Synopses & Reviews
Like a newly discovered treasure map offering a path to buried riches,
Foxes in the Henhouse is a hard-hitting political blueprint for how the Democrats can win again in the South and rural America. The authors document the Republicans' rise in the South and Midwest, expose the hypocrisy that marked their ascent, and offer a take-no-prisoners plan to kick them out.
The authors know of what they speak. "Rural strategists" Steve Jarding and Dave "Mudcat" Saunders are famous for securing Democratic victories in places they shouldn't have -- most notably in Mark Warner's successful run for governor of Virginia, a campaign that wasn't afraid to use bluegrass concerts and NASCAR to get the message out.
When George W. Bush swept the South clean in 2004, it was the final insult to Jarding and Saunders, two self-proclaimed "bubbas" on a mission to convince their fellow southerners and rural Americans that the GOP's claim of representing "values," patriotism, the sportsmen, and fiscal conservatism is a disastrous farce. In addition to exposing the lies behind the gradual Republican invasion of the hinterland that began in the 1960s, they offer some surprisingly simple strategies for Democrats to capture each of these issues. Among other things, Jarding and Saunders urge Democrats to
Quit turning their noses up at the culture of rural America and talk to people where they live
Learn how to count when going after votes
Show some passion and retaliate when Republicans assassinate their characters
Packed with meticulous and shocking research findings; blunt, laugh-out-loud language; and merciless assaults on George W. Bush, Tom DeLay, Bill O'Reilly, and plenty of other right-wing charlatans, Foxes in the Henhouse is a must-read and will be one of the most talked-about books of the year and for election cycles to come.
Review
"There has been plenty of ink spilled about the problems Democrats have at winning elections, but if step 1 on the road to recovery was identifying 'what's the matter,' step 2 is identifying a solution. Jarding and Saunders outline a very persuasive blueprint that's already proven successful."
-- Chuck Todd, National Journal
Review
"If Democrats are brain-dead, the surgeons are here. Steve and Mudcat show how their party could again be something Andy Jackson would recognize -- a party of the people. If Democrats don't start listening to these guys, they should move to Canada."
-- Craig Crawford, Congressional Quarterly and author of Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media
Review
"Steve and Mudcat know the South and rural America and they show they know how to connect to it. Their interest and their commitment to rural communities is smart and good politics. It is also personal -- they both come from rural America."
-- Virginia governor Mark Warner
Review
"I am not sure the Democrats are the solution, but I do know that the Republicans are a problem. This is one hell of a book. I like angry, especially when it knows its target. And this one is dead-on. No one is spared. It's an eye-opener. Both sides should read it and weep."
-- Lewis Black
Review
"The message from
Foxes in the Henhouse is one that must be heard again and again by a lot of Democrats, who do not understand it and have forgotten the importance of reaching out to all voters, of showing passion, of taking stands, of establishing political turf, and of building grassroots organization."
-- Former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis
Synopsis
From the originators of the "NASCAR Democrats" comes a hard-hitting account of the Republicans' rise in the South and Midwest, an expos of the hypocrisy that marked their ascent, and a take-no-prisoners plan to kick them out.