"One Party Country proves once and for all that Republicans are simply better than Democrats at the basic blocking and tackling of politics. Anyone who wants to know why the GOP will win more than lose for the foreseeable future needs to read this book."<BR> &#8212; Jonathan Alter, Senior Editor at "Newsweek" and author of The "Defining Moment" <P> The Democrats have an easy road to victory, right? Not quite. This book pulls the curtain back on the Republicans' astonishingly effective efforts to keep that from happening. Despite poor polling for the Republicans, they are closer to making America a one-party country than most people imagine. One Party Country exposes the way Republicans have nearly completed their plan to: Make the most of redistricting, so that most congressional seats aren't really up for grabs Create software and databases the Democrats can only dream of&#8212; a huge advantage in turning out their base Make modern polling useless, since even the best polls can't measure the turnout advantage Turn big business into an arm of the party, from K Street to corporate boardrooms and sometimes onto the factory floor Stir up the religious right with one hand, while actually forwarding the competing agenda of their big donors with the other Create policies&#8212; like Iraq, Social Security privatization, and faith-based programs&#8212; that use the government's resources to tilt the electorate to the right and undermine the Democrats Neutralize the Democrats' traditional advantage with Hispanics, women, and African Americans Fill the courts with conservative judges ready to turn away challenges to this new order <P> This plan is not only audacious&#8212; it's working. Arethere any flaws in Karl Rove's strategy? Are Democrats fighting back? Do they even have a clue what's going on? Read this dramatic and provocative expos&#233; and find out.

"Despite the Bush Administration's current unpopularity, Hamburger and Wallsten contend, the Republican domination of American politics is unlikely to end anytime soon. In this astutely argued polemic, the authors note that political hegemony today has less to do with a party's popularity than it does with pinpoint marketing, judiciary packing and artful gerrymandering. Political mastermind Karl Rove is quoted as having remarked about the young George W. Bush: 'He was exuding more charisma that any one individual should be allowed to have.' Nevertheless, Rove has relied not upon Bush's charisma, but rather pro-industry regulation to build Republican war chests, careful selection of congressional candidates, and grassroots campaigning of the sort that used to be the province of Democrats. From lobbying to single-issue marketing to co-opting traditional Democratic constituencies (Hispanics, African Americans, Jews, immigrants), the authors find that the Republican machine appears to have identified and commodified every potential vote in the nation. Unfortunately, there's a crippling streak of self-defeatism underlying the text: the Republican agenda is portrayed as an invincible crushing force, and the book provides no view into the limits of Republican power. This convincing work certainly calls attention to the threat that the U.S. may soon be one red state nation under God, but for those who would sooner be dead than red, the authors offer little solace." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Most politicians win office intending to enact their pet policies for the short term. But as this provocative book reveals, the Bush administration' s primary governing focus is cementing GOP dominance for decades to come and eviscerating the Democrats' New Deal coalition. As one disgruntled former White House official put it, It' s the reign of the Mayberry Machiavellis. Guiding this quest is Karl Rove, a man who exercises unprecedented power as he marshals all branches of government in service of the ultimate goal. This book shows Rove manipulating the most obscure federal activities and reveals how his actions shape local races and help the GOP lure the Democrats' most loyal supporters: Jews, African Americans, and Latinos. The authors detail how Republicans have turned corporate America into a wing of the party, and how their audacious, carefully crafted plan may yet unravel in a swirl of scandal in the nation' s capital. One Party Country will be the definitive account of the most ambitious attempt to redraw America' s political map and transform the nature of government in nearly a century.

Peter Wallsten (Washington, DC) covers the White House for the Los Angeles Times. Tom Hamburger (Silver Spring, MD) is an investigative reporter who covers the White House and executive branch for the Los Angeles Times. Both authors have been interviewed about the Bush administration on CNN, Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC, and NPR.