The Moral Center
How Progressives Can Unite America Around Our Shared Values
-
- $11.99
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
A “new liberal with old values” argues nothing is the matter with Kansas—and that the Democratic party needs to lead America out of its moral crisis (The New York Times).
In this insightful book, the author of The Cheating Culture addresses the anxieties that many Americans share, pointing out that the problems most people care about are not hot-button partisan issues like abortion and gay marriage, but rather deeper subjects that neither party is addressing—the selfishness that is careening out of control, the effect of our violent and consumerist culture on children, and our lack of a greater purpose. As Republicans veer into zealotry, liberals can find common ground with the moderate majority. But to achieve electoral victories, they need a powerful new vision.
In The Moral Center, David Callahan articulates that vision—and offers an escape from the dead-end culture war. With insights garnered from in-depth research and interviews, he examines some of our most polarized conflicts and presents unexpected solutions that lay out a new road map to the American center.
“Brilliant, challenging, practical and hopeful.” —E. J. Dionne Jr., author of Why Americans Hate Politics
“Callahan shows why progressives often seem not to have such a [moral] center, ceding values to the Right, and why they need to get one to win the political battle.” —Benjamin R. Barber, author of Consumed and Jihad vs. McWorld
“Callahan wants . . . to create a new public morality that is concerned about both poverty and video game violence, both wages and rap lyrics. He wants to soften the jagged edges of the culture wars.” —Michael Tomasky, The New York Review of Books
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After discussing the widespread willingness of Americans to cut ethical corners in The Cheating Culture, Callahan probes deeper, to get at the underlying causes of the nation's moral anxiety, and winds up blaming the free-market economy. The unchecked pursuit of self-interest, he argues, has led to everything from the rise in white-collar crime to the spread of mass media content that brazenly rejects traditional values. Callahan's thesis walks a tightrope for all his talk of "critiquing the moral downsides of capitalism," he remains a firm believer in the current governmental framework and socialism never rears its head. In seeking an end to the culture wars, he repeatedly calls upon liberals to tighten up their game; Democrats need to stop questioning the American dream, place more stock in personal responsibility and get tough with Hollywood donors. Conservatives, by contrast, are largely written off as too set in their ways to change, despite his repeated efforts to make them see the light. Unwilling to leave this as just a hypothetical argument, Callahan offers concrete steps toward achieving economic equality, from putting more money into Social Security to increasing benefits for veterans. Building on his initial success, his plainspoken, moderate stance is likely to gain traction with politically minded readers.
