Party of the People : A History of the Democrats

Party of the People : A History of the Democrats Jules Witcover Date: 04 November, 2003   —   $22.05   —   Book product page Rating:

You have to be really, really interested in the Democratic Party to slog through this one. As a review of Democratic presidential campaigns, Witcover's book is fairly comprehensive, but as a history of the Democratic Party, I think it falls short.

The book covers the Democratic Party from its roots in Thomas Jefferson's populist opposition to Alexander Hamilton's vision of America as ruled by the hereditary wealthy elite, to Bill Clinton's Democratic Party essentially fighting the exact same battle. And had Witcover delved deeper into the philosophical aspects behind these battles, it would have been a much better book. Unfortunately, he spends way too much time reciting the number of state delegates voting for which candidate at the Democratic Conventions. *Snore*

You know what would be really cool: giving the Democratic Party the James Mitchner treatment, following a few Democratic families from different parts of the country through the history of the United States. That would rock! Hmm...

Anyhow, reading Witcover's book certainly wasn't a waste of time. From a historical standpoint, it's a valuable one-stop reference of Democratic presidential campaigns, and it gave me a deeper perspective of both the failings (we've been in worse positions before) and the great strengths of my political party. But it's not something I'd recommend as a summer beach book.