Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics Reviews

• Very astute analysis, and quite readable

  
  By A2VPMW5N6GD96J on 2006-03-02
  I flew through Crashing the Gate in one night. It's a fantastic book.
  
  Here's what you need to know. Kos and Jerome are lefties who built two of the most interesting communities on the "Internets." Their book isn't about liberal policies; it's about how and why the Democrats and liberals, whose individual policies are preferred by most Americans, nevertheless keep losing elections. The compelling answer has to do much more with a total lack of organization and infrastructure within the party and the movement, than it does with substantive ideology.
  
  I was a bit surprised to find their analysis as compelling as I do, given that I'm no far left ideologue. But when you think things through and realize that the Selfish Right Wing spent more than 40 years after the 1964 Goldwater debacle building up its infrastructure, it becomes a lot clearer how the GOP can keep winning---not only elections but arguments.
  
  Let me offer an example. If you wanted to prove the world was flat, and you sent some shill to MIT for five years to help him come up with a compelling, sylogistic theory as to why the world is flat and give him a PhD in WorldIsFlatology, and then put him in a televised debate against me, he'd probably win. But he'd still be flat out wrong.
  
  That's about what has happened. The Left became complacent, and the Right, well-funded but shut out of power for most of the 20th century, was hungry.
  
  CTG would offer a terrible prognosis for America's future, except that technology advanced at the same time, so that communities and idea factories can be built on the internet at much lower cost than years ago. So it's no longer only the Selfish Right Wing that can afford the infrastructure.
  
  Shorter answer: We still have a long road ahead of us, but it's clear, and CTG is a pretty good map.
  
  

• The Instruction Manual for 21st Century Political Activism

  
  By A36SCC9875W496 on 2006-03-02
  Markos and Jerome put a great deal of thought into this book, and it's clear from page one that they've come up with some very strong ideas. It's not a 196 page ad for either of their sites. They discuss some of the key disadvantages progressive candidates and activists face in today's political landscape and some of the changes that should be made to even the playing field. While I was familiar with much of what they discussed, I thought the chapter on media consultants and the relationship between the DNC and those consultants was very interesting and illuminating. As a donor to both the DNC and Democratic campaigns, I certainly agree that more transparency and accountability is necessary in spending by the party.
  "Crashing the Gates" delivers exactly what it promises--an organizing manual for 21st century campaigns and activism. There's not any wishy-washy language or halfway ideas--there's alot of stuff in there that will probably make people uncomfortable. The discussion of advertising is particularly interesting. If you're interested in politics and you're a progressive-minded person you really ought to pick this one up.
  
  

