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Steven Stoft

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How Democrats Win: Resisting the Dark Side of Radicalism Kindle Edition

by Steven Stoft (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 18 ratings

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“Whatever you’ve done so far is not enough.” So warned President Obama even with Biden at his peak in June. How can the Democrats possibly be struggling against such a vulgar charlatan as Trump?

In How Democrats Win: Resisting the Dark-Side of Radicalism, Steven Stoft, a 1960s Berkeley radical, shows how the Party’s left fringe is undermining and weakening the Democrats now just as it did then. But first, he reviews how Democrats won in 2018 by ignoring today’s radicals as they struck out — flipping not a single one of the 43 House seats that the mainstream Democrats flipped from red to blue.

Why listen to a voice from the 1960s? Because that’s where the millennials get their radicalism — from Bernie Sanders, his intellectual surrogate, Robert Reich, and even Elizabeth Warren.

Stoft has their number. He was at the epicenter. But even then, while getting arrested for demonstrating and for supporting the Black Panthers, as a math and physics student, he turned a skeptical eye on the radical movement. Later, while earning a PhD in economics, he helped start Berkeley Citizens Action, a progressive group like Sanders’ Vermont Progressive Coalition.

“One thing I worry about among progressives,” said Obama, is that “you start shooting at your allies because one of them has strayed from purity…” This is exactly what — even before Obama’s 2008 election — Stoft foresaw would happen to Obama himself. He still knows his radicals. And sure enough, by 2011 Bernie Sanders was plotting to challenge Obama for the presidency in 2012.

Watching the Democrats rip themselves apart once again drove him to look into who was really doing the shooting and what they were up to. As it turned out, most of the progressives (aka democratic socialists) had actually adopted FDR — the patron saint of mainstream Democrats — as their hero. Their goals have converged. The problem then is mainly tactical.

And that’s where dark-side radicals enter the picture. They advocate some kind of “revolution,” as the quickest way to make progress. But why call such naive optimism “dark”?

A single mistake in their moralistic thinking brings out the dark side of radicalism. Since they believe rapid change is easily possible for the party in power, whenever the Democrats fail to achieve radical miracles, the radicals assume they must have bad intentions — the Democratic Party is evil. Why else would they fail to end poverty, war, and injustice (as they called for in the ‘60s) right now?

This conclusion, that their opponents are evil, is embodied in their purity tests but even more perniciously, in their myths. How Democrats Win refutes a number of these myths in some detail:

No, Joe Biden and Bill Clinton were not racists.
No, FDR was not a democratic socialist. He hated socialism.
No, Obama didn’t give drug companies taxpayer money to get campaign contributions.

When progressives “start shooting at their allies,” Obama concluded that it weakens the movement. On top of that, the radicals also strengthen Trump’s base with their radical slogans — defund the police, abolish ICE, looting is reparations. Stoft tracks these down, and finds yet another far-left myth — the myth of the “Overton window.”

To win again, the Democrats need unity. The best hope for that is recognizing that nearly all of us have common goals that reflect FDR’s and MLK’s visions. This is not just the best, but the only book you will find that documents this clearly and with sympathy for both sides.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Stoft has provided an incisive, highly-readable roadmap for Democratic success--one that upends the self-destructive myths. A must-read for those who are serious about preserving our Democracy. --John Ballard, recipient along with others, Congressional Gold Medal; author of African-American Consciousness, introduction by Nelson Mandela

How Democrats Win shows exactly how internal polarization harms our candidates and our party, and why understanding this will help us win. Read this book before it's too late. --Ying Lee Kelley, former legislative aide to Rep. Ron Dellums, founder of the Congressional Black Caucus

"A specter haunts the nation--a November Trumpocalypse. The democratic socialists' disdain for Democrats is again aiding Trump. But Stoft reveals that Sanders' program of regulation and redistribution reflects two 'billionaire' establishment Democrats--FDR and LBJ. Only the radical's dark side of purity and revolutionary rigidity polarizes the party. And Stoft shows how we win--by resisting that dark side." --John Shelton Lawrence, coauthor of The Myth of the American Superhero and Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil

From the Author

How Democrats Win, is a short version of Ripped Apart that focuses on current developments. It's a quick read while Ripped Apart covers many more topics. This book stays up to date with small frequent additions.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08BYF9HT4
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 27, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2235 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 170 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,307,524 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #806 in Radical Thought
- #843 in Political Parties (Kindle Store)
- #1,452 in Radical Political Thought

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John the Painter

Possibly the most important bool you can read with the upcoming election facing us.

