40 More Years: How the Democrats Will Rule the Next Generation

by James Carville, James Carville, Alan Sklar (Narrator)

Every four years Americans hold a presidential election. Somebody wins and somebody loses. That's life. But 2008 was an anomaly. The election of President Barack Obama is about something far bigger than four or even eight years in the White House. Since 2004, Americans have been witnessing and participating in the emergence of a Democratic majority that will last not four but forty years. To understand the emergence of a lasting Democratic majority, James Carville first reviews the profound and relentless incompetence of the Bush administration-and the pursuant collapse of the Republican Party. That means looking back at the failure of Republican ideas-including a wholesale rejection of the myth of conservative superiority on the economy-and holding our noses long enough to survey the gallery of truly repellent scoundrels, scandals, and screwups that the Republican Party has been responsible for over the last eight years. After completing the unpleasant but edifying task of autopsying the Republican Party, Carville examines the underpinnings of Democratic victories in 2004, 2006, and 2008-and makes the argument for why Democrats are going to keep winning (two words: young people). In short, the Republicans are going to keep getting spanked again and again for forty more years because we're right and they're wrong, and Americans know it.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published May 1, 2008

About the author

James Carville is an former U.S. Marine, political consultant, commentator, actor, media personality and pundit. Known as "the Ragin' Cajun," Carville gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist of the successful presidential campaign of then-Arkansas governor Bill Clinton. Carville was the co-host of CNN's Crossfire until its final broadcast in June 2005. Since its cancellation, he has appeared on CNN's news program, The Situation Room. As of 2006, he hosts a weekly program on XM Radio titled 60/20 Sports with Luke Russert, son of NBC's Tim Russert. He is married to Republican political consultant Mary Matalin.

Reviews

[Brian]

I don't usually read fiction, but made an exception in this case. Carville is a loonatic, does the usual "Bush" blame game, but does manage to make a few valid points regarding Republicans. They are well hidden though. Among these is the the basic point that Republicans cannot win by out Democrating Democrats. Most of the book is filled with statistics manipulated to prove his points , limited evidence, and half stories. Pretty much typical stuff for that group.

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really reminded me how much Bush messed up when he was president. His heart was in the right place, but he had no clue what he was doing. What went on during Hurricane Katrina is heartbreaking. This really shows how messed up the GOP is, that they are mainly for the older white man and that they have a long way to go to fix their issues.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, Carville makes some good points, though I could've used less of his continuous comparison of Bush with Clinton (for whom I have little respect), nor do I share his opinion that Florida 2000 was a "stolen" election.

[Heather Denkmire · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bummer. I love Carville, usually, but this is so completely stuck in the right wing frames it was impossible for me to listen to it for more than about 1/3.

[Jay French · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one has some age on it, and the years haven’t treated this book well. I was greatly disappointed. I was expecting, given the title and description, that this would be a cogent book about changes in politics driven by statistical analysis. Kind of like Zogby’s “The Way We’ll Be” with better stories. Something that hints at a major, long lived review of trends that would have implications for decades. And given the author, I expected some good stories, but knew to expect some tilt to the left. This ends up being primarily a diatribe against the Bush White House. Mixed in to the ranting are some statistical forecasts based on, primarily, two data points. Kinda hard to predict with two data points – so this is no science. And most of the diatribe revolves around name calling. The author leads with name calling, and it precedes any attempt at forecast. It became obvious that this is a textbook case of “preaching to the choir”.

I did finish the book. Carville ends the book with his story of surviving the hurricane in New Orleans and his temporary move to Dallas in its aftermath. This last chapter was well reported and with a little less of the bluster of the bulk of the book. That chapter was informative, mostly as an example of the post-Katrina living conditions of displaced New Orleans residents. Overall, though, the book is not something I’d recommend.

[Daniel Solera · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is inarguably the most partisan book I have read thus far. I picked it up after seeing it on (predictably) a DailyKos article about a month ago, and finished it in a few days.