• Interesting book encourages innovation among the Democratic leadership

  
  By A2E3F04ZK7FG66 on 2006-03-08
  I've been looking forward to this book since I first saw it advertised and it does not disappoint. The authors of this book are the founders of "MyDD" and "DailyKos", which are two influential left-leaning blogs which I visit almost every day, because I find information and viewpoints there that I could never find in the homogenized press.
  The authors argue that the Democratic party's biggest problem is not how it is perceived by the public as much as its position-hardened leadership, prehistoric fund raising methods, and the coalitions that support the whole thing - coalitions that are more interested in how the party can benefit them than how they can work to help the party and its collective goals. However, the authors do see hope for the future via the Democratic party being forced to reconnect to real people as a result of McCain-Feingold, which as of 2002 prohibits soft-money donations. The "netroots" way of financing campaigns through direct communication with small donors actually allowed the Democrats to achieve financial parity with the Republicans in the 2004 campaign for the first time in decades. However, the authors caution that these small donors quickly become impatient with the traditional Democratic infighting and beholdenness to special interests that has become a way of life for party insiders.
  The authors' viewpoint on how the Democrats need to update and tailor their "get out the vote" efforts is highlighted by an article I read in the newspaper today. Apparently the Republicans have built a database that enables the party and its candidates to tailor messages to individual voters and households, using information about the kind of magazines they receive, if they own guns, their church membership, their incomes, their charitable contributions, and their voting histories. This information makes it possible to specifically address the issues of probable GOP voters who may oppose abortion, support gun rights or be angry about government use of eminent domain to take private property. A personalized pitch is then made via door-knocking, direct mail and e-mail, and phone banks. Some Democrats are trying to emulate this method by attempting to build a data warehouse of their own. Believe it or not, they are facing opposition from within their own party because this independent effort "makes the National Committee look bad." Quite frankly, I can't imagine what would make the DNC look worse than continuing to lose elections.
  This brings up what I and apparently many others think is the best chapter in the book - the one on paid political consultants. The authors expose what they have learned from disaffected insiders on how these highly compensated individuals try to centrally run local campaigns and why we have seen some of the puzzling inside-the-beltway slogans applied to places where they ring hollow. Up to now, nobody has bothered to ask local Democrats about the bread-and-butter issues that affect their localities and individual campaigns.
  Although I agree with the author's overall viewpoint, I have to say that the Republicans suffer much of the same problem as the Democrats, a problem which is rooted in the huge amounts of money needed to run a campaign of any kind. Republicans, too, are held hostage by groups that hold the purse strings who only want what they can get out of the party. The difference between the Republicans and the Democrats is that the Republicans don't mind "baiting and switching" their supporters. The GOP talks about national defense and pro-life issues to get out the vote among their core constituents. Then they turn around and legislate punitive bankruptcy "reform", limitations to class action lawsuits, and a so-called medicare prescription program that is actually a gift to the pharmaceutical industry. I can hardly believe that these laws are what the GOP rank and file had in mind when they voted for George Bush, but it is what they got. Thus, if the Democrats are going to be honest about their positions on the issues and also win elections, they must out-do the GOP in innovation and connecting to voters.
  In summary, I really enjoyed this book that encourages innovation, challenges Democratic party leaders to talk honestly with the electorate about workable solutions to real problems without worrying so much if big donors are offended, and most of all supports the idea of eliminating the high-priced political consultants who, so far, have only been successful at figuring out how other high-priced consultants think. Highly recommended.
  
  
  

• Ahead Of Its Time

  
  By A6MKSROJXBADH on 2006-03-11
  In the preface to their new book, "Crashing the Gates," Jerome Armstrong and Markos Moulitsas Zuniga acknowledge that last fall they took a long look at everything they had put together for their book to date, realized they were lost, chucked it all and started over.
  
  After reading the book I can understand what fostered this sentiment. They had taken on the extraordinary difficult task of wrestling all the flailing tentacles of the right wing machine, as well as the horrible legacy of the past four years of George Bush's imperial reign, and tried to hone it down to a simple, direct message that was focused through the lens of their formidable online experience to forge a blueprint for the future of netroots activism. That they would suddenly find themselves sitting in a pile of unwieldy information is no surprise. That they would have the courage to throw it all out, regroup and refine their narrative to a 183 page dagger that cuts to the heart of the system most certainly is.
  
  The book is a gem, a must-read for anyone contemplating the future of online activism, a subject that is certainly consuming pages and pages of blog space these days. Their outline of the extremely deep and well-developed GOP message apparatus is fascinating, and their examination of it as it worked to shape public perceptions around many events that should have played well for the Democrats is both enlightening and daunting.
  
  But perhaps of even greater concern is their depiction of the DC Democratic consultant/interest group nexus that could really not do a better job of keeping their party in the minority if they tried. As disheartening as these details are to read, however, the book gives a clearer picture than anything out there to date about exactly what we're up against, its architecture and its weaknesses.
  
  Crashing the Gate is way ahead of its time; you'll no doubt see copycat tomes just catching up to it years from now. It does presume familiarity with a lot of events, personalities and online conventions that might make it a bit challenging for people unfamiliar with the blog world to fully understand, but it is so engaging and well-written that I don't think that would be a problem for any intelligent person whose first exposure to the world of political blogging and online activism came with this book. I myself really appreciated the respect for the reader that this style of writing displays; I didn't feel like I was always trying to scan through pages and pages of exposition that I already know all too well.
  
  Sometimes I feel like I get lost in the day-to-day aspect of blogging and never step back to take the long view of what we're engaged in. This book does this superbly and if you're on my birthday list this year you now know what you're getting.
  
