The first look at the lessons learned from the 2004 election, and an opening salvo from leading American thinkers, writers, and activists on how citizens can begin to deliver U.S. politics from fear and fundamentalism. Millions of Americans were shocked by George W. Bush?s victory in the 2004 election. How could a majority of voters support a president with such a dismal and dangerous track record? The answer is clear for Democrats and progressives: It is time for new thinking and an end to our politics as usual.

Start Making Sense brings together the best progressive thinkers, critics, and organizers to explain what went wrong and how we can build a new Democratic Party that best represents and communicates our values and vision for America. It offers new ways to think about organizing, communicating, and investing in the structures and resources required for a truly democratic grassroots movement. This book also outlines a variety of innovative solutions for reaching out to voters who value hope and tolerance over fear.

Contributors include Howard Dean, Arianna Huffington, George Lakoff, Jim Hightower, Van Jones, Amy Goodman, Barbara Ehrenreich, Thomas Frank, Andy Stern, Wes Boyd and other leading progressive activists, thinkers, and writers.

Billing this collection as a stocktaking for progressives on what went wrong in the 2004 presidential election and the political direction needed for addressing progressive weakness, Hazen and Chaudhry (respectively the executive and senior editors of AlterNet, the political website) present 42 interviews with and articles from figures such as Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, anti-war activist Naomi Klein, MoveOn.org founder Wes Boyd, and left commentator Jim Hightower. Collectively, the articles assess the election, dissect the success of the American right with, discuss issues such as the war in Iraq and the possibilities of promoting economic populism, and consider emerging forms of progressive political action.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The first look at the lessons learned from the 2004 election, and an opening salvo from leading American thinkers, writers, and activists on how citizens can begin to deliver U.S. politics from fear and fundamentalism. Start Making Sense brings together the best progressive thinkers, critics, and organizers to explain what went wrong and how we can build a new Democratic Party that best represents and communicates our values and vision for America. It offers new ways to think about organizing, communicating, and investing in the structures and resources required for a truly democratic grassroots movement. This book also outlines a variety of innovative solutions for reaching out to voters who value hope and tolerance over fear.

Don Hazen is the executive director of the Independent Media Institute and the executive editor of AlterNet. The former publisher of Mother Jones magazine, he has edited several books, most recently After 9/11: Solutions for a Saner World.

Lakshmi Chaudhry is a senior editor at AlterNet. Previously a staff writer at Wired News, she has written for various publications including Mother Jones, The Village Voice, Bitch, and Ms. Magazine. She is coauthor of AlterNet?s book, The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq.

AlterNet is a highly acclaimed Internet information source. Since its inception in 1998, it has grown dramatically and now provides free online content to over 1.5 million readers every month. AlterNet is a project of the Independent Media Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening and supporting independent and alternative journalism.