HOW THE DEMOCRATS SCREWED BERNIE/Tad Devine

Democratic Political Strategist, Tad Devine was the chief senior advisor to the Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign. His book, How The Democrats Screwed Bernie, is not an apology for a defeat but rather an inside look at exactly how the Sanders effort unfolded and then folded.

There are two narratives here. First is the story of an incredible successful grass roots campaign that came within inches of delivering the 2016 presidential nomination to Sanders. The book is eye opening into the intricacies of a grassroots political organization and resulting hugely successful campaign. It is also a very close look at Bernie himself and his wife Jane and their hands on political savvy. The book answers the question as to why Bernie never gets off message.

The second narrative is how the Democratic National Committee and the party establishment worked tirelessly from within to defeat Bernie. At first the establishment looked at Bernie as pesky fly. By the time that he was attracting crowds of upwards of 25,000 and polling showed his strength in Iowa, they panicked. Despite rules requiring neutrality during a party primary, the DNC threw the entire weight of its financial resources and organization behind Hillary Clinton. They went as far as to make access to common voter information unavailable to the Sanders Campaign. Wasserman Schultz was eventually fired as DNC Chair over the egregious breech of protocol.

Finally, Devine, admittedly at the risk of sour grapes, makes a convincing case that Bernie Sanders would have been the better candidate and very likely beat Donald Trump in the general election.

Much water under the dam. ( Excuse te cliche but seems apprioriate)

REGIME CHANGE/INSIDE THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY OF DONALD TRUMP

Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, both White House Correspondents for The New York Times have collaborated on an astoundingly insightful and spotlight perspective of the first year of the Second Trump Administration. This latest book for Haberman is yet another example of her journalistic skill and of her contacts within The Beltway and the Trump inner circle. Her reporting is enhanced with the collaboration of Swan making REGIME CHANGE a must read for those interested in a deep dive into Trump and his cadre of sycophants in the second term.

Don’t look for sensationalism in these pages as that is not the style of either journalist. Rather you will discover an in depth look at Trump’s knee jerk decision making process and how he has surrounded himself with cabinet members and staff who have little individual decision making power. Unlike the first Trump administration, there are no advisors either able or willing to challenge his gut decisions. Thus the book title, REGIME CHANGE, refers to a second term with no guard rails in place in the Oval Office the Situation Room and elsewhere.The authors detail an administration focused on retribution, personal enrichment and the enhancement of his personal legacy. The book’s final chapter title is telling: PLUNDER.

Haberman and Swan have uncovered the decision making process on every major deliberation. They place the reader in the room and the reporting resonates with shocking truthfulness about immigration, Ice, Iran, Ukraine, Cabinet Officers, and military strikes.

It is somewhat unusual for a work of non-fiction to include an Epilogue but REGIME CHANGE includes one to give the reader a glimpse of an interview with the authors giving Trump the chance to respond to the book, that he had not read. The meeting dissolved into a typical Trump screed. They illegally indicted me, they impeached me, they did everything-they shot me, I guess you could say: But I won the election in a landslide, nobody else could have done it, he added. And there’s only one thing you can say about me that anybody believes, and you know what that is. Essentially I won every-f______ing time, he said.

And of course when the interview was over, one final Trump salvo for Haberman. I’m tired of winning and winning and winning and just getting bad f_______ing press. It’s about time you tell the truth. Okay?

There will be another Haberman-Swan collaboration for sure.

See gordonsgoodreads for our view of Haberman’s previous Trump book, CONFIDENCE MAN, THE MAKING OF DONALD TRUMP AND THE BREAKING OF AMERICA.

Common Sense/Thomas Paine

If there is a perfect.time to read or re-read Thomas Paine’s Common Sense it is now during the 250th Anniversary of America. A perfect companion to Danielle Allen’s RADICAL DUKE or any of the many other books outlined here on the subject of the American Revolution. The 250 year-old publication is not only relevant history but speaks to many issues of the modern day.

Thomas Paine, born in Britain a Philadelphia immigrant and a changemaker in America.