Politics the Wellstone Way
Politics the Wellstone Way

Author: Wellstone Action Wellstone Action Wellstone Action

Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

Published: 2013-11-30

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1452907528

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

During the past four years, political activism has grown to a level that has not been seen in the United States since the Vietnam War. Tensions over the war in Iraq and the presidential election motivated hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the political fence to take to the streets. Politics the Wellstone Way offers a comprehensive set of strategies to help progressives channel that energy into winning issue-based and electoral campaigns. Wellstone Action is a nonprofit organization dedicated to continuing Paul and Sheila Wellstone’s fight for progressive change and economic justice by teaching effective political action skills to people across the country. Politics the Wellstone Way is a workshop in book form, providing the detailed framework needed to jump-start a new generation of activists plus plenty of helpful tools for old pros, including articulating a strong message, base building, field organizing, budgeting, fundraising, scheduling, getting out the vote, and grassroots advocacy and lobbying, illustrated by practical and inspirational examples. From the school board all the way to the White House, Politics the Wellstone Way instructs people on becoming better organizers, candidates, campaign workers, and citizen activists, empowering them to make their voices heard. Wellstone Action was established by the Wellstones’ two surviving sons, David and Mark. The main vehicle for this ongoing work is Camp Wellstone, a weekend training program that Wellstone Action leads regularly in locations across the country. Jeff Blodgett, Paul Wellstone’s longtime campaign manager, is the executive director of Wellstone Action. For more information visit www.wellstoneaction.com.

Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way
Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way

Author: Jeff Blodgett

Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

Published: 2008-07-10

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 1452929874

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

As the 2008 presidential race dominates political discussion and media coverage worldwide, thousands of lesser-known local contests are being hard-fought in our neighborhoods, cities, and states. Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way is based on the work of Wellstone Action, a leading-edge progressive training center that has instructed thousands of political activists, campaign managers, and volunteers, of whom more than two hundred have gone on to run for office and win. Jeff Blodgett and Bill Lofy analyze the crucial lessons learned from many successful (and several losing) campaigns and demystifies what it takes to run for—and win—a political seat. This companion guide to Politics the Wellstone Way, the best-selling introduction to political action, features the in-depth knowledge that campaigns need to take energy and engagement to the next level—getting elected. With detailed and informative examples from progressive campaigns at every level throughout the United States, Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way combines grassroots organizing with political strategy, articulating a bold populist agenda. If you have ever considered volunteering for a political candidate, working for a campaign, or even running for public office yourself, Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way is the key resource you need to devise a sophisticated, progressive, and successful strategy and, ultimately, affect people’s lives for the better.

Politics the Wellstone Way
Politics the Wellstone Way

Author: Wellstone Action

Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 9780816646654

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume is a workshop in book form, providing the detailed framework needed to jump-start a new generation of activists, and instructing people on becoming better organizers, candidates, campaign workers, and citizen activists.

Paul Wellstone
Paul Wellstone

Author: Bill Lofy

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2005-08-15

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 0472031198

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"Paul Wellstone, we miss you. Few politicians, especially these days, are as willing to stand up and speak the truth as Wellstone was. In this era of flaccid rhetoric and pre-approved sound bites, he had the rare ability to ignite a fire in his audiences. Bill Lofy's excellent biography rekindles that fire and reminds us just how much politicians of Wellstone's honesty, character, and spine are needed---now more than ever. This book should inspire a new generation of voters and political leaders alike." ---Arianna Huffington, columnist and editor of HuffingtonPost.com "This book captures the vibrant spirit of my friend Paul Wellstone---the fierce commitment to justice that defined his life, and that shapes his enduring legacy." ---U.S. Senator Russ Feingold "Paul Wellstone was a great leader because he fused progressive idealism with a stubbornly pragmatic politics. Bill Lofy's book captures that dual commitment in his story of Wellstone's life, and also shows us the extraordinary human appeal that Wellstone emanated in his relationships with people in all walks of life. This book is an engaging read that also tells us a lot about the political practice to which we should aspire." ---Frances Fox Piven, author of The War at Home "This vividly written book captures the life and personal qualities of the late Senator Paul Wellstone. In so doing it provides an illuminating gloss on Max Weber's seminal exposition of the political vocation. It is a jewel of a book." -Fred Greenstein, Princeton University Bill Lofy's fast-paced and readable biography tells the inspirational story of one of the most compelling figures in the history of American politics---Senator Paul Wellstone. Yet Lofy's book is more than just the chronicle of Wellstone's life and political career; it's also an indispensable guide to what ails political life today. Readers politically inclined or not will find in its pages a handbook to the uncertain and often treacherous business of politics and a stirring example for living a courageous and honest life---whether as public servant or private individual.