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2020

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Well, I wrote two long views and they disappeared--I went back to check on the price ($4.95 or $1.99 on Kindle) and lost one. The other disappeared evidently because I didn't check the stars. So all I can say now is that I regard this book as extremely important, well researched and effectively argued, possibly the most important book of our time. I underlined things--often many--on every page. There are a number of important books about Trump and the Republicans. What makes this one so indispensable is that it spells out what liberal Democrats must do to win the upcoming election, namely, differentiating ourselves from radicals, not on the basis of our ideas for social change so much as how to achieve it. He makes the case that radicals never win and don't even care to win if they must compromise. Baron von Bismarck wrote that "Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable, the second best." It's an idea that is largely rejected in the divided country, but it's the essence of Democracy and, without mentioning his name, Steven Stoft argues for it, observing that radicals attack the liberals, rather than the Republicans, because they feel that they are both part of a corrupt system. He gives many examples of this (and shows that even in cases where ti appears that radicals have been responsible for the changes, the evidence shows otherwise). So they don't win, and they even often prevent liberals from winning. It's important then, if possible, to convince them to give up their purist position, their feeling that they are right and everyone knows they are, but won't admit it, and engage in politics that are the essence of Democracy and how things get done (and he has many examples of those liberal accomplishments). Worse, while the Republicans have embarked on a program of convincing the public that they are in grave danger from all of the demonstrations and riots, the murder and crime, and that, like him or not, only Trump can protect them, radical violence, tearing down statues (rather they retiring them to a museum, as Biden advocates) and smashing and burning cars and businesses (whether they are from the extreme right or left) are in essence working for Trump. He should pay them a salary. To win, Democrats must convince the public that they share some basic values with the right and the left, while radicals wait for the revolution (which, if it didn't happen during the Great Depression, won't happen now). And polls show that the public does agree with many liberal positions--but they also want protection, and many worry that the people of color are getting too much attention and monetary support while they are being overlooked. Given the nature the radicalism, this won't be easy. I know of a young radical whom I have been unable to convince to vote for Biden, which she thinks would compromise her values. But other Bernie follows are raising money to support Biden despite fighting against him in the primary. So we'll see. Stoft offers to send people who buy the book (and who write to him) two copies for friends who might be won over. A great, generous idea.

4 people found this helpful

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John S. Lawrence

How to wage politics in helping Biden beat Trump

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2020

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During 2019’s Democratic primaries, Senator Cory Booker tagged Joe Biden as “the architect of mass incarceration”--one of many hostile digs at the 1994 Crime Bill. In the post-George Floyd climate the accusation seems even more damning. Was Booker off base? A compelling side of Stoft’s book is the patient exploration of such claims, which are widely disseminated by prominent writers Michele Alexander, Ta-Nehesi Coats, and others. It’s true that Black liberal Ron Dellums (Stoft once assisted his legislative aide as a campaign worker) voted against the Bill. However in Chapter 8, “The Crime Bill Myth vs. Black Opinion,” we learn that 23 Congressional Black Caucus members voted FOR Pub.L. 103–322. Yes, Biden voted for it as did John Dingell, Kwesei Mfumi, James Clyburn, Bernie Sanders, Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, as well as did the Senate’s only Black member Carol Mosely-Braun.

This example ties to Stoft’s major theme-- “dark side thinking,” or the Progressive tendency to attack potential allies while ignoring both history and context. 1994 was a time of crack cocaine-fueled violence in cities; community leaders of all colors were desperate for solutions. Don’t their views then matter?

Will Progressives ignore the past again? Looking back to election 2016, 25% of Bernie’s primary voters expressed their disdain for the liberal center in the general by not voting for Clinton, some 12% going to Trump. Looking forward to 2020’s election, the Socialist Workers Party (USA), has pointedly announced its decision NOT to support Biden, even after Trump’s numerous meltdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. Other self-destructive tendencies identified by Stoft include rejecting compromise (an obstacle to “Real Revolution”) and applying purity tests. He cites as counterexamples the liberal, compromising achievements of FDR and LBJ who were (inflation-adjusted) “billionaire politicians” of their eras. They felt empathy toward average citizens and pursued goals of income equity, civil rights, and wider access to health care. Those are all goals, partially realized in their era, that Progressives advocate.

This book is filled with insightful exposition regarding labels such as Liberal, Progressive and the limited effectiveness of authoritarian power and violent counteraction. The book makes a good companion to Stoft’s earlier Ripped Apart: How Democrats Can Fight Polarization to Win , Rick Wilson’s Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America B07S3QK27K , a feisty Republican take on the Republican disaster on their hands and how to avoid distraction in discrediting him. I bought five copies of How Democrats Win to distribute among the Little Free Libraries in our neighborhood. I invite you to do the same.

4 people found this helpful

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Henry

An incisive highly readable, indispensable guide to victory in the fall.

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2020

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Stoft has provided an incisive, highly readable guide to How Democrats Win— and how they could lose if they fail to understand the self-destructive nature of the myths unknowingly perpetuated by a few on the extreme left. These myths that Stoft deftly exposes place a stranglehold on Democrats and serve only to divide the party - providing ample fodder for Trump’s messianic campaign.
Stoft shows that the two ends of the democratic spectrum - from moderate mainstream to ultra liberal and radical left - are much closer than they believe. This book provides a clear blueprint for immediately resolving radical and mainstream antagonisms - a must in this election year in order to save our democracy. The time for party unity is now.

One person found this helpful

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Carl F.

A timely call to make real change by rejecting extremism

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2020

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Once again, Stoft provides a compelling argument for strengthening democracy (and winning the election) by thoughtfully engaging, rather than self-righteously rejecting, voters. He demonstrates that in a democracy, real change happens incrementally through the hard work of broad coalitions and warns that embracing extremism will not only undermine progress but more immediately, will imperil the election. This concise read benefits from the careful research that contributed to his earlier book, "Ripped Apart", and has been updated to reflect the current divisive political landscape. It examines many of the fallacies that are used to discount the achievements and undermine the efforts of liberals and provides recommendations for how responsible voters can help to win the election and contribute to meaningful change.

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How Democrats Win: Resisting the Dark Side of Radicalism Kindle Edition

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