“Engaging and inspiring . . . Reading this book should make you want to vote.”—Barack Obama In a world of sound bites, deliberate misinformation, and a political scene colored by the blue versus red partisan divide, how does the average educated American find a reliable source that’s free of political spin? What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don’t breaks it all down, issue by issue, explaining who stands for what, and why—whether it’s the economy, income inequality, Obamacare, foreign policy, education, immigration, or climate change. If you’re a Democrat, a Republican, or somewhere in between, it’s the perfect book to brush up on a single topic or read through to get a deeper understanding of the often murky world of American politics. This is an essential volume for understanding the background to the 2024 presidential election. But it is also a book that transcends the season. It’s truly for anyone who wants to know more about the perennial issues that will continue to affect our everyday lives. The fifth edition includes an introduction by Martin Garbus discussing the themes and issues that have come to the fore during the present presidential cycle.

Now in its second edition, here is one of the first and only issue-based nonpartisan guides to contemporary American politics. It’s a very exciting time in American politics. Voter turnout in primaries and caucuses across the nation has shattered old records. More than ever, in this election year people are paying attention to the issues. But in a world of sound bites and deliberate misinformation and a political scene that is literally colored by a partisan divide—blue vs. red—how does the average educated American find a reliable source that’s free of political spin? What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don’t breaks it all down, issue by issue, explaining who stands for what, and why, whether it’s the economy, the war in Iraq, health care, oil and renewable energy sources, or climate change. If you’re a Democrat, a Republican, or somewhere in between, it’s the perfect book to brush up on a single topic or read through to get a deeper understanding of the often mucky world of American politics.

"In a world of sound bites, deliberate misinformation, and a political scene colored by the blue versus red partisan divide, how does the average educated American find a reliable source that's free of political spin? What You Should Know About Politics ... But Don't breaks it all down, issue by issue, explaining who stands for what, and why -- whether it's the economy, income inequality, Obamacare, foreign policy, education, immigration, or climate change. If you're a Democrat, a Republican, or somewhere in between, it's the perfect book to brush up on a single topic or read through to get a deeper understanding of the often murky world of American politics."--Back cover

A guide to the most relevant issues in contemporary American politics provides nonpartisan coverage of a range of topics from the war in Iraq and climate change to the economy and renewable energy sources.

"Waldman's book is terrific-good sense mustered with evidence, well argued, and sharply written to boot. I agree fervently with almost everything he writes. This is the indispensable book for the 2006 elections." --Todd Gitlin, author of The Sixties and The Twilight of Common Dreams "A well-sourced, partisan blueprint for undoing Republican control of the nation." --Publishers Weekly "Here's the ticket for Democrats to get back in power: read this book, understand what it means to be a true American progressive, expose conservatives as the mean elitists they are, get tough, and fight back. Nobody paints the strengths of progressives and the weaknesses of conservatives like Paul Waldman." --Bill Press, author How the Republicans Stole Christmas "With clarity and passion, Paul Waldman demonstrates persuasively that the forces of the right have not 'taken over the country,' as the media often lazily put it. They've only taken over politics. That can be reversed, and Waldman shows exactly how." --Michael Tomasky, Editor, the American Prospect

In a world of sound bites and deliberate misinformation and a political scene that is literally colored by a partisan divide-blue vs. red-where do you find a reliable source that's free of political spin? What You Should Know About Politics ... But Don't breaks it all down, issue by issue, explaining who stands for what, and why-whether it's the economy, the war in Iraq, health care, oil and renewable energy sources, or climate change. No matter your political leaning, here is the perfect book to brush up on a single topic or read through to get a deeper understanding of the complex, often confusing world of American politics. Book jacket.

This highly successful introduction to the world of politics has been fully revised and updated to explore the key issues of the 21st century. The new edition builds on the reputation for clarity and comprehensive coverage that has made previous editions essential reading for students of politics. The third edition of Politics: The Basics introduces all the key areas of politics, explaining all the basic ideas and terms, making it an ideal text for propsective undergraduate students and the general reader is clearly and accessibly written, making use of boxes, figures and tables to illustrate key issues has a wider international focus and includes a variety of case studies and examples contains brand new material on postmodernism, terrorism, information technology, globalization and the media features an appendix which gives guidance to a variety of useful political sources, including books, newspapers and the Internet as well as information on politics courses and associations.