Saving General Washington : the right wing assault on America's founding principles / J.R. Norton ; illustrations by Derek Evernden.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Norton, James R.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Politics and government--2001-2009.

United States.

Politics and government.

Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946-.

Bush, George W.

Conservatism--United States.

Conservatism.

Political science--United States--History--18th century.

Political science.

History.

United States--Politics and government--1775-1783.

Physical Description:

275 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, [2006]

Summary:

Modern Republicans have made a smart bet. They're wagering that Americans have gotten so far from their own history that a timely grab could put a "Founding Fathers" stamp of approval on the party that brought us policies as fundamentally un-American as the Patriot Act, not to mention the war in Iraq. With Alberto Gonzales invoking George Washington to defend the White House's domestic spying program, one might think that the Founders were all "compassionate conservatives."

But the more you learn about the Founding Fathers, the more broad and powerful parallels emerge between their practical-and revolutionary-political ideas and the modern progressive movement. The Founders loved reason and strenuous debate, not the quashing of dissent. They believed in checks and balances, and certainly not an imperial presidency. There were no "deferments" from the colonial army. There were no "Schooner Ship Vets" to bail them out by making George Washington look like a deceptive medal hound.

Saving General Washington is an edgy hybrid of satire, political journalism, and good old-fashioned polemic that reclaims the progressive legacy of America's founders. By setting our current political leaders and the state of our government in stark relief against the men who designed this "last, best hope of earth," J. R. Norton shows us just how far we've departed from the brilliant ideas and the core values America was built on-and inspires us to take up the mantle of the Founders again.

Contents:

1 A Revolution Reversed 11

2 Patriots and the USA PATRIOT Act 39

3 America's Invisible Government 55

4 The Ties That Blind 77

5 In Intelligent Design We Trust 93

6 The Rise of the Supermen 123

7 Building a Nation, Scripting a War 143

8 President Jesus 157

9 We Were the World 171

10 Poor Richard's Almanack and Rich Richard's Rolodex 187

11 Slaves, Subjects, and Citizens 203

12 The Foundations of a Comeback 217

Appendix The United States Constitution 247.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [261]-266) and index.

ISBN:

1585424862

OCLC:

65064968