Reviews for Trainwreck: The End of the Conservative Revolution (and Not a Moment Too Soon)

The average rating for Trainwreck: The End of the Conservative Revolution (and Not a Moment Too Soon) based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-08-25 00:00:00 Angie Myers A glorious and eloquent rant with bite and substance This is a book that in sharp language recalls the history of the conservative failure. "It began with Robert Taft... It was fueled by the intellectual fervor of Russell Kirk and William F. Buckley Jr. It picked up steam and political power with Barry Goldwater. It peaked in influence with Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich. It crashed and burned with George W. Bush." (p. 1) Bill Press adds near the end of the book: "For the last forty years, conservatives have dominated the political debate. And for most of that time, conservatives have held key positions of power." (p. 227) Nonetheless it may seem a bit premature to announce the end of the conservative revolution that begin, as Press has it, with Senator Robert Taft in opposition to FDR's New Deal; however I think there is an overriding reason having more to do with science, technology and globalization than it has to do with politics, for believing that Bill Press is right. Most people, especially people who might be called "the salt of the earth" tend to the conservative. This is evident in small town life, in the boardrooms of giant corporations and in the small business community. The reason for this is simple: these people have adjusted to their environment. Consequently any change can be threatening to them. In fact it has been argued that there is a genetic component to being conservative that affects a certain significant portion of the population. Perhaps that number is similar to the percentage of people who still support George W. Bush even after what he has done to this country. In other words probably about 25% of the population can be described as "congenital conservatives." That's a nice starting base, certainly larger than the perhaps five to ten percent who could be called DNA liberals. Being conservative is--or I should say, has been--the default because throughout human history following the tried and true ways was usually the wisest course. Usually. In times of upheavals, great environmental, political or social challenges, people willing to embrace change have come to the forefront. Often they are young and disenfranchised, or just plain more knowledgeable about what is going on than their counterparts on the other side of the tribe. But those times have naturally been less frequent than times of stability. And stability is what we all need to live our lives in peace with the possibility of prosperity. But what is happening today, with the rapid acceleration of technology and the great reach of ideas from one culture to another, prohibits a strictly conservative view. There are great changes taking place almost overnight everywhere around the world. Consequently the immediate prospect and the long term prospects are for change, some of which will be momentous. To adapt to this world in flux we must be ready to change ourselves. We must reinvent our economies and our political institutions. We must do this carefully with open minds and with the knowledge that comes from science, technology, and hands-on experience. We can no longer accept faith-based solutions to problems or rely exclusively on what worked yesterday or on what Authority tells us is the right course. One of the most glaring failures of conservatism comes from the very core of its philosophy: a distain for government. Again, as Press points out, people who hate government and want to shrink it as much as possible, are seldom good at governing. What we need in the years to come are politicians that believe in government and are willing to work hard to give us the best government possible. It is for these reasons that I believe, along with Bill Press, that old style conservatism is dead. As he puts it: "If the Republicans were a restaurant, they'd have been closed by the Board of Health. If they were a building, they'd have been condemned. If they were a Hollywood starlet, they'd be in rehab." (p. 1) Yes, the failures of not just George W. Bush, the neocons and the right wing evangelicals, but the failure of conservatism in general to meet the challenges of the 20th century will condemn them to the sidelines in the 21st. This is not a book written in political speak or in line with the notion of being "fair and balanced." This is polemic, a 248-page rant against the abuses of power and the derangement of ideology that have characterized the conservative movement during our lifetime. Press spells it out in no uncertain terms: loss of honor at home and abroad; failure to govern responsibility; loss of prestige and respect abroad; subversion of the Constitution; aiding and abetting our enemies, robbing the treasury for cronies; head in the sand and faith-based science and technology; the trashing and polluting of the environment; secretive and dishonest governance; corruption on an epic scale--and more. Conservatives beware. You will not like this book. Liberals rejoice, because here it all is, all the political horrors you've lived through (and some before your time), presented eloquently and with enough bite to satisfy the spiciest of tastes. --Dennis Littrell, author of "The World Is Not as We Think It Is"

Review # 2 was written on 2012-05-09 00:00:00 James Lawson The basic premise of the book is that conservatives cannot govern because they hate government. It is almost impossible to be good at something you hate. The Republicans just happen to have given the author a wealth of examples to use in order to promote his thesis! The book has many "quotable" sections. This is a summary of his (Bill Press)book...."Conservatives are good at criticizing policy but not at shaping policy. They are good at blocking legislation, not at passing legislation. They are good at saying no but have never learned to say yes. They are good at being against everything;they just don't know how to be for anything."