Provocate.org

Professor and political analyst Gitlin (former president of SDS) utilizes the current president’s political trajectory as a jumping off point for a sprawling discussion of the rise of the republican machine, the reasons behind the democrats’ declining fortunes and the impact of this political imbalance on the average citizen.

When: Thursday, October 25, 7:30 pm
Where: Jewish community Center Laikin Auditorium 6701 Hoover Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46260

For nearly four decades Todd Gitlin has been an influential critic of the news media, social movements, and (always from within) the political Left. He has turned into a fierce but thoughtful critic of his previous positions from the 60s and 70s. Lately his books have been explorations of the Big Ideas that progressives could use to win political power and realize their ideas. His latest book — The Bulldozer and the Big Tent: Blind Republicans, Lame Democrats, and the Recovery of American Ideals — was written in the wake of the disastrous 2004 elections, and turns to more practical politics. He argues that one thing matters to voters more than policies, faiths, track records, or moral values: style. Voters pick their leaders based on the temperament they look for in a leader. Republicans strongly prefer a bulldozer, a no-nonsense decider on a white horse. Faction-ridden Democrats search for a candidate who looks like all things to all people– a walking big tent capacious enough to fit every kind of Democrat inside. Every Republican is looking for a leader, and every Democrat thinks he is one. Gitlin uses this insight to untie many of the knottiest questions in politics today. Why did the baby boomers produce so few impressive politicians? How did Barack Obama get so popular so fast? Why have the Republicans been so much better at getting and exercising power? Do blogs really matter? Who won the culture war? Has the conservative juggernaut crashed and burned?

Know before you go … Gitllin explains the questions and frustrations that drove him to write this book in his recent blog. In the comments to his blog you can also see how critical his fellow lefties are of what they perceive as squishiness on big issues.

For more information after the event … read some of Gitlin’s other books, especially Intellectuals and the Flag.

If you like this event … You’ll probably like many of the wholesome and progressive events this fall: The DePauw Discourses on Sustainability and Global Citizenship, the Symposium on Economics and Sustainability, the People Foreign Policy Summit. But don’t expect thundering Bush-bashing … Gitlin’s criticisms tend to look inward as much as outward. If you are looking for anger, you might find Naomi Wolf more satisfying on October 25.

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 10th, 2007 at 10:53 pm and is filed under Events, Democracy, Domestic politicking, Foreign policy, Law & justice, Journalism, Taking action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.