Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South

By Thomas F. Schaller

Book Overview

Two generations ago Kevin Phillips challenged Republicans to envision a southern-based national majority. In Whistling Past Dixie, Tom Schaller issues an equally transformative challenge to Democrats:... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743290151
• ISBN13: 9780743290159
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 9.4" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Great Book-

Tom Schaller's book is a must read for all Democrats. It is extremely well-written and well-reasoned. Thirty-five years from now it will be cited as the seminal work outlining how the Democrats achieved majority status in the first half of the century.

Detailed, but the timing is off

Thomas Schaller's "Whistling Past Dixie" offers a comprehensive look at where both parties stand relative to each other in today's politics. The insight and detail are wonderful and although it reads more like a textbook than a flowing narrative, Schaller has outlined where Democrats need to look beyond the South to win in upcoming elections. One problem with "Whistling Past Dixie" is that it was published before the recent midterm elections and references to what might happen in the "upcoming 2006 races" are now history. One wonders why the author could not have held off having an updated version of this appear until after the November elections, therefore eliminating some of the guesswork. "Whistling Past Dixie" is less of a hands-on approach for Democrats to win elections as it is an analysis of the current national political realties, but it is nonetheless pointed in its partisan appeal and renders some good advice for Democrats. It's worth the read if you can get past some of the now "old news" it offers.

Spot-On Analysis

Schaller's argument makes perfect sense, and was borne out in the results of the 2006 election. I highly recommend it to anyone who does not want to see this country drift toward theocracy.

Election Results Reflect Schaller's Advice

I haven't read many Political Science books since college, but I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to make sense of modern political strategy. Whistling Past Dixie explains the figures and factoids behind all the punditry and wonkery--how Republicans engineered a political majority and how Democrats can take it back. Schaller offers more strategy than opinion which makes it a refreshing read for anyone interested in politics--right or left.

A useful tactical guide

An overall good book. The author I think has a useful strategy, and lots of numbers to back it up. In fact, my main criticism of the book would be that Scaller is better with numbers than complex philosophical arguments. He can tell you a lot of useful information on the political situation in many places around the country. He analyzes the politics in the south very well. The historical analysis from decades ago is less interesting, though. There is a curious ommission with Katrina, and all the corruption that exposed. Maybe that was because he was trying to protect the line that it was a problem with the feds, not the local southern politicians - but if his thesis is that we're giving up on the south, that would give us free reign to criticize the southern politicians as well. Later in the book, as he started talking about a non-southern political strategy, he could have said more about policy. There was one chapter on demography that read like a census report. Only one chapter was specifically devoted to policy, and I think there is more to say about that while still utilizing his tactical approach. In that chapter, I also picked up on some contradictions, like the Publisher's Weekly people. The chapter opens with a couple of on-the-money quotes about the Democrats being 'against' stuff, rather then 'for' stuff. Yet later in the chapter, he argues that NAFTA and CAFTA were perfect examples of where we should "plant a flag" in opposition, and show resolve. He never gives any positive examples of "flag planting." This is the first book I've read in the 'genre' of partisan tactics, so perhaps many of these criticisms would apply to other books as well. But I think a good book on policy should address some of the political issues, and visa-versa. The author does have an insightful argument that the Democratic leadership should consider, and I still think it's a worthwhile read just for that.