Democracy's Edge

Three out of five Americans, both Republicans and Democrats, feelour country is headed in the wrong direction. America is at theedge, a critical place at which we can either renew and revitalizeor give in and lose that most precious Americanideal--democracy--and along with it the freedom,fairness, and opportunities it assures. Democracy'sEdge is a rousing battle cry that we can--andmust--act now. From Jefferson to Eisenhower, presidentsfrom both parties have warned us of the danger of letting a closed,narrow group of business and government officials concentrate powerover our lives. Yet today, a small and unrepresentative group ofpeople is making vital decisions for all of us. But this crisis is only a symptom, Lappé argues. It'sa symptom of thin democracy, something done to us orfor us, not by or with us. Such democracy isalways at risk of being stolen by private interests or extremistgroups, left and right. But there is a solution. Theanswer, says Lappé, is Living Democracy, a powerful yet ofteninvisible citizens' revolution surging in communities acrossAmerica. It's not random, disjointed activism but theemergence of a new historical stage of democracy in which Americansrealize that democracy isn't something we have butsomething we do. Either we live it or lose it, saysLappé.