The Mythology Of American Politics

Author : John T. Bookman
Publisher : Potomac Books, Inc.
Page : 263 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : History
ISBN : 9781612343914

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The Mythology of American Politics by John T. Bookman Pdf

In this provocative set of essays, John Bookman delves beneath the transitory issues of the day to identify and respond to the fundamental, perennial questions of American politics. The questions concern the myths that shape the thinking of so many Americans about politics. These myths are the popular narratives that impart meaning to the American experience and define for many what it is to be an American. For the first time, readers have under one cover a sober, informed examination of these myths. Among the myths subjected to critical examination are the following: 1. The Framers of the Constitution were fundamentalist Christians. Americans at the time of the founding constituted a Christian nation. 2. The Framers were disinterested demigods who wrote a constitution for the ages. 3. James Madison intended separation of powers and checks and balances to protect the general citizenry against government. 4. Constitutional constraints on democratic majorities are necessary to prevent tyranny of the majority. 5. The United States is exceptional. It is more populist, egalitarian, religious, patriotic, and prosperous than other nations. 6. Americans are a chosen people marked out by God or history to carry out a world-historical mission. 7. The unfettered market uses resources more efficiently, better promotes growth, and confers more freedom than other ways of organizing the production and distribution of goods and services. In his examination of these myths, Bookman does not slight argument in favor of description and explanation. He does not neglect description and explanation, but he enlists them in the service of arguments, and those arguments reach conclusions sure to be controversial.

Author : James E. Combs
Publisher : Popular Press
Page : 172 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 1993
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0879725664

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The Reagan Range by James E. Combs Pdf

Combs (political science, Valparaiso U.) tries to make sense of the Reagan presidency by linking it to the American popular culture that spawned and trained him, and that he used so adeptly to his advantage. No index. Paper edition (unseen), $11.95. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Author : Michael Parenti
Publisher : Forge Books
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 1994
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0312094973

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Land of Idols by Michael Parenti Pdf

Arguing against the presumption that the U.S. has no dominant ideology, the author confronts the myths in American society that limit the perception of political reality and constrain progressive reform.

Author : Trenton Fervor
Publisher : iUniverse
Page : 267 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2013-04
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781475981001

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The Myth of American Democracy by Trenton Fervor Pdf

In his current work, Trenton Fervor author of The Last Individual: The Ascendancy of the Sociomaniacal Mindset delivers a critical exposition of democracy and its defects. The Myth of American Democracy is an unapologetic critique of the American political system and an attempt to dismantle the mystique perpetuated to sanctify and sanction it. Fervor entreats the reader to reexamine the notion of democracy and its attendant processes absent the sophistic demagoguery and to more closely consider the actual nature of the institution, and the establishment behemoth which inhabits and advances it. The reader is encouraged to confront the myth and deception which pervade the contemporary conception of democracy, and to accept the reality that the democratic emperor is naked. Democracy today is in truth fundamentally absurd: its premise is that an ideologically coherent, consistent, and efficient social policy program can be constructed by formulating each aspect of the overall program through a process of majoritarian amalgamation of contradictory, incongruent, and confrontational views. The Myth of American Democracy is an important rebuke of conventional democratic orthodoxy which will challenge readers to reevaluate their sympathies for the system. This book is recommended reading for everyone who has wrestled with the troubling suspicion that there is something inherently dubious and defective about the democratic system.

Author : Christopher Flood
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2013-12-02
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781135347888

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Political Myth by Christopher Flood Pdf

First Published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Author : Richard Bradley
Publisher : Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : UOM:39015049497228

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American Political Mythology from Kennedy to Nixon by Richard Bradley Pdf

Examining American politics, society, and culture from Kennedy to Nixon, this book ties all of these elements together and explains the political mythology that has made this period one of the most fascinating and important epochs in American history. One of the strengths of the book is that it not only demonstrates, but also explains, the deeper mechanisms behind our continual fascination with these three particular presidents. From the Kennedy assassination through Vietnam and Watergate, a complex web of historical events is untangled and lucidly explained. There have been few efforts to examine the nature of Kennedy's continual appeal, but no work thus far has attempted to place Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon in one coherent framework that not only explains our fascination - indeed, obsession - with these individuals, but also illuminates the period in history they so dominated.

Author : Robert Wickes
Publisher : Infinity Publishing
Page : 337 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2006-10
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780741436184

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The Myth America Pageant by Robert Wickes Pdf

An often-amusing look at often-confusing national issues and at the grand game of politics, blending history, common sense, and controversy in a thought-provoking, convention-challenging analysis for ordinary Americans.

Author : Barry Alan Shain
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 422 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 1996-08-25
Category : History
ISBN : 0691029121

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The Myth of American Individualism by Barry Alan Shain Pdf

Sharpening the debate over the values that formed America's founding political philosophy, Barry Alan Shain challenges us to reconsider what early Americans meant when they used such basic political concepts as the public good, liberty, and slavery. We have too readily assumed, he argues, that eighteenth-century Americans understood these and other terms in an individualistic manner. However, by exploring how these core elements of their political thought were employed in Revolutionary-era sermons, public documents, newspaper editorials, and political pamphlets, Shain reveals a very different understanding--one based on a reformed Protestant communalism. In this context, individual liberty was the freedom to order one's life in accord with the demanding ethical standards found in Scripture and confirmed by reason. This was in keeping with Americans' widespread acceptance of original sin and the related assumption that a well-lived life was only possible in a tightly knit, intrusive community made up of families, congregations, and local government bodies. Shain concludes that Revolutionary-era Americans defended a Protestant communal vision of human flourishing that stands in stark opposition to contemporary liberal individualism. This overlooked component of the American political inheritance, he further suggests, demands examination because it alters the historical ground upon which contemporary political alternatives often seek legitimation, and it facilitates our understanding of much of American history and of the foundational language still used in authoritative political documents.

