Houston Democrats

My sister-in-law is an attractive, thirty-something mother of two small children. My brother has been laid off from his job, and she is the main breadwinner right now. She is also a college student. She has been a recipient of college grants and health insurance for her children, both of which have been cut by the Bush Administration. She has other close relatives who are members of labor unions that have been decimated by Bush's policies. Yet she voted for Bush in 2004. It is enough to make one run from the room while doing a prolonged Dean scream!

Democratic bookworm that I am, I looked to literature to find both explanations and courses of action. For understanding the phenomenon of those who vote against their own self-interest, there is no better book than the classic What's the Matter With Kansas? by Thomas Frank, and my sister-in-law certainly seems to fit in that category. For understanding how to frame the debate with her from a respectful, progressive perspective, there is no better book than George Lakoff's Don't Think of an Elephant. However, for understanding the substance of the issues that underlie our important political choices, and for arming ourselves with well-reasoned arguments for people like my sister-in-law, there is no better book than Thom Hartmann's What Would Jefferson Do?

In What Would Jefferson Do?, Hartmann maintains that democracy is in fact the natural political state for human beings, who are fully capable of creating an effective government for themselves, employing a sense of mutual responsibility and a concern for the future. Yet Hartmann cautions us that democracy has been built up and then destroyed many times in the past. He sees the robber barons and corporate cronyists of the current Administration as a dire threat to our Constitution and our once-inspirational form of government. As we observe Tom DeLay and other Congressional Republicans happily mounting a daily assault on working Americans with their bankruptcy, tort reform, and energy bills, not to mention their immoral, deficit-laden budget and their efforts to dismantle the New Deal, all in the service of corporate welfare, we realize that Hartmann could not be more on target. Moreover, Hartmann underscores Jefferson's passionate views about the importance of the separation of church and state. The author cites an example in which Jefferson discourages a powerful movement to make the Ten Commandments the sole basis of American law. (Some things never change!)

In addition to debunking numerous conservative myths about our government with well-documented research, Hartmann also offers enjoyable history lessons about Thomas Jefferson and our other esteemed Founders, who were much more progressive than many modern conservatives claim. Even more important, the author provides a call to action, with detailed suggestions for grassroots involvement. These are exactly the types of lessons that we need to convey to folks like my sister-in-law. As Hartmann so aptly quotes from Jefferson: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Yes, I will be giving my sister-in-law a copy of What Would Jefferson Do? for her birthday!

Rating = 5 donkeys = Superior Reading for Democrats

Hartmann's book is now available from Amazon and other booksellers in paperback as well as hardback form. I hope that my fellow Democratic bookworms will obtain a copy, read it, and post comments here. Happy reading!