Why We're Liberals A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America Hardback - 2008

Media reviews

'Alterman (What Liberal Media?), is an omnipresent columnist and blogger, proud to identify himself as a liberal but, he says, many others shy away from the word because it has been corrupted by conservative political activists. Because of the clever, dishonest conservative campaign to discredit liberal programs, far too many in the electorate dismiss liberal political candidates as unpatriotic, elitist, atheistic, free-sex, reverse-racist, murderous (a.k.a. pro-choice) wimps. Alterman labors mightily to erase the myths and bury the lies pushed by antagonists such as Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and others. The trouble is that defining liberalism is a difficult matter, which makes Alterman's polemic anything but laser-like. Another problem is that in attacking conservatives, Alterman falls into some of the traps he attributes to them, including name calling and over-generalizing. He is persuasive, however, when he turns the tables, demonstrating that conservatives are frequently as elitist and hypocritical as they claim liberals to be. Despite the presence of George W. Bush in the White House, Alterman claims opinion polls prove overwhelmingly that the majority of Americans prefer the liberal agenda. His hope, he says, is that his book will "open the way for Americans to get the government they repeatedly say they want."
Publisher's Weekly

'Alterman spends a lot of time clearing away the falsehoods spread by both right-wing and mainstream media figures, but the core of the book is a vigorous defense of liberalism as a credo a credo, Alterman argues persuasively, that most Americans actually subscribe to in its constituent parts. Acknowledging that liberalism is notoriously difficult to define, he nonetheless provides an extensive and nuanced analysis of its substance.'
ATLANTIC MONTHLY