  

• Breath of Fresh Air

  
  By A3ORFPJ486JJKH on 2006-03-10
  It's a great look behind the curtains of Democratic politics. It's not so much about the Republican problems - or at least that material is covered in so many books these days - but it details the peculiar weaknesses of the Democrats. I wish there were a few more details about how to cure these ills, but they are pretty obvious: more shoe leather, more Internet fund raising, etc.
  
  Great for those who are "inside-politics" junkies, as well as those who aspire to be part of the netroots and the next wave of political power.
  
  
• Markos and Jerome infuriate the extremist far right once again ...
  By A33B77TMF4QOA5 on 2006-03-10
  ... as evidenced by some of the reviews below.
  
  And for good reason. Crashing the Gate is an incisive and compelling critique of both parties, and a manual for change within the Democratic party. While Markos and Jerome don't mince words, the book is very well written and thought provoking, but hardly revolutionary, unless you've kept your fingers in your ears and your hands over your eyes for the last six years.
  
  Needless to say, the Republican Establishment is none too pleased and frantic to shut them up. Even more reason to check out what Markos and Jerome have to say.
  
  This isn't a book to read at a single sitting. The content is practical and makes perfect sense, yet so dense with information that all but the most fervent of political junkies will have some catching up to do.
  
  I highly recommend CTG to anyone who is alarmed by the state of our once great nation. This is citizen-based politics at its best, populism for the 21st Century and a guidebook for all of us who want our nation back.
  
  Kudos to the authors!
  
  
• When Republicans make a point of trashing the book you know it's got to be good
  By APX4NKQ6CP76O on 2006-03-10
  This book is a good roundup of why Democrats haven't had as much success at the ballot box as they should be having and provides some ideas about how to turn it around. The part about the campaign consultant class is especially good.
  
  Don't pay any attention to the plainly partisan negative reviews left by the Republicans on this review page. Basically, they'll say and do anything to keep people from reading this book. However, by leaving their negative reviews they only show how much they fear the new breed of Democratic activists. Stick a finger in their eye and read it. You won't be sorry.
  
  
• A book to pass on
  By A1CCBED0AVZLE7 on 2006-03-03
  I ordered two copies of this book because I was hoping for an intelligent analysis of the troubles plaguing our country, and more specifically, the Democratic Party. I was hoping to show many of my friends and colleagues a way out of the morass.
  
  Thankfully this book provides a progressive approach to returning our country to the values we used to be lauded for.
  
  Though there are quibbles I have with certain ideas, it is to be expected that one would not agree 100% with any writers who are as passionate and informed as Markos and Jerome.
  
  My second copy has already been passed onto a friend with the instructions to pass it forward to others. Just a small step, but these are ideas worth passing on.
  
  
• It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
  By A2OZ50QGF95882 on 2006-03-10
  But after reading this outstanding evaluation of what ailes the Democratic Party, it is pretty hard to see what was so good about the last 30 years.
  
  The authors do a very good job of laying out exactly what is wrong with the Party. My anger over the leaches pulling the Party down grew as I turned each page.
  
  I am even more dtermined than ever and plan to redouble my efforts to reform this party.
  
  The only drawback to the book is the almost complete lack of any discussion of solutions. These were peppered throughout the book as a contrast to the very real bad things going on in the party. Perhaps the authors would consider allowing several movers and shakers who are accomplishing things out there in the hinterland to add a chapter or two in the second edition to give us some sort of blueprint of how things get done.
  
  
• Great Read - Worth The Money
  By A794LNKK04KPN on 2006-03-03
  I am a heavy reader of fiction who avoids most modern-day non-fiction because I can usually find too many errors. I work hard and am always looking for those moments of feeling transported or cheered-up that help me work harder. This book really gave me a fresh burst.
  
  The early sections that point fact-filled fingers at Republicans and Democrats are blissfully fun and solid. Whatever possible weaknesses or holes these guys have are, in my opinion, made up for by their straightforward, self-confessional style. You know where they're coming from. And as activists with lots of heart, three cheers for their energy and clarity.
  
