Doorstep Democracy

Read, James

ISBN 10: 0816656800 / ISBN 13: 9780816656806

Editore: Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2008

Riguardo questo articolo

Good - Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name - GOOD Standard-sized.

Codice articolo M0816656800Z3

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Doorstep Democracy
• Editore: Univ Of Minnesota Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2008
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0816656800
• ISBN 13: 9780816656806
• Rilegatura: Paperback
• Condizione: Good

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

The quest for elected office-one conversation at a time

The famous Tip O’Neill axiom “all politics is local” comes alive in this chronicle of Democrat James H. Read’s hard-fought but unsuccessful-by 98 votes-bid for state legislature in the socially conservative communities of Stearns and Morrison Counties, Minnesota. Read door-knocked 7,500 households during his campaign, visiting with voters and engaging in genuine dialogue on doorsteps from St. Anthony to St. Joseph.

At once a memoir of a hard-fought contest and a meditation on the state of American democracy, Read’s work contrasts the modern media-driven political campaign, where candidates glean their knowledge of voters from pollsters and communication only flows one way, with the kind of true understanding of constituents and issues that can only grow from individual encounters. Face-to-face doorstep conversations, he claims, give a candidate (or volunteer) and voter an opportunity to truly persuade and learn from one another. In a district where the pro-life movement dominated politics, Read’s invitation to honestly discuss abortion and reject single-issue politics resonated with many voters.

Refusing the “red state” versus “blue state” view of American voters, Doorstep Democracy shows the power and importance of kitchen-table politics-people sitting down together to tackle the issues that affect us-and proves that voters and candidates can be convinced to change their minds. Read ultimately demonstrates how conversations between citizens concerned about their communities can get us beyond the television ads, mass mailings, and sound bites to rejuvenate American democracy.

Product Description

Book by Read James H