Author : Godfrey Hodgson
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Exceptionalism
ISBN : 0300125704

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The Myth of American Exceptionalism by Godfrey Hodgson Pdf

The idea that the United States is destined to spread its unique gifts of democracy and capitalism to other countries is dangerous for Americans and for the rest of the world, warns Godfrey Hodgson in this provocative book. Hodgson, a shrewd and highly respected British commentator, argues that America is not as exceptional as it would like to think; its blindness to its own history has bred a complacent nationalism and a disastrous foreign policy that has isolated and alienated it from the global community. Tracing the development of America’s high self regard from the early days of the republic to the present era, Hodgson demonstrates how its exceptionalism has been systematically exaggerated and—in recent decades—corrupted. While there have been distinct and original elements in America’s history and political philosophy, notes Hodgson, these have always been more heavily influenced by European thought and experience than Americans have been willing to acknowledge. A stimulating and timely assessment of how America’s belief in its exceptionalism has led it astray, this book is mandatory reading for its citizens, admirers, and detractors.

Author : Dan D. Nimmo,James E. Combs
Publisher : Prentice Hall
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 1980-01-01
Category : Communication in politics
ISBN : 0138591083

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Subliminal Politics by Dan D. Nimmo,James E. Combs Pdf

Author : John T. Bookman
Publisher : Potomac Books, Inc.
Page : 221 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2008-07
Category : History
ISBN : 9781597971980

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The Mythology of American Politics by John T. Bookman Pdf

Demystifies some of the most pervasive myths about American politics

Author : Joseph Aprile
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2004-07
Category : Globalization
ISBN : 0595326919

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America and the Mythology of Greatness by Joseph Aprile Pdf

The United States, with its wealth of natural resources, expansive frontiers and diverse populations, has always been endowed with great potential. The possibilities inherent in the American nation are being squandered, however, by the arrogance of power. Those in power regard the free and vital political expression of the vast majority of people as a threat to their authority. Any real movement for a change in the political, social and economic order is seen as a threat to the status quo. The members of Congress have themselves been corrupted by both power and the corporate interests that they have become dependent upon. In this book, the mythology of greatness that is used so effectively in support of an extremist national agenda, is examined and challenged. The delusional self image of America's moral superiority in the world is countered with an honest appraisal of its actual behavior. An alternative national image is suggested, if there is to be hope for resolving the political, social and economic imbalances between the rich and poor nations that feed the ever expanding violence in the world.

Author : Glenn Greenwald
Publisher : Crown
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2008-04-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780307410313

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Great American Hypocrites by Glenn Greenwald Pdf

A takedown of the GOP’s deceitful propaganda machine from the blogger of Salon’s Unclaimed Territory and the author of the New York Times bestsellers How Would a Patriot Act? and A Tragic Legacy. Ever since the cowboy image of Ronald Reagan was sold to Americans, the Republican Party has used the same John Wayne imagery to support its candidates and take elections. We all know how they govern, but the right-wing propaganda machine is very adept at hijacking debate and marketing their candidates as effectively as the Marlboro Man. For example: Myth: The Republican nominee is an upstanding, regular guy who shares the values of the common man. Reality: He divorced his first wife in order to marry a young multimillionaire heiress whose family then funded his political career. Myth: Republicans are strong on defense and will keep us safe. Reality: They prey on fears, and their endless wars make America far less secure. Myth: Republicans are the party of fiscal restraint and small, limited government. Reality: Soaring deficits, unchecked presidential power, and an increasingly invasive surveillance state are par for their course. The first book to dissect the Republican Cult of Personality and leave it openly exposed in its unabashed, shameful depravity, Great American Hypocrites is a deeply necessary call-out to Democrats to attack the GOP with their competitor’s very own weapons. Praise for Great American Hypocrites “Intelligent, insightful.” —Daily Kos “Glenn Greenwald has done it again.” —Alan Colmes “Glenn Greenwald is a treasure.” —BuzzFlash

Author : Arnold Vedlitz
Publisher : Praeger
Page : 198 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 1988-11-02
Category : History
ISBN : UOM:39015013928711

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Conservative Mythology and Public Policy in America by Arnold Vedlitz Pdf

The first truly empirical examination of American conservatism, this book provides an important counterweight in a debate which has been, until now, heavily dominated by ideological conservatives. Arguing that many of the social, political, and economic underpinnings of conservative dogma do not stand the test of close scrutiny, Vedlitz clearly articulates the underlying assumptions of conservative policy and evaluates their validity for American politics and society. A book for both liberals and conservatives alike, Conservative Mythology and Public Policy in America offers a timely challenge to widely held views about the impact of conservatism on U.S. public policy.

Author : Michael Parenti
Publisher : St Martins Press
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 1994
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0312098413

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Land of Idols by Michael Parenti Pdf

Arguing against the presumption that the U.S. has no dominant ideology, the author confronts the myths in American society that limit the perception of political reality and constrain progressive reform