  As a web guy myself, I was disappointed when they got to the net stuff. The tone of the book became blander once they were on home ground, although retained the kind of straightforward netiquette objectivity I expected and hoped for -- here we are, ourselves, here are our views strongly stated, here is how if you are on another side you can easily see our weak spots. Bravo! I just would have liked to improve my own insights on online matters.
  
  I'm a cradle liberal and a lifelong Democrat. I feel some friction with this book's party boosterism, although they are so open about it that you want to hug them and pat them on the head. I don't know that I believe winning elections and returning the Dems to power will fulfill the progressive agenda. I also would like to see the old-style conservative stuff given a little more respect...it certainly isn't getting enough respect in Washington D.C. these days. I visit Daily Kos often and enjoy it, but I'm more passionate about the potential for virtual communities to build accountability and fiscal responsibility into our daily life as a nation.
  
  The authors say they are ready to do battle. Fine, great. We can all use the help. But the larger issue is how they represent a growing triumph of earnestness in society, enabled by the Internet. I would think folks who are Republicans and intend to stay that way but do not march to the propaganda machine's drum right now could learn from this book and try to imagine a better future for America, one that will allow motivated people online to invest themselves in making a difference without being made fools of, because we're doing it together and correcting each other's mistakes.
  
  I don't see how big media's publicity machine can do justice to the solid human qualities that make this a great read worth the money. If you read it, I'm sure you will enjoy it, find lots to think about, feel a nice burst of positive energy, and hope this serves as a good example to the human talent scattered across the U.S. that we can speak out and come together by staying true to ourselves and what we believe in, without being clones or followers. Have fun!
  
  PHIL :)
  
  
• Thought provoking and a Must Read
  By A3TYW8I2KUHKI8 on 2006-03-10
  These guys, a couple of bloggers on the internet, are proponents of what they call direct democracy. The idea is that people, thousands of ordinary people, should be the ones calling the shots in a democracy. Pretty radical . . . sounds almost like "we the people" doesn't it? This book focuses on the idea that the internet can be an organizing tool for wresting control from political hacks and consultants, making the issues that drive the government agenda those of ordinary people, not corporations or professional politicians. Truly an insightful and thought provoking call to action.
  
  
• An important book for the left
  By A1DJP17LB02QES on 2006-03-10
  My copy of Crashing the Gate arrived on a Saturday afternoon. I picked it up late that night and found it hard to put down - and ended up staying up till 5AM.
  
  Other reviews have pretty well laid out the topics covered. I'd add that the historical information on the Conservative movement and the rise of left wing netroots via the Dean Campaign was interesting, a lot of it I knew, but a lot of it I didn't.
  
  The strongest portion of the book (which I went back and read a second time) was the section on Media consultants and their roll in the failure of Democratic politics. Not because it tells us who to blame, but how we might do better. The thing that hit home for me is that the Republicans have a huge advantage over us in advertising because they have figured out that a political ad that pulls on emotional strings is much more effective than trying to layout a policy position or quote statistics. I think Jerome and Markos nailed that.
  
  
• Entertaining and enlightening
  By AQHCSN79GJIZM on 2006-03-10
  I will admit that I am a partisan and have been a member of the DailyKos website since its inception. However, I have not always agreed with Kos and was somewhat skeptical about the fact that he was writing a book. It looked to me like maybe he and Jerome were trying to cash in on the popularity of their blogs. Nonetheless, I supported their efforts and bought a copy of the book. I took it with me on the subway to read for the last week or so, figuring that if it were a huge waste of time, no big loss.
  
  So I was hugely and pleasantly suprised to see not only that it covers a lot of new ground, but also that it was a fast, entertaining, and enlightening read. I was particularly intrigued by their discussion of the Republicans' lead over the Democrats in data mining and in other structural issues relating to campaigning. I also liked their concise coverage of the history of the netroots over the last couple of years. Although I have had personal involvement in this, I have not had the opportunity or the inclination to sit back and think about the trajectory of this mini-revolution.
  
  Bottom line: I would strongly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in either political blogging or the history and future of the Democratic party. If you are not interested in either politics or blogging, do not bother.
  
  
• An interesting read presenting an interested philosophy
  By A22N5QFX3XRTY1 on 2006-03-04
  While it's unpleasant for anyone opposed to the current incarnation of the Republican party to have to relive our recent electoral failures in gruesome detail, Armstrong and Zuniga also include some insightful success stories that support their point that the Democratic Party needs to become - or re-become - a party of people.
  
