Book of the Month: Foxes in the Henhouse, by Steve Jarding and Dave "Mudcat" Sanders

| Posted By: jwilkes

We've been spending quite a bit of time lately on the necessity of not just building Democratic majorities based on the latest trends in public opinion, but to forge a lasting relationship with the electorate based on commonly-held ideals, values, and principles.  Foxes in the Henhouse: How the Republicans Stole the South and the Heartland and What the Democrats Must Do to Run 'em Out, by seasoned Democratic political consultants Steve Jarding and Dave "Mudcat" Saunders, offers a blueprint for doing just that.

Essentially, Jarding and Saunders argued that there are two primary reasons Democrats can't ignore the South or Heartland: the first is pragmatic, and the second is moral.

On the one hand, Democrats can't afford to skip over Middle America and the states south of the Mason-Dixon line.  Relying on typical Democratic strongholds in the Northeast and on the West Coast leaves while going "all in" in Rust Belt states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana leaves little room for error of any kind.  Moreover, it's a strategy that's failed twice in recent electoral cycles, giving us two terms of President George W. Bush.

On the other hand, Democrats shouldn't forsake the millions of "Bubba" voters in this area to the policies of the Republican Party, because in a country where everyone's voice counts, placing a higher premium on voters in New York or California than in Oklahoma or Georgia is downright wrong.

But more than that, Jarding and Saunders seem to argue that it's not necessary to cede these votes.  In terms of ideals of governance and issues that directly affect the lives of everyday Americans, Middle American and Southern voters have far more in common with Democrats than they do Republicans.  But over the past several decades, Democrats have allowed GOP candidates to control the playing field on issues like religion, guns, and social wedge issues like abortion.  The authors provide an outline that will allow Democrats to entrench their party in every states, not just liberal bastions, by refusing to cede a single vote, nor to allow Republicans to dictate the terms of debate.  And the best part is that at no point do Democrats have to give up the important ideals that define the party.

Jarding and Saunders are noted political consultants who speicalize on Southern campaigns.  They fueled the victories of Mark Warner for both Governor in 2002 and Senate in 2008, as well as Jim Webb's '06 Senate upset over Republican George Allen and a number of Senator Bob Kerrey's campaigns in Oklahoma.

Buy Foxes in the Henhouse by Steve Jarding and Dave "Mudcat" Saunders