The Progressive Revolution; How the Best in America Came to Be

Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2009. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. xiii, [1], 242 pages. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper. Inscription reads: Justine, Thanks for your great work at Rock The Vote. Warm Regards, Mike Lux. Includes Preface, Introduction: The History of American Progress, Notes, and Index. Topics covered include The Big Change Moments; A Progressive Revolution: How Tom Pain and Thomas Jefferson Literally Invented the Idea of America; The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Right to Think and Speak Freely; Civil Rights, States' Rights, and the Re-Creation of the American Idea; The Battle over Democracy; Trickle-Down vs. Bottom Up; The Dream and the Backlash; Hope, Fear, and the Culture of Caution; The Next Big Change Moment; Notes; and Index. Mike Lux (born May 13, 1960, Lincoln, Nebraska) is the co-founder and president of Progressive Strategies, L.L.C., a political consulting firm founded in 1999, focused on strategic political consulting for non-profits, labor unions, PACs and progressive donors. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Political Action at People For the American Way (PFAW), and the PFAW Foundation, and served in the Clinton White House from January 1993 to mid-1995 as a Special Assistant to the President for Public Liaison. He also played a role in five different presidential campaign teams. In this book, Michael Lux gives new life to the chapters of American history that conservatives want everyone to forget. He demonstrates clearly that progressives and the progressive movement created American ideals and forged the kind of country in which we want to live. This is an accessible book that delineates how progressives and the progressive movement have created the American idea and ideals and forged the kind of country in which we want to live. It creates a platform from which to argue how progressives today are fighting to improve America, in contrast to how conservatives have always worked to defend the interests of elites. Each chapter will tell the reader a story focusing on different subjects, such as efforts to enact civil rights laws, social security, the middle class, how the idea of America changed the world, and why most of us can vote. Lux points out what he feels the Democrats have done wrong during the last decades and how the lessons of history can point to making positives changes. Lux shows how the progressives have been instrumental in creating big positive change moments, and argues that as a new administration takes office in 2009 the time will be ripe for a new big change moment,. He outlines how he believes progressive policies can be channeled to solves the big problems facing us today.