The Politics of Meaning: Affirming Hope and Possibility in an Age of Cynicism

Lerner is a liberal dreamer. He has a vision in his head of better times, that America can be better than the people who populate it; that is that we can attain our stated ideals by fiat -- that our ideals can happen with no costs and no pain to anyone. It is the real white hope, the new American way: when stuff hit the fan jump into the feel good mode: Dream, but keep your hands on your wallet, and on your private schools, and maintain your distance from the inner city, and keep your hands on your SUV. And by all means pray more. It is the same liberal do-gooder delusional thinking under which much very destructive social tinkering and policymaking came about in the 60s and 70s. It virtually wrecked the black race and further crippled the poor of all races. This is a dog-eat-dog world and Lerner knows it. It is "an eat what you kill" "take no prisoners" kind of world. It is Hobbesian and Darwinian all the way to the core. Fantasy doesn't work; and it does not matter whether the economics are capitalism or socialism. Both produce the same kind of Potemkin village that America has become: inner and outer cities; inner and outer realities, inner and outer worlds. We have socialism, but only for the rich. For the poor, we have "in your face" vampire capitalism. So, tell me again how we can "sweet talk" our way out of this 500-year dilemma? What we need least of all is not more "airy fairy visualizing" but stronger less greedy and less mean-spirited, less racist people, who are willing to put themselves on the line in defense of the higher principles upon which this country was built and which they have never been willing to live up to; people who will make a commitment to something larger than themselves and their SUVs, Botox, breast implants and distancing themselves from those who go to fight their illegitimate wars. We can only have a stronger country when we make our people stronger, instead of what we are doing now, which is making them weaker, more spoiled, less responsible, and more fake. Look at our leadership; from the Presidency on down, an utter embarrassment to a respectable civilized First World nation. Two stars

....However, difficult it could be to change the world we are living in to a better one as the book suggests, it is not just a challenge, but a must try.I have a feeling though that Michael is not trying to reach the general population but is aiming at the intellectual world. His writing, although very high level, seems to be quite challenging for people of a lesser education or younger age. If we already know that it'll take years to incorporate this new way of living, maybe we should also include a younger audience. Aren't the children of today, the leaders of tomorrow?

Rabbi Dr. Lerner has written a wonderful book about an idea whose time has come. If the media and politicians would act upon these ideas, our national life would benefit immeasurably. Rancor and discord would be replaced by harmony and dialogue. Senator Hilary Clinton embraced this book, and her espousal of its ideas no doubt helped her win election as our junior senator from New York.Dr. Lerner is in the forefront of Jewish thought today. He seeks to engage the culture at large in a way that is beneficial for Jews and Gentiles alike. His efforts in this book and elsewhere are to be applauded.

This book was a clarion call to the utter self-destruction of American politics and progressivism that we have witnessed with Monicagate and Clinton's even more public affair with "the inexorable logic of globalization." Lerner offers the best explanation I have ever read of why and how conservatives have been so successful during the past two decades in transforming the public debate to their agendas, and why the traditional Left remains incapable of offering a coherent reply to the seeming triumph of the neo-liberal, hyper-consumerist world view that increasingly dominates our culture. I would urge anyone who wants to move beyond the sterile and outdated philosophies and politics of Left/Right and Democrat/Republican to read this book!