The biggest draw to this book is Carville himself. He's more than a political analyst, he's a media celebrity. His political analysis aside, he has celebrated his comical side with cameos in movies such as "Old School" and further posing as a caricature of himself in last season of "30 Rock". It is not surprising then, that his narrative voice in this book should have many mentionings of "spankin' the Republicans" or "a load of bs" and even a few sprinklings of "Cajun style".

Carville's main point is that the Republican party will fade into oblivion unless it stops catering to its base, a strategy which worked in 2000 and 2004, but in the last four years, has not. He criticizes the party's management of Katrina, the base's insistence on opposing evolution, man-influenced global warming, and the theft of Florida in the 2000 presidential election. The book ends with a story of a Katrina survivor's drive to save his family from the floods that overtook New Orleans ... though, it comes off as a last-minute sentimental plea and doesn't necessarily directly tie the experience to incompetence. The story itself doesn't reference administrative ineptitude or mention specific emergency relief errors committed by the Bush administration.

All in all, it was a fun read, but I didn't really learn anything new from it. It's exactly what you'd expect Carville to say without cameras in his face (or with - he tends to be pretty unapologetic). For a more detailed review (which came out today, incidentally): check out DailyKos' Dana Houle's take.

[Maciek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone familiar with the flamboyant style of commentary of the Democratic consultant James Carville should have no trouble imagining the content and language of the book. It would be amiss to categorize the book as partisan drivel as, in reality, it pinpoints a more significant phenomenon: the larger shifts in the dominance of one party over another in the course of American history. Carville opines that that just as Republicans set the tone of the debate from 1968 until 2008, now the dominance will fall into the hands of Democrats; hence the title of the book. Changing demographics and the anachronistic nature of Republican policies are the most important factor in such a shift. Even though the book was written before the emergence of Rand Paul, it still offers good points on why such a shift is occurring.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness gracious. How James Carville's marriage to the uber conservative Mary Matalin, I will never understand. His political views, while not the most progressive I've read about, are so far afield from his wife's and he writes about politics with such passion, it's hard to imagine how they hold a civil conversation. Even with politics aside, his views on child rearing are so far from Republican party principals that I wonder who won the battle on teaching their daughters about birth control and sex. Just amazing.

Carville is a brilliant political thinker whose writing is a beautiful blend of pragmatism, patriotism, progressiveness and Cajun panache.

[Kathleen Dennis Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first read it I would have given it a 5. I love the Ragin' Cajun but his predictions we now know were unfortunately simplistic. Politics is not always about logical analysis, it oft times is anything but. I will be the first to say I wish he were right and in the end the browning of America will help the Dems.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this. Carville is a great writer. I think my favorite line in the book is when discussing a "creationist" book that was being sold under the Science section of the Grand Canyon National Park giftshop, he cites a ranger who remarked, "What's next? 'Old Faithful: Nostrils of Satan'?"

[Ken McDouall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carville had written a fairly entertaining rant against Republican policies and tactics, published shortly after Obama's election. He urges Democrats to pursue and progressive agenda and stand up to conservative blustering. If only...

[Pat Fallon]

Fun book if you're a democrat. If you're a republican ----well not so much-- I really don't know what republicans think is fun. I did like the line " Republican exist to protect what people have, and Democrats exist to help people have the oppurtunity to acquire the things that they need".

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is actually better than my rating. But it is very timely-- for 2008-09. Of course, it is quite biased and some terms remained unexplained in my mind. But it gave me hope-- and made me laugh with his charged words.

[Suzanne Kittrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always wickedly funny, even if you don't see quite eye-to-eye with him. But always thought provoking. He makes me LOL.

[Papajack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love it or hate it, depends where you are.

[Dr. Marcia Chatelain]

I happen to know the co-author on this book, and so I'm sure I will enjoy this read about the political process.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Republicans would have read this book after the last defeat they might have had a chance in 2012.

[Amy Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, Carville amuses while he entertains. As a Democrat, of course I love his premise, so he was preaching to the choir. He makes a convincing argument with a bevy of statistics.