
The New Democrats and the Return to Power
Al From(Author)
Palgrave Macmillan (Publisher)
Published on 31. December 2013
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-137-27864-7 (ISBN)
Description
After Barack Obama's solid win in the 2012 election, it's easy to forget that there was a time, not long ago, when the Democrats were shut out of power for over a decade. But Al From remembers. In 1984, he led a small band of governors, US senators, and members of Congress to organize the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). Their mission: to rescue the party from the political wilderness, redefine its message, and, most importantly, win presidential elections. In April 1989, From traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas, to recruit the state's young governor, Bill Clinton, to be chairman of the DLC. Here, Al From explores the founding philosophy of the New Democrats, which not only achieved stunning validation during Clinton's two terms, but also became the model for resurgent center-left parties in Europe and throughout the democratic world. Here, he outlines for the first time the principles at the heart of the movement, including economic centrism, national security, and entitlement reform, and why they are vital to the success of the Democratic Party in the years ahead.
Reviews / Votes
"Al From redefined centrist politics and provided the ideas and organization to move the Democrats from opposition to government, showing progressives across the world how to be principled, modern and in power." - Tony Blair "I always wished I could be as smart as Al, and this book shows why. He shows what it was really like to be present at the creation of a movement that would take the Democrats from the wilderness to the White House, forever changing the course of American political history. This is a book about ideas as much as the people who forged them into a winning strategy, and it should be read, re-read and underlined by anyone who wants to know what it takes to be successful in American politics today." - Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago and former White House Chief of Staff " This book is not only a fascinating and underreported slice of political history, but a reminder of the core principles that still drive Democratic success today - and why it's important that we constantly work to further to them." - Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland 'Before 1992, the Democratic Party had moved too far to the left to win national elections. . Too little credit is given to Al From, whose book tells the story of how he helped move his party back toward the common sense center.' - Haley Barbour, former governor of Mississippi "The American business community owes a big debt of gratitude to Al From. With vision and persistence he helped lead a major political party back to the principles of private sector growth, trade, jobs, personal responsibility, and fiscal stability. This book proves that the political center can win politically and govern effectively. Both parties - and the American people - would be wise to learn from Al's inspiring story." - Thomas J. Donohue, President & CEO, U.S. Chamber of CommerceMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Basingstoke
United Kingdom
Illustrations
illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 159 mm
Weight
1 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-137-27864-7 (9781137278647)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Al From is the founder of the Democratic Leadership Council and served as its CEO for 25 years. Called a "legislative genius" by Washingtonian Magazine, From's work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Atlantic, Politico.com and many more. From has appeared on various media outlets including Face the Nation, the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, and as a PBS commentator during national elections. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland.
Content
Foreword by Former President Bill Clinton Introduction Chapter 1: The Wilderness: 1968-1992 Chapter 2: Formative Experiences Chapter 3: Intellectual and Political Roots of the DLC Chapter 4: The House Democratic Caucus: 1981-1985 Chapter 5: Early DLC: 1985 Chapter 6: Breaking New Ground in the Ideas War: 1988 Chapter 7: The Illusion of Power: 1987-1988 Chapter 8: The Road Back: Phase I - Reality Therapy: 1989 Chapter 9: Clinton Chapter 10: Phase 2 - New Orleans: 1990 Chapter 11: The Road to Cleveland: 1991 Chapter 12: The Pre-Campaign: 1991 Chapter 13: To Victory Chapter 14: Transition Chapter 15: The Clinton Years: 1993-1994 Chapter 16: The Rebound: 1995-1996 Chapter 17: The Clinton Record Chapter 18: Going International: 1997-2000 Chapter 19: A Look Ahead