In late 1976, Ronald Reagan was dismissed as a man without a political future: defeated in his nomination bid against a sitting president of his own party, blamed for President Gerald Ford’s defeat, too old to make another run. His comeback was fueled by an extraordinary confluence: fundamentalist preachers and former segregationists reinventing themselves as militant crusaders against gay rights and feminism; business executives uniting against...

"One of our most eminent historians reminds us of the commanding role party politics has played in America's enduring struggle against economic inequality. 'There are two keys to unlocking the secrets of American politics and American political history.' So begins The Politicians & the Egalitarians, Princeton historian Sean Wilentz's bold new work of history. First, America is built on an egalitarian tradition. At the nation's founding, Americans...

"American democracy is in precarious health. Books on tyranny and fascism are now bestsellers. Parents wonder whether their children will still grow up in a democracy. Gallows political humor about the collapse of the republic creeps into ordinary conversation. No longer a shining model for the world, American democracy today strikes a more cautionary note. An anxious pessimism dominates. By every expert judgment, the United States is slipping. In...

A call to arms by the former presidential candidate that combines personal anecdotes and cultural critiques to remind liberals of their ideological compass and restore confidence. The author has been a leading figure of the Democratic Party for more than fifty years. From this true liberal comes a thoughtful examination of what being a Democrat really means. He admonishes current Democratic politicians for losing sight of their ideals as they subscribe...

"What's a wingnut? It's someone on extreme edge of the political spectrum--the professional polarizers and the unhinged activists, the hardcore haters and the paranoid conspiracy theorists. They're the people who always try to divide us instead of unite us. And they've hijacked American politics. In this new, updated edition, Wingnuts examines the outbreak of extremism in Obama era. Demagogues always do well during economic downturns and the fiscal...