Had Enough? : A Handbook for Fighting Back

Had Enough? : A Handbook for Fighting Back James Carville Date: 01 November, 2003   —   $16.10   —   Book product page Rating:

If you're a Democrat, you need to read this book.

Most people probably know James Carville as the loud-mouthed Cajun who usually gets the better of his Republican co-hosts on CNN's Crossfire. Some of you may remember James Carville as the savvy political strategist who helped put Clinton in the White House. In his latest book, "Had Enough?: A Handbook for Fighting Back", Carville mixes it all into a spicy gumbo of pointed jabs at the opposition, and well thought out solutions to the core issues that challenge this country today.

Through this book, James Carville reminds us what it means to be Democrats. His rule number one for progressives to live by is, Stop apologizing for everything! You are a member of the party that beat the Depression, won two world wars, cut elderly poverty by two-thirds, and is responsible for the greatest periods of economic growth since World War II. Some Democrats wake up and start looking for someone to apologize to. Stop it! You've got nothing to apologize for.

I run into this all the time on other blogs. Some wimpy Democrat will say, "There's blame to be placed on both Bush and Clinton for 9/11." Bullshit! Clinton recognized terrorism as the greatest threat to this country, and spent the last six years of his presidency desperately trying to pass anti-terrorism legislation and find some way to eliminate bin Laden and al-Qaeda. All the while he was being obstructed by the Republicans in Congress. Every time Clinton would try to tighten airport security, the Republican Congress would say, "We don't want to live in a police state." Every time he would overtly strike at al-Qaeda the Republican Congress would yell "Wag the dog! He's just trying to divert attention from the real threat to this nation, his extra-marital affair."

No, James Carville is right. The Democrats have nothing to apologize for. Clinton busted his ass trying to protect this country, while at the same time fighting Congress to eliminate the federal deficit and make this country the most prosperous it's ever been. What did the Republicans do in their first eight months in office? They rammed through a tax-cut-for-the-rich that created record breaking deficit spending, caused an extended recession, and lost millions of jobs, and they did not do one single damned thing to fight terrorism.

Ahem. Back to the book. James Carville makes a scientific review of how good a job the Republicans have done during Bush's presidency. He uses the Constitution as his checklist and rates the Bush administration on how well it was able to,

1. "Form a more perfect Union"
2. "Establish Justice"
3. "Insure domestic tranquility"
4. "Provide for the common defense"
5. "Promote the general welfare"
6. "Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity"

Through this lens, Carville provides an analysis of what each of these duties our founding fathers laid out for the federal government mean today, and how the two major parties are dealing with them.

The issues include homeland security, the federal deficit, education, energy, health care, social security and more. In each case, Carville discusses the issue and its history, describes the Republican's response, and then presents a progressive solution. I was surprised (though I shouldn't have been) how often the solution Carville points out has made its way into John Kerry's platform. There are BIG ideas like total energy independence, and more mundane fixes like strengthening and fully funding the Department of Homeland Security. I have found the information in this book to be invaluable when discussing politics with people who have been mislead by conservative radio and FOX News as to Democratic principles and ideas.

If I sound like I'm "gushing" over this book, I'm doing it unabashedly. Carville has reminded me of why I am a Democrat; why I am proud to be a Democrat. I am proud of what my Party has achieved in the past, and I am proud to belong to a Party that believes the Untied States government can, and should, be a force of good in this country and around the world.