  The subtitle is important: this book is about the relationship between the online netroots and how it supports offline grassroots elements and what establishment obstacles are in the way. Little mention is made of the portion of the US population without regular internet access, but hopefully some other New Progressives who are more expert in that field will step up and work with the leftist netroots to combine efforts -which would be in the spirit of the broad-based coalition Armstrong and Zuniga advocate.
  
  If there's a fault to the book, it's that the authors spend almost no time detailing the failures of the blogosphere and their mistakes - wrong candidates, etc. The book is not a history, though it is being presented in some quarters as one. It is a position statement in book form. But it is a compelling, well-written and ultimately hopeful call for action from everyone who is tired of seeing the political left in the US chewing its own tail.
  
  
• Hopefully this book won't fall on deaf ears.
  By A1RV7OWFXRPSYB on 2006-03-02
  I just finished reading the "Progressive Partner Limited Edition" (Early release) of this book. Markos and Jerome are to be commended for being willing to buck the system with this book. It is full of fantastic ideas and lots of tough love. They do not parse words. They said what needs to be said.
  
  My hope for this book is that the Establishment will read it and really hear the message. The Democratic Party need a good swift kick in the rear, and this is definitely it.
  
  I highly recommend to anyone who is involved in progressive politics and would like to understand how to better help the party evolve into the 21st century.
  
  
• A breath of fresh air
  By A2NQJ5NK2TTB on 2006-03-02
  The Daily Kos and MyDD political blogs opened my eyes to the meaning of the democratic process - these two bloggers are the most valuable resources we have today. They examine the issues surrounding the press, the parties and the people - including airing the dirty laundry concerning all three.
  
  Moulitsas and Armstrong traveled the country to further investigate the process - and their initial opinions were changed after speaking to politicos and the 'grassroots' energizers. Financing, campaigns, the waste-head 'consultants', nourishing the young hopefuls, the DLC - all and more are examined by these two honest and articulate writer/bloggers. This book is a must read for every Democrat. In fact, it should be required reading for any student of the political process. Openness defines an effective political organization, and this book provides an excellent analysis of the disparate components of our system, and issues a call to arms for vital changes needed for success.
  
  
• Worth the read, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, Independents this is for you
  By AU5M9URPOH5ES on 2006-03-10
  Even though the book is targeted toward Democratic party folks, all 3rd parties and activists who come from every point on the political spectrum can feed off this book equally. Crashing the Gate champions outsiders, grassroots efforts, common sense, and a model of a true Democratic Republic that the Bush Republicans have trashed in favor of a Unitarian Executive that uses Congress and our Elections Process as footstools. Crashing the Gate will make you cry, make you think, and then get you motivated to remove the D.C. insiders that are cashing in on politics at the expense of our freedoms!
  
  
• Rekindling Hope
  By A21SOHCKI6VJ9U on 2006-03-03
  This book encapsulates and clarifies all that has been frustrating about the Democratic Party and the right-leaning media for the last two decades. It pulls no punches in letting us know how complacency and single issue advocacy as well as large money donors and inside-the-beltway thinking have blinded the party to the ways in which it was being outgunned, outmanned and outsmarted by the Republicans. And yet this is the most hopeful book I have read in years because both of its authors have been in at the creation of a massive counter movement that is changing politics from the bottom up. If the concept of "democracy" is ever to have meaning in the world, this movement will have to succeed. People across the country in thousands of grassroots movements in thousands of communities will have to reclaim the Democratic Party and restore a people-driven government. The two authors are doing their part through the massively growing netroots that now only promotes activism but, even more importantly, keeps people informed. Every frustrated voter should read this book and then recognize that the power to recreate a healthy America lies not with some ever-illusory "leader," but with themselves.
  
