The Uncivil War: How a New Elite Is Destroying Our Democracy

"The Uncivil War" is mandatory reading for anyone who wishes to understand politics and culture in early 21st century America. This is a full five star opus.

I read David Lebedoff's "The New Elite" soon after it was published in the early 1980's, and was impressed with how the author was able to put into perspective the trends in our society that were leading many down the wrong path. In "The Uncivil War", Lebedoff shows what the path looks like after twenty more years of traveling. He uses significant events that we've lived through in recent times to illustrate the messes caused by the self-appointed whom we've allowed to take leadership positions in politics and business. With wisdom and wit, he again shows the patterns that to many are easy to miss. If enough people read this book and take what it says to heart, there is still time to self-correct. To paraphrase, "it's the (lack of) values, stupid!" that we've got to fix. You'll enjoy the book, and will be the wiser for having read it.

It should be obvious to everyone after the last election that the Left Behinds are the ruling political force in American politics today. An interesting point that this book makes is that the New Elites betray an arrogant attitude by their over-the-top descriptions of conservatives and the conservative points of view, and that this turns off a lot of people. For example, I get a kick out of Maureen Dowd's editorials, but one wonders whether or not she realizes that her condescension of red states and her contempt for "Bushworld" is turning more people against her and for Bush. (I could have said the same thing about any number of other liberal politicians, editorialists, and journalists.) Media consumers will decide for themselves whether or not a particular scribbler has respect for their intelligence, and will give weight to what is being said accordingly. They always have and always will.

For those who thought Lebedoff's "Cleaning Up" was a superb chronicle of Exxon-Valdez disaster and its legal aftermath, they will be equally pleased with the "Uncivil War." The new book, however, represents Lebedoff in the role of a social and political commentator. Here he zeroes in on the cultural and political elite of contemporary America. This elite's" general contempt for democracy (except, of course, when it reaches a result the elite favors)was especially clear this past year in my state, California. The recall of a sitting governor and the election of an "actor" was highly offensive to the elite's sensibilities. While I suspect that the elite is broader than those who boast of high standardized test scores (it seems perfectly willing to include within its membership those who share its values), his take on the culture wars is consistent with what I have witnessed inside academia for the past three and half decades. It has been facinating to watch Lebedoff evolve from the political liberal he was when we were classmates at the University of Minnesota in 1960, to the current skeptical, insightful analyst of cultural trends. The latest book is not only "right on" in its analysis, it is a marvelous testament to his intellectual evolution as a political and cultural commentator. In one important sense, however, Lebedoff has not changed -- he still believes in the ballot box and the will of the people. "Uncivil War" is a superb book

This is a superb assessment of what has befallen American politics in the last 35 years, and as good an explanation as I have ever read of the current maladies we face. The book is concise and engaging, and offers an important road map for politicians, political parties and interested citizens to what the majority of Americans are looking for in public life. Lebedoff points out that since he first looked at the breakdown of majority rule, a cast of characters has arrived on stage that are shining examples of the problems he is describing. Too many of our current leaders were raised on New Elite doctrine, and it may not be until the next generation of leaders (e.g., Barak Obama) rises that we find political candidates who appeal to the majority, rather than a collection of interest groups. Those leaders should be watched for and followed.