Synopses & Reviews
Advance praise for The Progressive Revolution"Using history as his canvas, Mike Lux illustrates how the progressive movement has made America a far better place, and how the conservatives who have opposed progressive change every step of the way have set our country back time and time again. Passionate and personal, The Progressive Revolution is as inspiring as it is informative."
–Arianna Huffington, founder, HuffingtonPost.com, and bestselling author
"I think the world of Mike Lux, and think he may be one of the best organizers and thinkers we've ever seen in progressive politics and the progressive movement."
–Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader
"If you're a progressive like me, you'll love Mike Lux's book. He combines a historian's sweep with a blogger's punch. His book is essential reading for all of us who believe in progressive change."
–Paul Begala, former counselor to President Bill Clinton, Democratic strategist
"A history of the ongoing battle between those who have fought for equal rights and the common good vs. those who have defended slavery, Jim Crow, and all manner of bad things in the name of preserving tradition is crucial for people to understand. Mike Lux has been a leader in the fight for progressive causes for a long time now, and he tells an important story about the nature of politics in America."
–Donna Brazile, Gore 2000 campaign manager, Democratic strategist
"Mike is unique in being able to bridge the inside and outside in politics. He was the very first insider to notice MoveOn, just days after our first petition in 1998, and really helped us get our footing. And he's helped countless times since. Mike is that rarest breed: a populist insider. He brings that perspective to The Progressive Revolution, telling the great story of how progressives have given us a better America."
–Wes Boyd, cofounder, MoveOn.org
"As a seasoned political practitioner with a keen grasp of American history, Mike Lux brings a special perspective to the task of defining the progressive challenge today. He finds the answers in the story of America's progress, which he tells with great care, insight, and originality."
–David Brock, founder, Media Matters for America
"Mike Lux gets what so many others in professional politics don't: that being a good progressive has always been good politics. The fact that he has survived—and thrived—for so long in campaigns and elections is a testament not just to his personal perseverance, but to the power of a progressive message."
–David Sirota, bestselling author of The Uprising
Synopsis
The next time you hear a conservative accusing progressives (a.k.a. liberals) of being unpatriotic and anti-American, tell them this: "Progressives invented the American ideal and inspired the American Revolution. Conservatives, then known as Tories, opposed it. Since then, every major advancement in American freedom, democracy, social justice, and economic opportunity has been fostered, fought for, and won by progressives against conservative resistance. Now who's anti-American?"
In The Progressive Revolution, author Michael Lux gives new life to the chapters of American history that conservatives want everyone to forget. He demonstrates clearly that progressives and the progressive movement created American ideals and forged the kind of country in which we want to live, while conservatives, in William F. Buckley's famous phrase, stood "athwart history yelling 'Stop'."
Lux begins by restoring Tom Paine to his rightful place as the inspiration for the American Revolution and reclaiming the Declaration of Independence as a clarion call for progressive democracy that has echoed around the world and through the ages. He goes on to recount the big change moments in American history, from the Bill of Rights through the ending of slavery to the great twentieth-century accomplishments of the Progressive Era, the New Deal, and the civil rights movement. He also documents the conservative backlash that strove to prevent and then reverse each of these expansions of freedom.
This clear and accessible account does more than set the record straight on such great progressive achievements as women's suffrage, national parks, Social Security, civil rights legislation, and restoring the environment. It builds a platform from which to argue that progressives today continue the centuries-old struggle to improve America and advance the cause of freedom, in contrast to how conservatives have always worked to defend the interests of elites and instill fear of big changes.
Whether you're a political junkie, an impassioned progressive, a history buff, or a conservative seeking insights on how the other side thinks, The Progressive Revolution will challenge your preconceptions, expand your understanding of American history, and give you plenty of food for thought.
Synopsis
This is an accessible book that delineates how progressives and the progressive movement have created the American idea and ideals and forged the kind of country in which we want to live. It creates a platform from which to argue how progressives today are fighting to improve America, in contrast to how conservatives have always worked to defend the interests of elites.
Each chapter will tell the reader a story focusing on different subjects, such as efforts to enact civil rights laws, social security, the middle class, how the idea of America changed the world, and why most of us can vote.
Lux points out what he feels the Democrats have done wrong during the last decades and how the lessons of history can point to making positives changes. Lux shows how the progressives have been instrumental in creating big positive change moments, and argues that as a new administration takes office in 2009 the time will be ripe for a new big change moment,. He outlines how he believes progressive policies can be channeled to solves the big problems facing us today.
Synopsis
This is an accessible book that delineates how progressives and the progressive movement have created the American idea and ideals and forged the kind of country in which we want to live. It creates a platform from which to argue how progressives today are fighting to improve America, in contrast to how conservatives have always worked to defend the interests of elites.
Each chapter will tell the reader a story focusing on different subjects, such as efforts to enact civil rights laws, social security, the middle class, how the idea of America changed the world, and why most of us can vote.
Lux points out what he feels the Democrats have done wrong during the last decades and how the lessons of history can point to making positives changes. Lux shows how the progressives have been instrumental in creating big positive change moments, and argues that as a new administration takes office in 2009 the time will be ripe for a new big change moment,. He outlines how he believes progressive policies can be channeled to solves the big problems facing us today.
About the Author
Michael Lux is the president of Progressive Strategies, a Washington-based political consulting firm; chair of the Board of American Family Voices; and a regular columnist for the Huffington Post. In 2007, he launched the popular blog OpenLeft.com with bloggers Matt Stoller and Chris Bowers. He was a special assistant to the president in Bill Clinton's first term.
Table of Contents
Preface.
Introduction: The History of American Progress.
1 The Big Change Moments.
2 A Progressive Revolution: How Tom Paine and Thomas Jefferson Literally Invented the Idea of America.
3 The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Right to Think and Speak Freely.
4 Civil Rights, States’ Rights, and the Re-Creation of the American Idea.
5 The Battle over Democracy.
6 Trickle-Down vs. Bottom-Up.
7 The Dream and the Backlash.
8 Hope, Fear, and the Culture of Caution.
9 The Next Big Change Moment.
Notes.
Index.