The Bulldozer and the Big Tent

by Todd Gitlin

This book, by one of America's most intelligent and decent political writers, tells liberals how the conservative movement rose and fell, and how they could emulate its successes while avoiding its failures.
--George Packer, author of Blood of the Liberals and The Assassins' Gate

""No one is better than Todd Gitlin at describing the crucial dynamic through which movements gain or lose political power. Justly celebrated for his seminal work on such dynamics during the 1960s, Gitlin now explains everything that's happened since, with passion and wisdom--and happily, because of Bushism's collapse, legitimate optimism about the future.""
--Michael Tomasky, Editor, Guardian America

""An impassioned yet realistic plea for Democrats and liberals to become more serious about politics. They would do well to follow his advice.""
--Alan Wolfe, Director, Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College

""A brilliant and indispensable book. Gitlin convincingly urges liberals to take seriously the greater difficulty the Democrats have forging cohesion among identity-based groups over the Republicans persuading the less diverse Republican base to bury disagreements in the drive for victory. Gitlin argues that Democrats will have to bite the bullet and unite under a big tent. It's a hard lesson for ardent newcomers to the movement to swallow. Gitlin is dead right.""
--Thomas B. Edsall, Special Correspondent, The New Republic

""This is an indispensable book by one of our most gifted public intellectuals. Todd Gitlin explains--with splendid scholarship, reporting, and wit--how the Bush machine debased our political life and how progressives, in all their variety, are struggling to build a new majority. It is the best guide we have to America's recent past and its possible future.""
--Michael Kazin, author of A Godly The Life of William Jennings Bryan and Professor of History, Georgetown University

Genres: Politics

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Todd Gitlin was an American writer, sociologist, communications scholar, novelist, poet, and not very private intellectual. He was professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book attempts to explain the recent success of the Republican party and the failure of the Democrats. The premise is simple: the Republicans are comprised of two major factions, the pro-business limited government camp and the evangelical morally conservative camp. The recurring dynamic between these two groups is that they are willing to make concessions to secure political victory. The Democrats, on the other hand, are comprised of eight groups each competing to set the agenda. Since many of the groups draw their identities from single issues, compromise is seen as selling out. Working for electoral victory is almost an afterthought. They lack the political flexibility and unitary desire to win that would allow them to meet the high level of organization exhibited by the Republicans.

This is an inside account of the evolution of the Democratic Party since the 60s. The author, who identifies himself as once being a member of the New Left, gives a personal and detailed history of a party that has moved from a core base founded on organized labor to a coalition of various leftists and moderates. The author also goes on to discuss how the extremism and incompetence of the Republican Party under the current administration has caused many people to reconsider the Democrats as a legitimate counterweight to that extremism. The author contends that the Democrats could be on the verge of forming the workable, election winning, progressive coalition that has eluded them for so long. Although I agree that is a possibility, I don't know if the Democrats, as a whole, posses the presence of mind to realize that, let alone the cohesion necessary to translate that potential into reality.

I think this is a great book for people who want to better understand the significant organizational differences between these two parties, as well as get a better understanding of the internal and external challenges that have plagued the Democrats for the past few decades.

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, if at times vague, overview of how Republicans win and Democrats lose. Gitlin's guarded optimism about the future of the Democratic Party is refreshing. I for one will no longer be so prone to defect from the Democrats because as the Republican party now stands, a party of Bush and Palin, they are a grave danger to our country. The best answer is to back the Democrats fully until the Republicans clean up, which will take at least 12 years I figure.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts out well, giving an interesting, well-presented overview of where we are and how we got there. Gitlin's conclusions are not so well expressed; the book got progressively drier, with the last 50 pages or so reading more like a textbook.

[Pete Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Outdated. Disorganized. Didn't know I was getting into a long thesis defending party politics until the end. Some gems in there.