What Democrats Need is a Little BackbonePaul Hogarthbyline‚ Dec. 19‚ 2007With Congress having failed to end the Iraq War, and the Senate debating a FISA bill to expand the President’s powers, it’s easy to conclude that the Democrats simply don’t care much about a progressive future. Glenn Hurowitz, who runs the Democratic Courage PAC, offers a different take in his new book, Fear and Courage in the Democratic Party. What Democrats need, he says, is a little courage. The Politics of Fear has cowed party leaders into believing that we are a conservative country – and that standing up for progressive values is a risky endeavor that could backfire. “It’s not that they’re intrinsically bad or cowardly,” he writes. “It’s that they remain slaves to a deeply flawed political strategy that says courage would ruin their political chance of success.” With five case studies, Hurowitz persuasively argues that standing up for what you believe in is not just the right thing to do – but also a winning politics. It’s a valuable lesson that Democrats should heed, as the first presidential primaries begin early next month. |