Politics Is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change

by Eitan Hersh

Overview

A brilliant condemnation of political hobbyism—treating politics like entertainment—and a call to arms for well-meaning, well-informed citizens who consume political news, but do not take political action.

Who is to blame for our broken politics? The uncomfortable answer to this question starts with ordinary citizens with good intentions. We vote (sometimes) and occasionally sign a petition or attend a rally. But we mainly “engage” by consuming politics as if it’s a sport or a hobby. We soak in daily political gossip and eat up statistics about who’s up and who’s down. We tweet and post and share. We crave outrage. The hours we spend on politics are used mainly as pastime.

Instead, we should be spending the same number of hours building political organizations, implementing a long-term vision for our city or town, and getting to know our neighbors, whose votes will be needed for solving hard problems. We could be accumulating power so that when there are opportunities to make a difference—to lobby, to advocate, to mobilize—we will be ready. But most of us who are spending time on politics today are focused inward, choosing roles and activities designed for our short-term pleasure. We are repelled by the slow-and-steady activities that characterize service to the common good.

In Politics Is for Power, pioneering and brilliant data analyst Eitan Hersh shows us a way toward more effective political participation. Aided by political theory, history, cutting-edge social science, as well as remarkable stories of ordinary citizens who got off their couches and took political power seriously, this book shows us how to channel our energy away from political hobbyism and toward empowering our values.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982116781
Publisher:	Scribner
Publication date:	01/14/2020
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Eitan Hersh received a PhD from Harvard University in 2011. He served for six years on the faculty of Yale University as assistant professor of political science and resident fellow of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies before becoming a tenured associate professor of political science at Tufts University. His peer-reviewed articles have been published in the major political science journals. Hersh is the author of Hacking the Electorate and Politics Is for Power.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I

1 Refresh the Feed 15

2 Staten Island, Staten Island, Take Me In 20

3 Rooting for the Team 29

4 Precinct 206 37

5 Voting, or Not 46

6 Voice of Westmoreland 51

7 Like, Share, Click 59

8 The Russians of Brighton 64

9 Selfish Donor, Seine Donor 74

Part II

10 Political Leisure 87

11 Whose Hobby? 94

12 Politically Spiritual, but Not Religious 101

Part III

13 Hobbyist Provocateur 109

14 Outrage and Compromise 117

15 Bringing Out the Worst in Us 127

16 Gateway Slacktivism 134

Part IV

17 The Dukakis Buffet 147

18 Rage Against the Machine 160

19 The Verbalist Elite 170

20 Fear and Fate 182

Part V

21 Learning to Want Power 199

22 To-Do Lists 210

Acknowledgments 219

Notes 223

Bibliography 251

Index 265

Editorial Reviews

11/25/2019

Tufts University political science professor Hersh argues in this earnest yet somewhat mislabeled debut that “political hobbyism,” the practice of obsessively consuming political news without engaging in real-world activism, is not only a waste of time, but is actively harming American democracy. In 2018, Hersh surveyed “a random sample of 1,000 Americans” about their political engagement. The vast majority of respondents admitted that they didn’t volunteer for a political organization, with most declaring that they didn’t have the time to do so. Yet more than half also acknowledged spending an hour or more every day reading about politics or watching political news programs. Hersh argues that hobbyism inflames public opinion on both sides of the political spectrum, making elected officials less likely to compromise. He provides case studies of activists who put serious effort into advocating for their preferred causes, and, in the book’s final 20 pages, offers specific guidance on how readers can stop being hobbyists and start participating in the political process by performing community service or becoming an elected delegate. Though it’s billed as a how-to, the book leans more toward cultural study. While readers may wish that Hersh had included more practical advice, this richly detailed account effectively highlights an issue affecting contemporary political discourse. Agent: Jill Kneerim, Kneerim & Williams Literary Agency. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

In our age of democratic turmoil, citizens often ask: What can I do? Where can I have an impact? Frustratingly, analysts usually have few answers to these important questions. Eitan Hersh does. His careful analysis and moving stories show us where and how citizens have made a difference and why so many don’t. Along the way, he will leave you inspired, and even hopeful, about America’s democratic future.” —Daniel Ziblatt, professor of government, Harvard University, and coauthor of How Democracies Die





“Politics is not a spectator sport nor a game, in spite of how Twitter can sometimes make it feel. With rigorous research and compelling stories, Hersh lays out exactly how your political participation might not be building the power you wish you had—and what to do to fix it. (Hint: Get involved locally. Consider a run for something!)” —Amanda Litman, cofounder and executive director of Run for Something





“At a moment when most people are wringing their hands over the decline of democracy, Politics Is for Power offers a fresh, evidence-based look at both the problem and the solutions. Instead of looking to the outside for saviors, the book turns the mirror on all of us to show what we might be doing to destroy democracy and what we can be doing instead to renew it. It’s a vital read for anyone who feels like there must be something more we can do.” —Hahrie Han, inaugural director of the SNF Agora Institute and professor of political science, Johns Hopkins University

From the Publisher