Third-party matters : politics, presidents, and third parties in American history by Donald J. Green.

Green (history, Hillsborough Community College) presents a historical review of third party politics in the United States, profiling third party presidential campaigns that have met at least one of three criteria: their presence changed the outcome of an election, their major platform proposals later got adopted, or they attracted 10 percent or more of the popular vote. Chapters chronologically cover the abolitionist Liberty Party; the anti-immigrant American Party (aka the Know-Nothings); the pro-slavery, but anti-secession, Constitutional Union Party; the "revolt of the farmers" in the form of the Greenback Party and the People's Party (aka the Populists); Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Moose Progressives and the Progressives of 1924; George Wallace and the American Independent Party; Texas millionaire Ross Perot; and Ralph Nader and the Green Party. The final chapter provides brief sketches of a broad spectrum of other third party or independent candidates who failed to meet the criteria above but are interesting for a variety of other political reasons. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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The state of the parties : the changing role of contemporary American parties, edited by John C. Green and Daniel J. Coffey

Contents

Introduction: The state of the parties: change and continuity in 2008 / Daniel J. Coffey and John C. Green -- Was 2008 a watershed election? Observing the state of the parties in the election results / John R. Petrocik -- Party factions in 2008 / Howard L. Reiter -- The state of party elites: national convention delegates, 1992-2008 / John S. Jackson and John C. Green -- Electoral politics as team sport: advantage to the Democrats / David B. Magleby -- Party on the periphery: the 2008 presidential election in Mahoning County / Melanie J. Blumberg ... [et al.] -- The party's still going: local party strength and activity in 2008 / Melody Crowder-Meyer -- The Obama netroots campaign, young voters, and the future of local party organizations / Daniel M. Shea -- The Internetilization of American parties: the implications of the Unity08 effort / Kira C. Allmann ... [et al.] -- Organizing for America / Barbara Trish -- The need for an integrated vision of parties and candidates: national political party finances, 1999-2008 / Michael J. Malbin ... [et al.] -- Back to the future? Campaign-finance reform and the declining importance of the national party organization / Raymond J. La Raja -- Flush with cash: individual campaign contributors in the 2008 elections / Costas Panagopoulos and John C. Green -- Fallen elephant: examining the Grand Old Party's fall from grace / Daniel J. Coffey -- Unintended consequences: Republican strategy and winning and losing voters / Rebekah E. Liscio, Jeffrey M. Stonecash, and Mark D. Brewer -- The campaign context for partisanship stability / J. Quin Monson, Kelly D. Patterson, and Jeremy C. Pope -- A political theory of partisanship and independence / Nancy L. Rosenblum -- Barack Obama and the partisan presidency / Richard M. Skinner -- Party governance under Speaker Nancy Pelosi / R. Lawrence Butler -- Party, constituency, and representation in Congress / Walter J. Stone and Matthew T. Pietryka.

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Rethinking American electoral democracy by Matthew J. Streb

While frustration with various aspects of American democracy abound in the United States, there is little agreement over - or even understanding of  - what kinds of changes would make the system more effective and increase political participation. Matthew J. Streb sheds much needed light on all the major concerns of the electoral process in this timely book on improving American electoral democracy. This critical examination of the rules and institutional arrangements that shape the American electoral process analyzes the major debates that embroil scholars and reformers on subjects ranging from the number of elections we hold and the use of nonpartisan elections, to the presidential nominating process and campaign finance laws. Ultimately, Streb argues for a less burdensome democracy, a democracy in which citizens can participate more easily in transparent, competitive elections. This book is designed to get students of elections and American political institutions to think critically about what it means to be democratic and how democratic the United States really is. Part of the Controversies in Electoral Democracy and Representationseries, edited by Matthew J. Streb. (Publisher's Description)

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Interest groups and campaign finance reform in the United States and Canada by Robert G. Boatright.

Contents

Introduction : interest groups and campaign finance reform -- a natural experiment -- Part I : the roots of reform -- Interest group studies in Canada and the United States -- Interest group politics of the 1990s and the campaign finance reform movement -- Campaign finance reform -- Part II : consequences of reform -- Measuring the effects of reform -- The American response -- The Canadian response -- Lessons -- Reform goals and values -- Appendix : a primer on brokerage parties. (Publisher's description)

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American individualism : how a new generation of conservatives can save the Republican Party by Margaret Hoover

