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Original Essays | June 12, 2013
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More copies of this ISBNAgainst the Tide: How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless Presidentby Lincoln Chafee
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:In this smart, candid, and surprising political memoir, Lincoln Chafee offers a behind-the-scenes look at the first six years of the Bush Administration from the vantage point of one of the few Republican moderates in the Senate. When Senator Chafee (R-RI) went to Washington, he encountered a Republican Party drifting so far to the right it no longer stood for the mainstream principles that united Americans. Instead, under the direction of George W. Bush, the Party had fallen victim to extremism. In the face of this trend, Chafee stood fast as one of the most liberal Republicans in the Senate, seeking to cut across partisan lines at the very time that they threatened to irrevocably divide the nation. A political iconoclast, Chafee was the only Republican senator to have expressed support for same-sex marriage; the only Republican to vote in favor of reinstating the top federal tax rate on upper-income payers; the only Republican in the Senate to have voted against authorization of the use of force in Iraq; the only Republican to vote for the Levin-Reed amendment calling for a nonbinding timetable for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq; and the only Republican to vote against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Chafee favored increased federal funding for health care, supported affirmative action and gun control, supported womens reproductive rights, and endorsed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Sometimes referred to by conservatives as a RINO (Republican in Name Only), Chafee turns the tables on the right and asks why it has enabled Bush Jr. to pull the GOP and the nation away from traditional principles of fiscal conservatism, respect for our environment, and aversion to foreign entanglements. Unabashedly frank, Chafees memoir recounts his political journey from small-town mayor to a voice crying from the congressional wilderness. He offers a forward-looking assessment of what comes next for the Republican and Democratic parties, and he also addresses the potential rise of a third party within the void created by bipartisan extremism. Most important, Chafee sounds a wake-up call to his Party, and to all Americans, by challenging our government to strive, as Abraham Lincoln once articulated, “to elevate the condition of men.” Lincoln Chafee served in the United States Senate as the Republican senator from Rhode Island from 1999 to 2007. Currently, he is a distinguished visiting fellow at Brown University, and he has been mentioned as a candidate for governor of Rhode Island in 2010. He lives in Rhode Island with his wife and three children. In this candid political memoir, Lincoln Chafee offers a look at the first six years of the Bush Administration from the vantage point of one of the few Republican moderates in the Senate. When Senator Chafee (R-RI) went to Washington, he encountered a Republican Party drifting so far to the right it no longer stood for the mainstream principles that united Americans. Under the direction of George W. Bush, the Party had slipped toward the extreme right. In the face of this trend, Chafee stood fast as one of the most liberal Republicans in the Senate, seeking to cut across partisan lines, though they threatened to irrevocably divide the nation. A political iconoclast, Chafee was the only Republican senator to have expressed support for same-sex marriage; the only Republican to vote in favor of reinstating the top federal tax rate on upper-income payers; the only Republican in the Senate to have voted against authorization of the use of force in Iraq; the only Republican to vote for the Levin-Reed amendment calling for a nonbinding timetable for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq; and the only Republican to vote against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Chafee favored increased federal funding for health care, supported affirmative action and gun control, supported womens reproductive rights, and endorsed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Sometimes referred to by conservatives as a RINO (Republican in Name Only), Chafee turns the tables on the right and asks why it has enabled George W. Bush to pull the GOP and the nation away from traditional principles of fiscal conservatism, respect for our environment, and aversion to foreign entanglements that once defined the political right. Chafees memoir recounts his political journey from small-town mayor to a voice crying from the congressional wilderness. He offers a forward-looking assessment of what comes next for the Republican and Democratic parties, and he also addresses the potential rise of a third party within the void created by bipartisan extremism. Most importantly, Chafee sounds a wake-up call to his Party, and to all Americans, by challenging our government to strive, as Abraham Lincoln once articulated, “to elevate the condition of men.” "Former Senator Chafee (R-RI) recounts bitterly partisan politics and his disaffection from the GOP . . . Appointed from the Warwick mayoralty to fill the Senate seat left by his legendary father, Chafee was elected in his own right in 2000 and found himself immediately at odds with a bullying administration pushing for unprecedented tax cuts, starving social programs and weakening environmental regulations, all a prelude to the complete emasculation of Congress made possible by the events of 9/11. The lone Senate Republican to vote against the Iraq War, Chafee would later oppose the nominations of John Bolton to the United Nations and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, enraging the GOP base and guaranteeing a primary opponent in his 2006 reelection bid. Weakened by that battle, the pro-choice, antiwar and fiscally responsible Chafee, too Republican for Democrats, too Democrat for Republicans, lost the general election."—Kirkus Reviews Synopsis:A smart, candid, and surprising political memoir by Senator Chafee that's an unusual look at the first six years of the Bush Administration from the vantage point of one of the last Republican moderates in the Senate.
Synopsis:In this smart, candid, and surprising political memoir, Lincoln Chafee offers a behind-the-scenes look at the first six years of the Bush Administration from the vantage point of one of the few Republican moderates in the Senate. When Senator Chafee (R-RI) went to Washington, he encountered a Republican Party drifting so far to the right it no longer stood for the mainstream principles that united Americans. Instead, under the direction of George W. Bush, the Party had fallen victim to extremism. In the face of this trend, Chafee stood fast as one of the most liberal Republicans in the Senate, seeking to cut across partisan lines at the very time that they threatened to irrevocably divide the nation. A political iconoclast, Chafee was the only Republican senator to have expressed support for same-sex marriage; the only Republican to vote in favor of reinstating the top federal tax rate on upper-income payers; the only Republican in the Senate to have voted against authorization of the use of force in Iraq; the only Republican to vote for the Levin-Reed amendment calling for a nonbinding timetable for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq; and the only Republican to vote against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Chafee favored increased federal funding for health care, supported affirmative action and gun control, supported womens reproductive rights, and endorsed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Sometimes referred to by conservatives as a RINO (Republican in Name Only), Chafee turns the tables on the right and asks why it has enabled Bush Jr. to pull the GOP and the nation away from traditional principles of fiscal conservatism, respect for our environment, and aversion to foreign entanglements. Unabashedly frank, Chafees memoir recounts his political journey from small-town mayor to a voice crying from the congressional wilderness. He offers a forward-looking assessment of what comes next for the Republican and Democratic parties, and he also addresses the potential rise of a third party within the void created by bipartisan extremism. Most important, Chafee sounds a wake-up call to his Party, and to all Americans, by challenging our government to strive, as Abraham Lincoln once articulated, “to elevate the condition of men.” About the AuthorLINCOLN CHAFEE served in the United States Senate as the Republican senator from Rhode Island from 1999 to 2007. Currently, he is working as a distinguished visiting fellow at Brown University, and he has been mentioned as a candidate for governor of Rhode Island in 2010. He lives in Rhode Island with his wife and three children. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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