cover image Reflections of a Radical Moderate

Reflections of a Radical Moderate

Elliot Richardson. Pantheon Books, $24 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-679-42820-6

A self-described centrist, Richardson, with a long career in public service, including a stint as Nixon's attorney general, argues here that the moderate tradition combined with common decency offers the best hope for good government. In this collection of thoughtful essays, he examines the troubling cynicism toward politics that many voters express, which has led politicians to make unrealistic promises in order to stay in office. Although our complex problems do not have easy answers, elected officials, according to Richardson, have a moral responsibility to provide leadership by evaluating possible solutions and building citizen consensus before taking action. A liberal Republican who believes that the trend toward bigger government should be reversed, the author nevertheless feels strongly that government has a duty to respond to the needs of all its citizens, and he takes the new Republican leadership to task for demonizing teenage mothers. A reasoned and convincing analysis of what ails us. (July)