Synopses & Reviews
An All-Access Pass to the Populist
Insurrection Brewing Across the Country
Job outsourcing. Perpetual busy signals at government agencies. Slashed paychecks. Stolen elections. A war without end, fatally mismanaged. Ordinary Americans on both the Right and Left are tired of being disenfranchised by corrupt politicians of both parties and are organizing to change the status quo. In his invigorating new book, David Sirota investigates whether this uprising can be transformed into a unified, lasting political movement.
Throughout the course of American history, uprisings like the one we are seeing now have given birth to powerful movements to end wars, protect workers, and expand civil rights, so the prospect of today's uprising turning into a full-fledged populist movement terrifies Wall Street and Washington. In The Uprising, Sirota takes us far from the national media spotlight into the trenches where real change is happening--from the headquarters of the most powerful third party in America to the bowels of the U.S. Senate; from the auditorium of an ExxonMobil shareholder meeting to the quasi-military staging area of a vigilante force on the Mexican border. This is vital, on-the-ground reporting that immerses us in the tumultuous give-and-take of politics at its most personal.
Sirota also offers a biting critique of our politics. He shows how the uprising is, at its core, a reaction to faux bipartisanship in the nation's capital--the bipartisanship whereby Republican and Democratic lawmakers join together in putting the agenda of corporate interests above all those of ordinary citizens.
Ultimately, Sirota reminds us that the Declaration of Independence,America's original uprising manifesto, says that governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed. Irreverent and insightful, The Uprising shows how the governed have stopped consenting and have started taking action.
From the Hardcover edition.
Synopsis
Job outsourcing. Slashed paychecks. A war without end, fatally mismanaged. Americans on both the Right and Left are tired of being disenfranchised by corrupt politicians and are organizing to change the status quo. In his invigorating new book, David Sirota investigates this uprising, taking us into the trenches where real change is happening—from the headquarters of the most powerful third party in America to an ExxonMobil shareholder meeting to the quasi-military staging area of a vigilante force on the Mexican border.
The Uprising is essential reading for anyone who wants to look beyond presidential politics at the new populism that is reshaping the American political landscape.
"Sirota reports cleverly and in pleasing detail about a complex world of political conflict."
–Washington Post
"Compelling…Rooted in history but as contemporary as this morning's newspaper, David Sirota gives us reason to hope."
–Thomas Frank, author of What's the Matter with Kansas?
"Audacious… Sirota has a true gift for phrase-making and the pithy comment." — The Providence Journal
“David Sirota is the most important progressive voice we have in this country."
–Matt Taibbi, national political correspondent for Rolling Stone
Synopsis
An all-access pass to the populist insurrection brewing across the country.
Job outsourcing. Slashed paychecks. A war without end, fatally mismanaged. Americans on both the Right and Left are tired of being disenfranchised by corrupt politicians and are organizing to change the status quo. In his invigorating new book, David Sirota investigates this uprising, taking us into the trenches where real change is happening-in the headquarters of the most powerful third party in America, at an ExxonMobil shareholder meeting, and on the quasi-military staging area of a vigilante force on the Mexican border.
The Uprising is essential reading for anyone who wants to look beyond presidential politics at the new populism that is reshaping the American political landscape.
About the Author
DAVID SIROTA is a political organizer and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His first book, Hostile Takeover, was a New York Times bestseller, and his column runs weekly in the Denver Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, and elsewhere. He lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Emily, and their dog, Monty.