Crashing the Gate

Customer Reviews

• Breath of Fresh Air   Mar 10, 2006 (201 of 210 found this helpful)

  It's a great look behind the curtains of Democratic politics. It's not so much about the Republican problems - or at least that material is covered in so many books these days - but it details the peculiar weaknesses of the Democrats. I wish there were a few more details about how to cure these ills, but they are pretty obvious: more shoe leather, more Internet fund raising, etc.
  
  Great for those who are "inside-politics" junkies, as well as those who aspire to be part of the netroots and the next wave of political power.

• It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...  Mar 10, 2006 (191 of 200 found this helpful)

  But after reading this outstanding evaluation of what ailes the Democratic Party, it is pretty hard to see what was so good about the last 30 years.
  
  The authors do a very good job of laying out exactly what is wrong with the Party. My anger over the leaches pulling the Party down grew as I turned each page.
  
  I am even more dtermined than ever and plan to redouble my efforts to reform this party.
  
  The only drawback to the book is the almost complete lack of any discussion of solutions. These were peppered throughout the book as a contrast to the very real bad things going on in the party. Perhaps the authors would consider allowing several movers and shakers who are accomplishing things out there in the hinterland to add a chapter or two in the second edition to give us some sort of blueprint of how things get done.

• An important book for the left  Mar 10, 2006 (176 of 184 found this helpful)

  My copy of Crashing the Gate arrived on a Saturday afternoon. I picked it up late that night and found it hard to put down - and ended up staying up till 5AM.
  
  Other reviews have pretty well laid out the topics covered. I'd add that the historical information on the Conservative movement and the rise of left wing netroots via the Dean Campaign was interesting, a lot of it I knew, but a lot of it I didn't.
  
  The strongest portion of the book (which I went back and read a second time) was the section on Media consultants and their roll in the failure of Democratic politics. Not because it tells us who to blame, but how we might do better. The thing that hit home for me is that the Republicans have a huge advantage over us in advertising because they have figured out that a political ad that pulls on emotional strings is much more effective than trying to layout a policy position or quote statistics. I think Jerome and Markos nailed that.

• Worth the read, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, Independents this is for you  Mar 10, 2006 (160 of 167 found this helpful)

  Even though the book is targeted toward Democratic party folks, all 3rd parties and activists who come from every point on the political spectrum can feed off this book equally. Crashing the Gate champions outsiders, grassroots efforts, common sense, and a model of a true Democratic Republic that the Bush Republicans have trashed in favor of a Unitarian Executive that uses Congress and our Elections Process as footstools. Crashing the Gate will make you cry, make you think, and then get you motivated to remove the D.C. insiders that are cashing in on politics at the expense of our freedoms!

• Entertaining and enlightening  Mar 10, 2006 (172 of 181 found this helpful)

  I will admit that I am a partisan and have been a member of the DailyKos website since its inception. However, I have not always agreed with Kos and was somewhat skeptical about the fact that he was writing a book. It looked to me like maybe he and Jerome were trying to cash in on the popularity of their blogs. Nonetheless, I supported their efforts and bought a copy of the book. I took it with me on the subway to read for the last week or so, figuring that if it were a huge waste of time, no big loss.
  
  So I was hugely and pleasantly suprised to see not only that it covers a lot of new ground, but also that it was a fast, entertaining, and enlightening read. I was particularly intrigued by their discussion of the Republicans' lead over the Democrats in data mining and in other structural issues relating to campaigning. I also liked their concise coverage of the history of the netroots over the last couple of years. Although I have had personal involvement in this, I have not had the opportunity or the inclination to sit back and think about the trajectory of this mini-revolution.
  
  Bottom line: I would strongly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in either political blogging or the history and future of the Democratic party. If you are not interested in either politics or blogging, do not bother.