Made In Texas: George W. Bush And The Southern Takeover Of American Politics - Softcover

Lind, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0465041221 ISBN 13: 9780465041220

Publisher: Basic Books, 2004

Synopsis

Everyone knows that President George W. Bush is from Texas. But few of us know the role his home state plays in his presidency, and in our country. In this dual biography of man and state, Michael Lind confronts the chief crises of Bush's presidency-the economy, the Middle East, and religious fundamentalism-and traces their roots back to Texas, a state, Lind argues, that yields salient clues to the future course of our country. Lind, an iconoclastic and brilliant political observer, provides a scathing exposé of the political and cultural legacy of Texas, which tells us all we need to know-and fear-about George W. Bush.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Lind is a Senior Fellow of the New America Foundation. His three previous books of political journalism and history, The Next American Nation (1995), Up from Conservatism (1996), and Vietnam (1999), were each selected as New York Times Notable Books. He lives in Washington, D.C.

From Publishers Weekly:

Lind (The Radical Center: The Future of American Politics) delves deep into the heart of George W. Bush's Texas, and what he finds may give moderates pause and send liberals scurrying. According to Lind (a fifth-generation Texan), the politics of West Texas are steeped in racism, environmental exploitation, jingoistic militarism, crony capitalism, an anti-public education bias and a fundamentalist evangelicalism inconsistent with the separation of church and state. About President Bush's relation to these beliefs, Lind in part merely implies it by association, saying, "Cultural geography is of little use in analyzing the personalities of politicians-but it is indispensable in understanding their politics." However, Lind argues, with considerable verve, that the constellation of political beliefs embodying Bush-style politics is designed to exploit the nation's natural and human resources for the benefit of a powerful oligarchy. According to Lind, Bush's election translates to the "capture... of the vast power of the federal apparatus by Southern reactionaries...." and is "a threat to the peace and well-being not only of America but of the world." Stopping the threat, for Lind, does not necessarily mean reelecting Democrats, although unseating Bush would be a first step. Provocative as his examination may seem to some, Lind's hyperbolic tone is comparable to that of the most incendiary talk-show host. And his ultimate solution is strange and radical. Lind suggests that the federal government encourage a portion of the American population to relocate away from crowded, nonwhite, poor urban centers to the currently depopulated western plains to create a "decentralist utopia." Well, perhaps.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0465041221
• ISBN 13: 9780465041220
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224