The 2006 midterm elections may be the most hotly contested midterm election in decades, and the Democrats are hoping to win big.But they cant do it without a coherent strategy.Now, a much needed architect has arrived in Paul Waldman, as he gives progressives, at last, the clear-eyed, multi-facted plan they need for victory. Like conservatives since Barry Goldwaters defeat, he argues, progressives need to start planning for long-term success, and they need for starters, to come up with a way to describe their worldview in a single sentence. Offering a host of specific advice and recommendationshow Democratic candidates must be strong as well as right, and why Democrats should forget the South and embrace the Southwestthis book may well be the landmark game plan for progressives that "The Emerging Republican Majority was for the Goldwater/Reagan Republicans.

"A senior fellow at Media Matters for America and the former associate director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, Waldman briefly indulges in matter-of-fact self-blame while lauding the Right for its hard work and cheering on future Democratic activism in this well-sourced, partisan blueprint for undoing Republican control of the nation. Let's 'inaugurate the age of the progressive warrior,' Waldman (Fraud: The Strategy Behind the Bush Lies and Why the Media Didn't Tell You) trumpets, proposing that Democrats take a cue from their opponents in order to do so. He maps out a rhetorical strategy, a 'thematically unified master narrative' in answer to the 'four pillars of conservatism': low taxes, small government, strong defense and traditional social values. 'We're all in it together' is Waldman's progressive answer, a maxim that encompasses five principles: 'government that works for everyone, opportunity for everyone, security for everyone, individual freedom for everyone, progress for everyone.' Under each principle one can fit any topical issue (e.g., corporate accountability), Waldman explains. He details more grounded, if less conventional, strategies as well: attract moderate voters to the Democratic Party by attacking moderate Republican politicians instead of radical conservatives, and focus on the Southwest instead of the South. Daunted progressives may take heart in Waldman's pragmatic if untested ideas." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Waldman's book is terrific– good sense mustered with evidence, well argued, and sharply written to boot. I agree fervently with almost everything he writes. This is the indispensable book for the 2006 elections."

— Todd Gitlin, author of "The Sixties and The Twilight of Common Dreams"

"A well-sourced, partisan blueprint for undoing Republican control of the nation."

— "Publishers Weekly"

"Here's the ticket for Democrats to get back in power: read this book, understand what it means to be a true American progressive, expose conservatives as the mean elitists they are, get tough, and fight back. Nobody paints the strengths of progressives and the weaknesses of conservatives like Paul Waldman."

— Bill Press, author "How the Republicans Stole Christmas"

"With clarity and passion, Paul Waldman demonstrates persuasively that the forces of the right have not 'taken over the country, ' as the media often lazily put it. They've only taken over politics. That can be reversed, and Waldman shows exactly how."

— Michael Tomasky, Editor, the "American Prospect"