Paul Wellstone
Paul Wellstone

Author: Bill Lofy

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2009-11-16

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 0472024213

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"Paul Wellstone, we miss you. Few politicians, especially these days, are as willing to stand up and speak the truth as Wellstone was. In this era of flaccid rhetoric and pre-approved sound bites, he had the rare ability to ignite a fire in his audiences. Bill Lofy's excellent biography rekindles that fire and reminds us just how much politicians of Wellstone's honesty, character, and spine are needed---now more than ever. This book should inspire a new generation of voters and political leaders alike." ---Arianna Huffington, columnist and editor of HuffingtonPost.com "This book captures the vibrant spirit of my friend Paul Wellstone---the fierce commitment to justice that defined his life, and that shapes his enduring legacy." ---U.S. Senator Russ Feingold "Paul Wellstone was a great leader because he fused progressive idealism with a stubbornly pragmatic politics. Bill Lofy's book captures that dual commitment in his story of Wellstone's life, and also shows us the extraordinary human appeal that Wellstone emanated in his relationships with people in all walks of life. This book is an engaging read that also tells us a lot about the political practice to which we should aspire." ---Frances Fox Piven, author of The War at Home "This vividly written book captures the life and personal qualities of the late Senator Paul Wellstone. In so doing it provides an illuminating gloss on Max Weber's seminal exposition of the political vocation. It is a jewel of a book." -Fred Greenstein, Princeton University Bill Lofy's fast-paced and readable biography tells the inspirational story of one of the most compelling figures in the history of American politics---Senator Paul Wellstone. Yet Lofy's book is more than just the chronicle of Wellstone's life and political career; it's also an indispensable guide to what ails political life today. Readers politically inclined or not will find in its pages a handbook to the uncertain and often treacherous business of politics and a stirring example for living a courageous and honest life---whether as public servant or private individual.

Political Parties in Western Democracies
Political Parties in Western Democracies

Author: SIMON M.. EPSTEIN FASS (LEON D.)

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-12-18

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 9781138530195

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Presents a brilliant, persuasive case that American political parties, so often dismissed as immature or ineffective compared with their European counterparts, are in fact old and durable political organizations, seriving well the needs of a pluralistic society. What chiefly distinguishes this work is the inclusion of considerable material on American partics in a comparative context to the analysis of British, Scandinavian, European, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand political parties.

How to Rig an Election
How to Rig an Election

Author: Allen Raymond

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2008-01-08

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1416552227

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An insider's account of the Republican election machine reveals the practices of libel, spin, and misrepresentation that have affected campaign outcomes throughout the past decade, and traces how the author landed in federal prison for fraud.

Becoming Wellstone
Becoming Wellstone

Author: Paul Wellstone

Publisher: Hazelden Publishing

Published: 2012-09-20

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 1616494565

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Paul David Wellstone Jr., or "Dave" as he is known to his friends, fell into a zombie-like state of shock when he first got word that the eleven-seater plane carrying his parents and sister couldn't be located on radar. It was as if he were watching someone else drive from the campaign office to his brother's home then north to Minnesota's Iron Range where his dad had been heading to attend the funeral of a steelworker. But when he saw smoke on the horizon, it was with tremendous focus that he turned off the highway and drove straight toward the plume cutting up into the slate-gray sky. On October 25, 2002, Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife, Sheila, and his daughter, Marcia, died in that tragic plane crash. Senator Wellstone was an admired and respected political leader known for his bipartisan spirit and passion for championing causes that impacted the overlooked and underrepresented. As his son Dave reveals in this intimate memoir, he was also a loving advisor and an engaged father who taught his children to live with compassion and to, "Think for yourself; don't just go around with the crowd--never be afraid to take an unpopular stand." "Becoming Wellstone" is an insider's look at Paul Wellstone in action, revealing the man behind the visionary leader who challenged the status quo. We move with Dave from a childhood of touch-football games, family dinners, and political rallies to a young adulthood engulfed in loss. We see this son struggle to work through tragedy and slowly regain the strength to look ahead--becoming a great leader in his own right, and championing one of his father's great life achievements: the enactment of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act in 2008, bringing mental health and substance abuse treatment benefits to the masses.

Counting Every Vote
Counting Every Vote

Author: Eric Shiraev

Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1597976458

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The 2000 U.S. presidential election was not the first in American history that was exceptionally close or that produced highly disputed results. In 1801 Thomas Jefferson became president after an electoral gridlock, but only after Congress voted three dozen times to select the president. Charles Hughes lost in 1916 to Woodrow Wilson by losing in California by some 3,000 votes. In 1960 John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon by only a fraction of a percentage point in a very controversial election. What would have happened if Aaron Burr, rather than Jefferson, had become president? What if Nixon had defeated Kennedy in 1960? What if Al Gore had become president in 2001 instead of George W. Bush? Using six cases, political scientists Robert Dudley and Eric Shiraev argue that engaging in this counterfactual exercise provides an excellent opportunity to revisit history, learn from its lessons, and relate to contemporary elections. The authors' aim is not to prove that their suggested scenarios would have certainly happened, but merely to show that they might have, and therein lies the importance of voting. Every vote counts, and the consequences can be enormous.