Margaret Hoover has been a lifelong member of the Republican Party. She grew up a self-described "ditto head." She worked in the White House for President George W. Bush. Today she is a political commentator for Fox News, where, as one of Bill O'Reilly's Culture Warriors, she regularly champions the conservative cause. She also happens to be the great-granddaughter of the thirty-first president of the United States, Herbert Hoover. These impeccable conservative credentials underscore the gravity of her deep-seated concerns about the future of the Republican Party. Her party, she believes, has fallen dangerously out of step with the rising generation of young Americans.  In American Individualism, Margaret Hoover challenges the up-and-coming millennial generation to take another look at the Republican Party. Although millennials rarely identify themselves as Republicans, Hoover contends that these young men and women who helped elect President Barack Obama are sympathetic to the fundamental principles of conservatism. She makes a compelling case for how the GOP can right itself and capture the allegiance of this group. She believes that her party is uniquely positioned to offer solutions for the most pressing problems facing America-skyrocketing debt and deficits, crises in education and immigration, a war against Islamist supremacy-but that it is held back by the outsize influence within the party of social and religious conservatives. American Individualism is Hoover's call to action for Republicans to embrace a conservatism that emphasizes individual freedom both in economic policy and in the realm of social issues in order to appeal to the new generation of voters. The Republican Party, Hoover asserts, can win the support of the millennials while at the same time remaining faithful to conservative principles. In a journey that is both political and personal, Hoover rediscovers these bedrock conservative values in the writings of her great-grandfather, President Herbert Hoover, who emphasized the vital importance of individual freedom to the American way of life and who sought to strike a delicate balance in identifying the limited yet essential role the federal government should play in the lives of Americans. Margaret Hoover advocates a conservatism that is fully consistent with the original impulses of the American conservative movement. It evokes her great-grandfather's emphasis on the values of civic responsibility and service to others-instincts instilled in the millennial generation. She argues that the Republican Party today must evolve in order to achieve greatness, and that it can do so without compromising its tried-and-true fundamental principles. On the contrary, those enduring principles, if consistently applied, will enable the party to attract a younger following.  An impassioned and persuasive political manifesto grounded in twentieth-century history and targeted at the most perplexing problems of the twenty-first century, Margaret Hoover's American Individualism offers provocative ideas not just for reinvigorating the Republican Party but also for strengthening America in the decades ahead.
(From the Hardcover Edition).

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Democracy : a reader, edited by Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner.

Since its inception, the Journal of Democracy has served as the premier venue for scholarship on democratization. The newest volume in the acclaimed Journal of Democracy book series, Democracy: A Reader brings together the seminal works that have appeared in its pages in nearly twenty years of publication. Democracy is in retreat around the world, giving renewed relevance and urgency to fundamental questions about the system that nevertheless remains the ideal standard of governance. Contributors ask: What exactly is democracy, and what sustains it? What institutions are best suited to a democratic system? Can elections produce undemocratic outcomes? Is democracy a universal value? Democracy: A Reader addresses these important concerns with critical discussions on delegative democracy, social capital, constitutional design, federalism, hybrid regimes, competitive authoritarianism, and more. With such influential contributors as Francis Fukuyama, Robert Putnam, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Anwar Ibrahim, this is an indispensable resource for students of democracy and instructors at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Contributors: Michael E. Alvarez, Nancy Bermeo, Russell Bova, Jos Antonio Cheibub, Larry Diamond, J rgen Elklit, Abdou Filali-Ansary, M. Steven Fish, Francis Fukuyama, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Donald L. Horowitz, Anwar Ibrahim, Terry Lynn Karl, Steven Levitsky, Arend Lijphart, Fernando Limongi, Vali Nasr, Guillermo O'Donnell, Marc F. Plattner, Adam Przeworski, Robert D. Putnam, Andrew Reynolds, Giovanni Sartori, Andreas Schedler, Philippe C. Schmitter, Amartya Sen, Alfred Stepan, Palle Svensson, Nicolas van de Walle, Lucan A. Way. (Publisher's Description)

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Commonwealth by Michael Hardt, Antonio Negri

When Empire appeared in 2000, it defined the political and economic challenges of the era of globalization and, thrillingly, found in them possibilities for new and more democratic forms of social organization. Now, with Commonwealth , Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri conclude the trilogy begun with Empire and continued in Multitude , proposing an ethics of freedom for living in our common world and articulating a possible constitution for our common wealth. Drawing on scenarios from around the globe and elucidating the themes that unite them, Hardt and Negri focus on the logic of institutions and the models of governance adequate to our understanding of a global commonwealth. They argue for the idea of the “common” to replace the opposition of private and public and the politics predicated on that opposition. Ultimately, they articulate the theoretical bases for what they call “governing the revolution.” Though this book functions as an extension and a completion of a sustained line of Hardt and Negri’s thought, it also stands alone and is entirely accessible to readers who are not familiar with the previous works. It is certain to appeal to, challenge, and enrich the thinking of anyone interested in questions of politics and globalization.
(Publisher's description)

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The secret knowledge : on the dismantling of American culture by David Mamet

David Mamet has been a controversial, defining force in nearly every creative endeavor-now he turns his attention to politics In recent years, David Mamet realized that the so-called mainstream media outlets he relied on were irredeemably biased, peddling a hypocritical and deeply flawed worldview. In 2008 Mamet wrote a hugely controversial op-ed For The Village Voice, 'Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal'', In which he methodically attacked liberal beliefs, eviscerating them as efficiently as he did Method acting in his bestselling book True and False. Now Mamet employs his trademark intellectual force and vigor to take on all the key political issues of our times, from religion to political correctness to global warming. The legendary playwright, author, director, and filmmaker pulls no punches in his art or in his politics. And as a former liberal who woke up, Mamet will win over an entirely new audience of others who have grown irate over America's current direction. (Publisher's description)

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Pass the U.S. citizenship exam

This revision includes everything a candidate needs to know to become a US Citizen including: How to apply, How to prepare for and pass the exam, and how to have a successful interview. It features official USCIS questions and answers for lots of practice. Also includes a list of all of the English vocabulary words needed. Finally, users can access a FREE online customized diagnostic report to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. (Publisher's description)

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The faith factor : how religion influences American elections by John C. Green.

Drawing on survey data from a number of sources, Green (political science, U. of Akron, Ohio) provides basic information on American religion and its relationship to American elections as revealed by the 2004 presidential election. He covers belonging versus behaving and believing; issues and coalitions; gender, age, and income; the regional context; campaign contact and activism; and the future. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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