  
• Snapshot of modern political history
  By A3CFD5ITJSLLEW on 2006-03-02
  Crashing the Gate is a remarkable work of modern political history, providing a snapshot of recent American politics through the eye of online documentary. Jerome and Markos have both blogged through the last several years as political junkies, showing their familiarity with this decade's crop of political players with every page. Familiarity has not led to contempt, as could so easily have happened given the recent lack of success for the progressive cause. Rather, familiarity has led to their deep concern for the future viability and success of modern progressive activism. Tying the future of progressive causes to the democratic party, they propose sweeping new commitments to grassroots activism to reap the rewards of new successes that are occurring at the local level. Their proposals are easy to follow and hold promise, although my own inclination is to not be so ready to dismiss the viability and capabilities of interest groups. Future editions of this work would benefit from more historical perspective on the growth of American progressivism. It's a quick strategic read and a riveting tale, capturing recent political events in what may be become the liturgy of the online progressive community. This book will almost certainly be a point of departure for more academic efforts at parsing recent political events, but its timeliness is simply alluring. Rock solid effort by these guys- which I suspect will quickly be turning heads on the Metro.
  
  
• Very astute analysis, and quite readable
  By A2VPMW5N6GD96J on 2006-03-02
  I flew through Crashing the Gate in one night. It's a fantastic book.
  
  Here's what you need to know. Kos and Jerome are lefties who built two of the most interesting communities on the "Internets." Their book isn't about liberal policies; it's about how and why the Democrats and liberals, whose individual policies are preferred by most Americans, nevertheless keep losing elections. The compelling answer has to do much more with a total lack of organization and infrastructure within the party and the movement, than it does with substantive ideology.
  
  I was a bit surprised to find their analysis as compelling as I do, given that I'm no far left ideologue. But when you think things through and realize that the Selfish Right Wing spent more than 40 years after the 1964 Goldwater debacle building up its infrastructure, it becomes a lot clearer how the GOP can keep winning---not only elections but arguments.
  
  Let me offer an example. If you wanted to prove the world was flat, and you sent some shill to MIT for five years to help him come up with a compelling, sylogistic theory as to why the world is flat and give him a PhD in WorldIsFlatology, and then put him in a televised debate against me, he'd probably win. But he'd still be flat out wrong.
  
  That's about what has happened. The Left became complacent, and the Right, well-funded but shut out of power for most of the 20th century, was hungry.
  
  CTG would offer a terrible prognosis for America's future, except that technology advanced at the same time, so that communities and idea factories can be built on the internet at much lower cost than years ago. So it's no longer only the Selfish Right Wing that can afford the infrastructure.
  
  Shorter answer: We still have a long road ahead of us, but it's clear, and CTG is a pretty good map.
  
  
• Great Book
  By A3A4YC4QBIIP2S on 2006-03-10
  This is a hard read for those on the left, but a very necessary one. This book is a great uniting force for those left and moderate, giving us courage to move forward as we should be the good of our country.
  
  
• How the Internet is changing Politics, for good and bad...
  By A1P3PT8K9YUNTS on 2006-03-10
  A great book about Politics, the Internet and grassroots. Truly fantastic! I wish everyone would read this book and see how Politics is changing.
  
  Obviously the corruption linked to republicans is going to catch up to them. They will all get booted out of office and you will see The Democrats (who represent the vast majority of the US) beat out the republicans (rich guys).
  
  
• A Powerful Call for Reform within the Democratic Party
  By A36LTI0XAXQITU on 2006-03-10
  Markos and Jerome have written a challenging and exciting book. But note this---if you are looking for a Bush-bashing battleaxe, you should look elsewhere. Despite the rightwingers weird obsession with Markos, this book is not about them. This book is about how to make the Democratic Party both more responsive to the concerns of Democrats and more likely to be successful in elections against Republicans.
  
  Markos and Jerome offer several things which distinguish the manner in which the right and the left operate. It boils down to the fact that rightwing groups are more willing to work together and put the movement over a specific interest. One example is the full push for the Contract with America by the Christian Right despite the fact that none of the points mentioned their specific concerns
  
  Leftwing groups, however, often fracture and snipe at each other rather than acting in concert. Its indisputable that a Democratic Senate would be more protective of reproductive rights than a Republican one. Despite that, groups like NARAL undermine Democrats who are pro-life, as is the case with both Rep. Lagevin in Rhode Island and Bob Casey in Pennsylvania.
  
