Stand Up, Fight Back: Republican Toughs, Democratic Wimps, and the Politics of Revenge

by E.J. Dionne Jr.

One of our most visible, trenchant, and witty political commentators, the author of the bestselling Why Americans Hate Politics, offers a tough critique of President George W. Bush and the Democratic opposition on the eve of a landmark presidential election -- and points to a way out of cynicism and defeatism.

With passion, clarity, and humor, E. J. Dionne describes today's political atmosphere as the bitterest he can remember. Never have Democrats been as frustrated by their inability to move the debate. The party of Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Clinton, Dionne says, is lost in pointless feuds, outdated strategies, and old arguments. Democrats have lost track of what they stand for so they don't know what they're fighting for and besides, they've forgotten how to fight back.

In describing how Democrats, moderates, and liberals have failed to match Republicans and conservatives in commitment, resourcefulness, and clarity, Dionne invents what is likely to become a popular parlor game among the politically committed. In "The Wrong Stuff," he lists ten futile arguments -- big versus small government, for example -- that Democrats keep having with themselves. "The Right Stuff" focuses on ten arguments they should start making about taxes, business, and the role of government.

Dionne zeroes in on how a floundering Bush administration used September 11 to politicize national security issues for partisan advantage. Enraged but intimidated by ruthless opponents, the Democratic party failed to find its voice on security issues and was soundly beaten in 2002.

Drawing on some lessons from the 2004 primary campaigns, Dionne argues that anger and frustration have in fact awakened progressives to the need for innovation in organizing, in approaching an increasingly conservative media, and in formulating politically useful and plainly stated ideas. Learning from the conservative movement's successes, liberals have begun the work of reconstruction.

The politics of revenge, Dionne argues persuasively, can give way to something a progressive patriotism built on hope and optimism about America's role in the world and its capacity to renew social justice at home.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Eugene Joseph "E. J." Dionne, Jr. is an American journalist and political commentator, and a long-time op-ed columnist for The Washington Post. He is also a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, a University Professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture at the McCourt School of Public Policy, a Senior Research Fellow at Saint Anselm College, and an NPR, MSNBC, and PBS commentator.

Reviews

[Will Byrnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dionne can be annoying at times, allowing errors of fact and soft judgment into his look at recent history. That said, he wants to analyze why the left has been so wimpy and comes up with enough material to make this a worthwhile read, not top tier, but ok. He shows how the right has, by virtue of a grounding in ideology rather than practicality, seized claim to a moral tenor to their policies. The Dems have tended to be more interested in getting things done, and so lack the absolutism the right claims. The Dems, of course, still need to challenge on the morality of fairness, decency, et al. He also talks about how the right scared mainstream media into a rightward leap all the while creating a media of their own that would push it even farther in that direction. He talks about how the current fixation on having to justify every action based on market analysis is completely asinine. The Dems should back their programs on the basis of human values, not economic ones. And he talks about how government is not the problem it is the mechanism by which capitalism is made to thrive. Attempts to remove government need to be challenged strongly.

[Ronald Wise · Rating 3 out of 5]

An analysis of how Conservatives have taken over the Republican Party and the public discourse in the United States. And a straight-forward critique of how ineffective Progressives have been in holding their ground and promoting their own issues. A rather strange time to read this book — published just before the 2004 elections and read by me just after. This book was added to my reading list after hearing an appearance by Dionne (24 June 2004) on KUOW's Weekday.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of dated, especially in the aftermath of Nancy Pelosi's stunningly awful tenure as Speaker of the House.

I was expecting a more in-depth version of Dionne's newspaper writing. It was less.