Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System

by Scott Rasmussen, Doug Schoen Narrated by Mike Chamberlain

Overview

Today's raucous revolt against Washington and Wall Street is a classic populist uprising. Now two respected political pollsters show what it means for the future of American politics.

The riotous tea parties and town hall meetings of last summer seemingly took everyone by surprise. They shouldn't have. Populist movements have always arisen in times of economic hardship. Here, Scott Rasmussen and Doug Schoen explore the heart of the uprising that has thrown American politics into turmoil.

In the past, populist movements have taken root either on the right or on the left. Today's revolt has two wings: a left wing that wants universal health care and a right wing that wants to reduce the power of governmental influence in our lives. Both are hostile to the Washington political class, Wall Street, and the mainstream media-all of which they consider out of touch with the concerns of “real” Americans. The difference is that left-wing populists are effectively represented by Barack Obama and congressional Democrats, while right-wing populists are chiefly represented by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh-a potentially more powerful political force.

Many have failed to comprehend the new populism, dismissing it as marginal and extreme. But it is reshaping American politics, whether politicians and elite journalists like it or not. The Tea Party movement is not a flash in the pan. Nor is it a movement of racist rednecks and ignorant boobs, as some have crudely suggested. It is an authentic grassroots movement of concerned American citizens demanding to be heard by an out-of-touch political establishment. Their concerns are real, their issues legitimate. The new populism is here to stay, and it has already changed our politics for the better.

Mad as Hell is an authoritative guide to the new populism, featuring proprietary polling data, political analysis, results from online focus groups, and more. It is a must-read for anyone interested in American electoral politics.

Editorial Reviews

Huffington Post

What makes this new book a must-read ... is the reality that our daily news cycle is in many ways driven by the Tea Party.

The Atlantic

Rasmussen and Schoen’s book clarifies much about our contemporary politics and identifies important causes of our current political malaise. It is the best available guide to the politics of 2010.

The Daily Caller

Essential to understanding America in 2010.

Foreign Affairs

Useful and balanced book...Readers who think they are in the political class might do well to pay heed.

Los Angeles Times

What [Rasmussen and Schoen] convincingly show is that economic stagnation and the collapse of equality and opportunity have produced an equally catastrophic decline in confidence in every sort of public institution - including political parties, big business, big labor, the media and mainline organized religion.

NewsMax

The unvarnished truth about the movement that is re-making the face of America. ... “Mad As Hell” is more than a ‘must read’—it’s a required read for every tea party loyalist and even those that fear them.

APRIL 2011 - AudioFile

Political pollsters Scott Rasmussen and Doug Schoen discuss the Tea Party's origins, how the growth of the movement is fundamentally remaking our two-party system, and what that means for the future of American politics. Narrator Mike Chamberlain's clarity and excellent pacing help give weight to this data-rich analysis of American populism. The authors used online focus groups and interviews with Tea Party leaders, and although there is extensive overlapping and repetition in this book, it is generally politically balanced. Political junkies on both the left and the right will enjoy this insightful listen. B.C.E. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169573206
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	10/22/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos