Other Great Resources for This Event
When you engage with The Connecticut Forum we want you to become immersed in event subject matter. We want you to benefit from the experience. To help in that process we're providing you with a series of resources in the form of bios, books, websites and articles that will help you to understand the perspectives of our panelists and popular opinions in the U.S. and around the world. Enjoy!
Howard Dean
Walter Isaacson
Tony Blankley
Katty Kay
Books of Interest
Websites of Interest
Howard Dean
Winning Back America
by Howard Dean
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st Simon edition (December 3, 2003)
ISBN: 0743255712
From Publishers Weekly:
"I talk as simply and directly to people as possible," claims Dean, and though his official campaign biography-cum-manifesto is notable for its plainspokenness, it mostly lacks the passionate forcefulness the front-running Democratic candidate has shown on the campaign trail. The toning down appears deliberate; not only does Dean apologize for intemperate remarks, he goes out of his way to describe himself as a nonradical during his late '60s college years and compares his fiscal outlook to that of his "moderate business-oriented Republican" father. (He also has kind words for President Bush and his family, though he turns critical on the subject of the president's aides.) The account of his childhood and college years is bland, the result of downplaying his family's wealth. A feeling of enthusiasm doesn't set in until his decision to enroll in medical school, perhaps because this is also the period when he met his wife. Dean's flat facade also cracks in passages recalling the circumstances of his older brother's capture (and probable execution) by the Pathet Lao in Laos in 1974. Obliquely touching on the emotional effects of this trauma on his family, Dean also discusses how it has increased his reluctance to send American soldiers into combat and put their families through the same process. The final sections of the book veer away from the personal to the political, and much of its rhetoric will be instantly recognizable to anyone who's seen a Dean stump speech, possibly frustrating those who want to learn more deeply about the man and what he stands for.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
You Have the Power : How to Take Back Our Country and Restore Democracy in America
by Howard Dean
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 27, 2004)
ISBN: 0743270134
Howard Dean In His Own Words
by Lisa Rogak
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (November 22, 2003)
ISBN: 0312330731
Book Description from Amazon.com:
Howard Dean In His Own Words clearly states the governor's opinions on over 100 issues, from the military to the environment to education. A valuable primer for the politically curious to the most ardent Dean blogger, Howard Dean In His Own Words captures the voice and intellect of one of America's most fascinating political figures.
Democracy for America
Governor Howard Dean, M.D., Founder & Honorary Chair
Inspired by the presidential campaign of Howard Dean, Democracy for America (DFA) is a political action committee dedicated to supporting fiscally conservative, socially progressive candidates at all levels of government—from school board to the presidency. DFA fights against the influence of the far right-wing and their radical, divisive policies and the selfish special interests that for too long have dominated our politics.
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/
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Walter Isaacson
Benjamin Franklin : An American Life
by Walter Isaacson
Hardcover: 608 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; (July 1, 2003)
ISBN: 0684807610
From Amazon.com:
Benjamin Franklin, writes journalist and biographer Walter Isaacson, was that rare Founding Father who would sooner wink at a passer-by than sit still for a formal portrait. What's more, Isaacson relates in this fluent and entertaining biography, the revolutionary leader represents a political tradition that has been all but forgotten today, one that prizes pragmatism over moralism, religious tolerance over fundamentalist rigidity, and social mobility over class privilege. That broadly democratic sensibility allowed Franklin his contradictions, as Isaacson shows. Though a man of lofty principles, Franklin wasn't shy of using sex to sell the newspapers he edited and published; though far from frivolous, he liked his toys and his mortal pleasures; and though he sometimes gave off a simpleton image, he was a shrewd and even crafty politician. Isaacson doesn't shy from enumerating Franklin’s occasional peccadilloes and shortcomings, in keeping with the iconoclastic nature of our time--none of which, however, stops him from considering Benjamin Franklin "the most accomplished American of his age," and one of the most admirable of any era. And here’s one bit of proof: as a young man, Ben Franklin regularly went without food in order to buy books. His example, as always, is a good one--and this is just the book to buy with the proceeds from the grocery budget. --Gregory McNamee
A Benjamin Franklin Reader
by Walter Isaacson
Hardcover: 576 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 30, 2003)
ISBN: 0743257820
From Amazon.com:
Selected and annotated by the author of the acclaimed Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, this collection of Franklin's writings shows why he was the bestselling author of his day and remains America's favorite Founder and wit.
This book collects dozens of Franklin's delightful essays and letters, along with a complete version of his Autobiography. It includes an introductory essay exploring Franklin's life and impact as a writer, and each piece is accompanied by a preface and notes that provide background, context, and analysis. Through the writings and the introductory essays, the reader can trace the development of Franklin's thinking, along with the birth of the nation he and his pen helped to invent.
Kissinger
by Walter Isaacson
Paperback: 896 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reissue edition (October 1, 1993)
ISBN: 0671872362
From Publishers Weekly:
The fullest account of Kissinger's life and career to date, other than his memoirs, this spooky, engrossing portrait--a BOMC main selection in cloth--provides plenty of ammunition for the former Secretary of State's supporters and detractors both.
The Wise Men : Six Friends and the World They Made
by Walter Isaacson
Paperback: 864 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reissue edition (June 4, 1997)
ISBN: 0684837714
From Library Journal:
The authors, Time editors, chronicle the activities of six gifted friends: Dean Acheson, Charles E. Bohlen, W. Averell Harriman, George Kennan, Robert Lovett, and John J. McCloy who were instrumental in developing U.S. diplomacy from the 1930s to the Vietnam War. Nurtured in the innocent internationalism of Woodrow Wilson, they applied their Ivy League educations to a variety of crises. Their successes outweighed their failures, and their service promoted the values of free trade, democratic capitalism, international cooperation, and pragmatism. Their lives provide a history of America's policy-making elite. But elitism breeds insularity, and the shift away from great wars between industrialized nations and toward small unit actions in wars of national liberation was not recognized by these men. Though superbly written, this book's primary value is anecdotal. James L . Jablonowski, History Dept., Marquette Univ., Milwaukee
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Time, July 5, 2004 p62
God Of Our Fathers: Jefferson's spiritual beliefs were vague, but one thing is clear: he wanted to keep religion and politics separate
by Walter Isaacson.
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Tony Blankley
Washington Times Online; Most recent articles
Currently the editor of the editorial page of The Washington Times, Tony Blankley contributes columns on a regular basis.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/tonyblankley/archive.shtml...
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Katty Kay
BBC News and BBC America
Katty Kay is BBC News correspondent, based in Washington, D.C. Articles written by Ms. Kay can be located by searching these websites.
http://news.bbc.co.uk
http://www.bbcamerica.com/
BBC World: Katty Kay Biography
http://www.bbcworld.com/content/template_clickpage.asp?pageid=2577
The Times, April 25, 2002 p18(1)
America's women 'cannot have it all'. (Karen Hughes resignation)
by Katty Kay.
Abstract: Karen Hughes, an adviser to President Bush and the most powerful woman in the White House, has resigned in order to spend more time with her family. The resignation has reignited the issue in the media of women wanting both children and careers.
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Books of Interest
Party of the People : A History of the Democrats
by Jules Witcover
Hardcover: 848 pages
Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (November 4, 2003)
ISBN: 0375507426
From Amazon.com
Given the Democratic Party's fundamental role in shaping the United States, a history of the Democrats, "the world's oldest existing party," demands a virtual history of American government. In Jules Witcover's massive Party of the People: A History of the Democrats he attempts to capture the party's long evolution in a single volume. Though Witcover is sometimes burdened by the need to condense complex political events into textbook summaries, the book is authoritative and often useful as a first resource for political history…. --Patrick O'Kelley
Grand Old Party : A History of the Republicans
by Lewis Gould
Hardcover: 624 pages
Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (November 4, 2003)
ISBN: 0375507418
From Publishers Weekly
Just in time for the Republican Party's 150th anniversary next year, Gould, professor emeritus of American history at the University of Texas at Austin, nimbly portrays the almost 180-degree shifts in GOP policy through the decades, making it possible to understand how the Republican platform of 2000 could so closely mirror the Democrats' platform of a century ago. Although the book gives serious weight to issues such as race, especially in shaping the party's antebellum origins, greater emphasis is placed on personalities, especially those of the presidents. Gould offers reappraisals of minor presidents, such as Taft ("more interesting... than his critics at the time realized") and Coolidge (not "the precursor of supply-side economics as depicted by some Republicans in the 1980s"). But the account comes to life more effectively the closer it gets to the present, especially when considering Ronald Reagan, whom Gould considers so strong a conservative influence that he obliterated any recollection of moderation in the party's past. The closing chapters help put the present ideological tenacity of congressional Republicans, beginning with the backlash against the rejection of Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork, in historical context. It's very instructive to see how recent figures such as Newt Gingrich stand in relation to their predecessors-and how the current administration both shares and rejects the party's historical principles. 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Misunderestimated: The President Battles Terrorism, John Kerry, and the Bush Haters
by Bill Sammon
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Harpercollins; (May 11, 2004)
ISBN: 0060723831
Book Description from Amazon.com:
A riveting portrait of President Bush as he broadens the war on terror overseas -- and plunges into high-stakes political battles at home "They misunderestimated me," George W. Bush famously remarked on the eve of his historic presidency. Fractured syntax aside, Bush was right: his detractors misunderstood his appeal to the American public, and underestimated his considerable political skills. In this compelling new book, Bill Sammon reveals how the president is turning these misperceptions to his advantage in the looming showdown with John Kerry and the Bush haters.
Off with Their Heads : Traitors, Crooks & Obstructionists in American Politics, Media & Business
by Dick Morris
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Regan Books; 1st edition (June 17, 2003)
ISBN: 0060559284
From Amazon.com:
Dick Morris is on a tirade in Off With Their Heads--and that’s good news. For as an experienced political consultant who has worked with both Democrats and Republicans at the highest levels of government, he knows what he’s talking about. As a result, there is much to learn from this detailed book, regardless of whether one may agree with his conclusions. Morris begins by railing against the established news media for showing blatant liberal bias and for irresponsibly undermining the war on terror as the Bush administration is waging it. With good reason, as he illustrates in many examples, he advises citizens to rely on a wider variety of sources for information and to approach the media in general with far more skepticism. (Presumably this includes his current employer, the Fox News Channel.)….. Morris does not accuse his opponents of treason or even a lack of patriotism, only of being wrong and misguided. He is aggressive without being vicious and he backs up every claim he makes--two things that put him ahead of most other political analysts in the media (in addition to his work on Fox News, he is also a columnist for the New York Post. A well-informed and thoughtfully argued book delivered with force. --Shawn Carkonen
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Websites of Interest
Knowing it by heart : Americans consider the Constitution and its meaning
A national survey of public attitudes on the Constitution conducted by Public Agenda for the National Constitution Center and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Includes very interesting graphs and pie charts.
http://www.publicagenda.org/specials/constitution/constitution.htm
Democracy.net
Election information from the League of Women Voters, including candidates and the issues. Dnet is an interactive platform designed to improve the quality of voter information and create a more educated and engaged electorate.
http://www.dnet.org
U.S. Electoral College
Current and historical information on the electoral college. Includes results, procedures, FAQs and more.
http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/
The Center for Responsive Politics
The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy. The Center conducts computer-based research on campaign finance issues for the news media, academics, activists, and the public at large. The Center’s work is aimed at creating a more educated voter, an involved citizenry, and a more responsive government.
http://www.crp.org
The Center for Public Integrity; Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest
The Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization that conducts investigative research and reporting on public policy issues in the United States and around the world. The Center was founded in 1989 by Charles Lewis following a successful 11-year career in network television news. Through thorough, thoughtful and objective analyses, the Center hopes to serve as an honest broker of information – and to inspire a better-informed citizenry to demand a higher level of accountability from its government and elected leaders
http://www.publicintegrity.org
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This resource information has been prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.