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A National Party No More:
The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat by Zell Miller
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- Hardcover: 256 pages ; Dimensions
(in inches): 1.06 x 9.52 x 6.36
- Publisher: Stroud & Hall
Publishers; (November 2003)
- ISBN: 0974537616
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Book Description
With the growl of the
Marine sergeant he was, Senator Zell Miller leaves no doubt that
he believes his own Democratic Party is badly out of step with
most of the country and needs to shape up or ship out.
As part of a stinging critique
of the Democratic Party, Miller outlines key positions on
important issues that can again make the party relevant for the
entire nation. From tax cuts to welfare, gun control to the
environment, the arts to education, immigration to terrorism,
Miller identifies values that make sense to a growing majority of
Americans.
Miller’s candid analysis of the
campaigns of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton further underscores his
conclusion that the Democratic Party can no longer field a serious
presidential challenge.
Many party loyalists will not
like what Senator Miller writes; yet his credentials are beyond
question, for few Democrats have worked longer or stronger for the
party and its candidates. Zell Miller has served in an elective
office in each of the last six decades. When he left office as
governor after two terms, he had an 85 percent approval rating,
prompting the Washington Post to call him the most popular
governor in the country. After getting to Washington, he became
President Bush’s biggest Democratic supporter, but steadfastly
refused to switch parties.
A National Party No More is a
firsthand account from the enigmatic senator who has confounded
his Democratic colleagues. Driven by conscience and common sense,
Senator Miller names the self-destructive direction of his party
and stubbornly pulls the Democratic family toward reform.
He's a democrat not a Democrat, November 17, 2003
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Reviewer:
A reader from Cheverly, MD United States |
In reading Senator Miller's book, one cannot help but wonder if
the real purpose was to inspire a draft Zell movement within the
Democratic party for 2004. If so, the rapid rise of Howard Dean and
insurgency of Wes Clark during the course of its drafting and
publication has probably made that moot. Despite its gratuitous,
self-serving account of his life and political career, it is a
worthy read because it does an excellent job of explaining why
middle class whites, particularly in the south, feel like orphans
when it comes to national political parties with little
representation being provided by either, one of whom caters to the
wealty and big business, and the other looking out for organized
labor, minorities, gays and the non-working poor.
Interestingly, he asserts that the special interests being served
by the Republican party are not bringing turmoil to the GOP because
they are shrewed enough to remain behind the curtain which prevents
the masses from seeing how much influence they have. This point
seems simplistic in my view, as it would appear that the masses are
not ignorant but have reached the same conclusion as the Senator:
when forced to choose between the two, Republicans are the lessor of
two evils. While Senator Miller explains his support of President
Bush on the basis of his willingness to undertake a fight in the
name of freedom and to cut taxes, he points out that in general,
Republicans are just as willing to spend taxpayer funds as
Democrats, and that the only real difference is which special
interest groups get the loot.
You should read this book, not because of what it says about the
Democratic party or its current crop of candidates (very little with
a most personal jab at Howard Dean, whom he describes as a not very
deep Vermont pond), but because of what it says about special
interest money and the influence it has on Capital Hill. In that
respect, it is a very candid assessment of the sad state of current
affairs within our government. That, along with his observations
about how political campaigning changed over his lifetime and his
insight into Presidents Carter and Clinton make it worth reading.
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