Republicans are great at developing "constructs" and then using framing techniques and language to shape the debate about the issues to fit their constructs.