The Angry American; How Voter Rage Is Changing the Nation
Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1996. First printing [stated]. Trade paperback. xvi, 170 pages. Illustrations. References. Index. Minor cover wear and soiling noted. This is one of the Dilemmas in American Politics series. Inscribed by the author on the half title page. Inscription reads: August 12, 1996, To Cokie and Steve--Old friends who have been steadfast in their help and encouragement. With admiration and affection--Susan Tolchin. This book came from the estate of Cokie Roberts, noted journalist. Susan Jane Goldsmith graduated from Bryn Mawr College, the University of Chicago and New York University. She taught at Mount Vernon College, at The George Washington University during the early 1990s, and George Mason University. She married journalist Martin Tolchin in 1965, and coauthored many books on American politics. She died in 2016. Susan Tolchin says it's anger—mainstream, inclusive, legitimate public anger—and it's not going to vanish until we as a polity acknowledge it and harness its power. How to tap into pervasive political anger and release its creative energy without being swept away by its force is the dilemma of the 1990s for government leaders and citizens alike. This timely volume outlines the history, causes, and consequences of anger in American politics today and embraces positive solutions to problems we are all entitled to be angry about: economic uncertainty, cultural divisiveness, political disintegration, and a world changing faster than our ability to assimilate. Tolchin's solutions incorporate a renewed sense of community, enhanced political access, and responsive rather than reactive government. As a subject, the dark arts of political patronage proved to be an inexhaustible resource. She tapped into an equally persistent theme in a book she wrote without her husband, “The Angry American: How Voter Rage Is Changing the Nation” (1996).
In that book, she identified deep-seated voter anger, fueled by an uncertain economy, cultural divisions and disenchantment with government, as a potent force that politicians needed to understand and harness. “People hate government,” she wrote, “because they expect more than government can possibly deliver, particularly in this era of budget constraints.” In a sense, the book offered a preview of the current political climate. “Remember Peter Finch flinging open the window in the movie ‘Network’ and screaming, ‘I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!’” she wrote in her introduction. “The question of the decade is, What happens now that the window has been opened?”. Condition: Very good.
Keywords: Democracy, Affirmative Action, Pat Buchanan, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Marcy Kaptur, Militia, Medicare, Racism, Ruby Ridge, Scapegoating, Victimization, Trade Policy
ISBN: 9780813330297
[Book #79101]
Price: $85.00