  This disunity is also shown by the fact Republicans rarely attack the Republican 'brand', even if they are supposedly more moderate. Some Democrats, meanwhile, make a living out of tearing down the party as a whole with attacks (with Sen. Lieberman being the ultimate example).
  
  The book also details the hopeful signs on the left, including the netroots activists pushing aside the same party guys who had lead the party from 1993-2004 by putting in Howard Dean as DNC chair.
  
  The other thing is that this is the only book like this that I've seen. Other books, like the one by Carville and Begala, are written by insiders who helped craft or influence the policies that brought the Democratic party to its present state.
  
  Progressives and liberals should read this for a path to victory. Rightwingers might want to read it because it notes the innumerable areas where Republican campaign and organization tactics have been superior to their leftwing counterparts.
  
  Ben Chandler, Stephanie Herseth, and Howard Dean (for DNC) would all credit their wins to the netroots. This book is about how to make those victories only the start.
  
  
  
  
  
• Great Ideas, Great Writing, Great Read
  By A3EM3W5ZVRWH25 on 2006-03-10
  This book arrives with perfect timing with very compelling subject matter - a look at the state of affairs for populist politics and a broad comparison to the republican machine.
  
  And while I expected the book to provide a sophisticated analysis on the current political infrastructure (and it delivered), I didn't expect was how good the writing would be - and how compelling their ideas are.
  
  
• Putting the pieces together
  By A1JXNXW4MDXJKO on 2006-03-11
  Finally, a book that pulls together our current mess and makes sense of it all. 'Crashing the Gate' sets the stage for the '06 and '08 elections unlike any "journalmalist" for the current crop of conservative newspapers and TV networks could ever do. Bravo!
  
  
• Another recipe for losing.
  By A2ENRX9RWMEMME on 2006-03-03
  First of all, I'm a democrat. Like most of my fellow democrats, I am tired of losing, and wanted to take a look at this book for strategic reasons. After about the first 95 pages, I was incredulous. No doubt the countless minions that follow these two will fill this section with GLOWING reviews, but if you want an OBJECTIVE opinion, read on.
  
  For those of you on the verge of spending the $15 bucks, I would say that you are about to buy a revised manual that could have been written by Bob Shrum 20 years ago. Just add the internet, blogs and update the historical context.
  
  In fairness to these two authors, they do bring a renewed energy, and "bright eyed" optimism, but for those of us pressing for real progress, they do nothing more than lay out a recipe for repeating past mistakes. I'm not suggesting they do this on purpose, it just appears (to me) that they either;
  
  1. Don't have a firm grasp on the electorate.
  
  or
  
  2. They don't understand the nuances of the political process needed to effect change.
  
  While I compliment them on the BOLDNESS they bring (in an effort to effect the changes they desire), it is that SAME boldness that neuters them. To reduce wordiness, and sum this up, the book basically urges us to return to the grassroots, and re-package our progressive positions via a BOLD, in your face, manner. Frankly, it's a recipe for FAILURE. These two would have us present a Feingold-Dean ticket for 2008, and then blame the moderate elements in the party for its failure. It's idealistic, and I applaud that, but they don't seem to have any grasp on elements/realities that exist outside the left side of the spectrum.
  
  I wish these two guys well as they mature within the party, but God help us if we ever use this book as a strategic manual going forward.
  
  
• Great Read and a Must Read for Progressives
  By A1IO14MLD8KT8Y on 2006-03-12
  Crashing the Gate is a well-researched and insightful look at the state of progressive politics today, and offers a glimpse of where the movement could go.
  
  Some single-issue advocates may find the analysis of their role in Democratic losses painful, but the self-examination is long overdue.
  
  I found this book to be very readable and highly informative. Kos and Jerome did their homework, and have produced the best work on progessive politics available to date.
  
  Buy it. Read it. Share it.
  
  
• Timely Tome Tops My Spring Must Read List
  By A2TWL8IHVLFZRU on 2006-03-12
  The perfect companion to Joe Trippi's ground-breaking "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". Power to the People!
  
  
• A view from the Netroots
  By A3QA5IQ2DAGTNW on 2006-03-12
  I have the Progressive partners edition so I got ahold of this book before it was widely available.
  
