Volume 56, Number 12 · July 16, 2009
Liberalism for Now
By Paul Starr
Is Democracy Possible Here? Principles for a New Political Debate
by Ronald Dworkin
Princeton University Press, 177 pp., $22.95; $16.95 (paper)
The years leading up to the 2008 election were not a promising time for a liberal politician or a liberal philosopher to seek common ground with conservatives. The country was split, according to the conventional image, between red and blue states, reflecting two hostile cultures and worldviews. In 2004, Karl Rove's strategy of inflaming those divisions and thereby mobilizing the conservative base had succeeded in reelecting George Bush. It was also by stoking right-wing passions against liberalism that the most powerful voices in the conservative mass media—Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter—had built up their audiences. Constructive dialogue with liberals was the last thing on their minds.
Review, 4442 words
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