CROSSROADS: The Future of American Politics

Cuomo, former secretary of housing and urban development, intends for these three dozen–plus essays to provide a road map for bringing the Democratic Party back to prominence. The essayists include most of the current Democratic candidates for president, a number of academics who analyze political trends, Republicans eager to share their views on what is wrong with the Democratic Party and, for good measure, several outside-the-box contributors such as hip-hop eminences Sean "P.Diddy" Combs and Russell Simmons. The presidential candidates offer mostly sensible but predictable prescriptions. Sen. John Edwards opines on the need "to do far better by America's families," while Sen. John Kerry invokes the need for a "better, fairer economic policy that grows jobs and creates wealth for all Americans." Sen. Bob Graham suggests equally blandly, "We need leaders who listen to the people of America...." Less predictable but somewhat baffling are the comments of Combs, who argues that young voters aren't interested in politics because politicians seem to lack passion: "That's why we need some fistfights to go down in the Senate," he asserts. Among the earnest Democratic rhetoric and insincere critical assessments (of Democrats) by self-satisfied Republicans, there is a provocative piece by Princeton professor Sean Wilentz that argues that the 2000 election was marred by the effort of some Republican operatives to suppress the voting rights of minorities. But whatever this compilation's overall merits, the irony of California governor Gray Davis's advice on how to bring back the party of Roosevelt and Clinton is inescapable. Agent, William Morris. (On sale Oct. 14)