  This is the perfect type of book for those who aren't policy wonks.It gives you all of the info you need to know without the condescending "I'll throw out a bunch of acronyms to show you how smart I am" crap.
  
  What the authors are advocating in this book isn't anything new. It's all common sense that any rational person could figure out. The establishment however, is very lost. As a blogger I know you're not embraced by the consultants, there's always an air of suspicion and distrust. Too many people don't want to change so it's our job to shake the trees and force them out.
  
  I wish there was a more depth in how the rise of netroots effected them personally. This wasn't the book to do it in but maybe the next one we get a better view of how they work and some the their history.
  
  
• Wingnuts "Freeping" my review -- Proves I am correct!
  By A1TKZ5PRY0THJV on 2006-03-11
  If anyone is wondering why there are 28/31 5-star reviews -- many of which are one or two lines long -- go visit mydd.com or dailykos.com and you'll find dozens of diaries and the authors plugging their book and pushing their members to go write a review. Unfortunately, that's the negative side of the "netroots" leftie and righties who marshal their lemmings to go "freep" (sway opinion via mass traffic) online news polls, etc. The result is that cons and libs end up living in a bottle of friendly information flow while subjecting the rest of us moderates to their incessant whining.
  
  Now, originally this book was supposed to be called "donkey rising" or some such nonsense before they wised up and found a better title for a book. Basically what the book is about is the liberal base (far left) laying out its views that the moderate/conservative dems' strategies and entrenched elitists in the form of the DLC are as responsible for dem losses over the past 15 years as the GOP grassroots organization efforts over the past 40.
  
  They conveniently ignore that the last dem to hold two terms in office was a centrist democrat named Bill Clinton, former chairman of the DLC (new democrats -- social liberals and fiscal conservatives), and first two term dem since FDR. They also ignore the fact that the current president Bush originally ran in 2000 on a moderate platform before shifting to the far right religious base after 9/11. His re-election was largely a function of incumbant war president. Lets not forget even the uncharismatic Kerry became the 2nd largest vote recipient in presidential election history...only beaten by Bush Jr himself. So Kerry almost won on his moderate platform.
  
  The fact is, the far right keeps winning because it understands that to win general elections you have to take the moderate mainstream of America which is dominated by centrist/moderates/independents, most of which are average Americans who don't even pay attention to politics until the last few weeks of a major election. This majority is what Bill Clinton understood and could connect with. The far right is pragmatic to the point that they unite with their party to win elections, then AFTER taking power they shift their influence to the wing. The liberal base is not nearly as disciplined and instead tries to pull its party to the wing DURING elections, and thus cedes the critical center to the right wing. That is why dems keep losing.
  
  You will see this happen in 2008. The left wing will fight a Hillary nomination and probably lose. This will galvanize the right wing base to put evengelical ambitions aside and unite with pragmatic moderates to set forth a McCain or Guiliani or McCain/Guiliani ticket to take on Hillary. Meanwhile the far left will be bitter and ready to blame a 2008 loss on moderate Hillary and we'll see Kos and Armstrong rubbing their book saying "I told you so". And nothing will change. The problem is that a far left candidate has about as much chance to win in 2008 as a far right one for the GOP. That's about zero.
  
  So as for the book, interesting read to see whats on the mind of the far left, but if you're a moderate or independent, you'll find little of value here.
  
  UPDATE: Interesting that the left wingers are already reacting to my review. Check out sites like the two I mentioned as well as crooksandliars.com where the site owner is pushing his readers to "freep" reviews...up-rating pro-left reviews and down-rating non-favorable reviews, even moderate ones like mine! More examples of wingnuts in action. Where are the rightie wingnuts? Late to the party it seems. Carry on wingnuts. You only prove why you lose elections. The mainstream moderates who read this aren't stupid and understand what you are doing.
  
  

• Taking On the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era
• Politics Lost: From RFK to W: How Politicians Have Become Less Courageous and More Interested in Keeping Power than in Doing What's Right for America
• The Assault on Reason
• How Would a Patriot Act? Defending American Values from a President Run Amok
• Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media (American Political Challenges)