Democrats

Assessment of the Democratic Party in the New Millennium

The 2006 elections put the Democrats in the majority in both houses of Congress, yet those hoping for change were deeply disappointed. Likewise, the striking victory of Barack Obama and the Democrats in 2008 created a wave of optimism, but the promise would not be fulfilled.

Historical Perspective on Democratic Betrayals

In this book, Lance Selfa looks at the Democrats in a broad historical perspective, showing that today''s betrayals stem from the Democratic Party''s role as one of the two parties serving the interests of the US establishment, not of the broader public or its "base" of women, African Americans, trade union members, and working and poor people.

Challenging the Myth of the Party of the People

Many other books on the Democrats have seen the party''s recent history as a departure from its storied past as the "party of the people." Selfa''s book is one of the few written for a popular audience to challenge this myth and to put today''s legitimacy crisis in the Democratic Party in a historical perspective, encouraging us to think beyond the next election cycle.

Worthy Reading for Social Change

"Worthy reading for anyone who is interested in social change." —MediaMouse

Review of the Book

"With a new, duly-deserved chapter on the Obama Era, Lance Selfa''s The Democrats reveals the many ways in which the establishment Democratic Party has not just dashed progressive hopes over centuries but served as a distraction from the desperately needed business of making real change in this country. Writing dismal history like this is dirty work, but somebody''s got to do it and Selfa''s straight talk actually lifts ones spirits."—Laura Flanders, host of The Laura Flanders Show