James Carville: Had Enough?: A Handbook for Fighting Back

Had Enough? : A Handbook for Fighting Back
by James Carville (Author)

Editorial Reviews - From Publishers Weekly

For liberals who think Al Franken and Michael Moore show too much restraint, the Ragin' Cajun launches another no-holds-barred assault on the conservative powers-that-be. Carville's shtick remains intact, so the political commentary is saturated with jokes about being married to a Republican, stories about his family down in Louisiana and recipes for barbecue shrimp and bread pudding. But if you thought he was mad before, wait until Carville tears into George W. Bush and his administration. Not content with merely attacking Bush's Iraqi war strategy, Carville denigrates the entire war on terrorism, reminding readers that Senate Democrats proposed tougher homeland security proposals that the president consistently rejected. He also suggests that not only could Gore have handled 9/11 better, it probably wouldn't even have happened. And he's just getting started at that point, gearing up for tough criticism of tax cuts, school vouchers, tort reform and other GOP policies. But finger-pointing isn't enough; Carville provides a "nice little progressive playbook" of counterstrategies to rebuild economically and socially the way he says only Democrats can. It's hard to tell sometimes whether he's putting on his pitbull act: the "fuel or freedom" tax on SUV owners is probably satirical, but a full ban on contributions to incumbent congresspeople is so radical it's got to be serious. As Howard Dean recently proved, Democratic candidates still turn to Carville for talking points, so don't be surprised to see some of these proposals raised on the campaign trail next year.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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From Booklist
James Carville has had enough, and though most of what he's had enough of begins with Bush, he's not too thrilled with the Democrats either, especially their propensity to roll over like puppies. He wants to take back the country from "tax-cutting, environment-desecrating, secret-keeping, influence-peddling, warmongering, free-speech-hating, hypocritical right-wing goofballs." Got a plan, James? Why, yes, he does, and where other Bush-bashing tomes are heavy on the rant and light on the fix,... read more
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Book Description

Have you had enough of George W. Bush and the Republican right? Are you sick and tired of the tax-cutting, environment-desecrating, secret-keeping, influence-peddling, war-mongering, free speech-hating hypocrites who occupy America's halls of power? If so, you have company -- James Carville.

Like James Carville, America has been bruised and battered by the Republicans who are running our country and running it into the ground. The Bush administration has squandered a five-trillion-dollar surplus and created a five-trillion-dollar projected deficit. Their tax cut for the rich was supposed to create jobs -- but instead America has lost more than three million of them. This administration was supposed to bring honor and dignity to the White House but instead brought lies, leaks, secrecy, and fear. They promised to make the country stronger and safer but instead they've left us overstretched, isolated, and insecure.

And Carville has had enough.

In Had Enough? the legendary political adviser comes out of his corner swinging, taking on the Bush White House and the Republican leaders in Congress on every front -- from the economy to education to foreign affairs. But he doesn't just attack; he lays out constructive "had enough" solutions for healing the damage done by the Republicans and helping disheartened Democrats get back on their feet. In addition, he offers "Ten Rules for Progressives to Live By" and a new War Room mantra for a new era.
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Had Enough? is a rousing handbook for taking back the country, for fighting back the right wing, and for returning the power to the people.

Finally, a Left-Leaning Book with Brains!, December 11, 2003:
At last, I finally found it: a liberal who does more than blow his top and tear into his adverary.
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This is a very smart book. Unlike most liberal literature, which are overwhelmingly reactionary, Carville's book is proactive. While pundits like Vidal, Choamsky and Michael Moore (arguably, my generations's most overrated writer) whose writings usually dull down to diatribes and bold conjectiure, Carville actually presents something all too rare in lefty commentary: viable and credible solutions!

While the other guys exhaust all of their energies launching "ad hominem" attacks on Pres. Bush (surely, these so-called experts can come up with something more constructive than 300 paged on why Bush is an idiot), Carville presents a plan! Unlike the other authors I mentioned, Carville's approach is such that his audience learns that they do have the power to influence the politcal process, rather than breeding a cynicism that eventually leads to apathy and ambivalence on Election Day.

The book is intelligent enough to sway a few conservatives.
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Great Read for Democrats, December 5, 2003

This is a well-written and entertaining read for anyone who thinks that Pres Bush is leading our country in the wrong direction. There have been a lot of good books out there, by and for liberals, but this is one that tells us how to solve our problems by taking the right wing machine head on. I recommend this book to anyone, who thinks we can do better and wants to do something about it.