Liars! Cheaters! Evildoers! : Demonization and the End of Civil Debate in American Politics

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.After reading and hearing so many epitaphs to political discourse in a polarized nation in the wake of 9/11, I take heart from Tom De Luca's and John Buell's realistic but hopeful argument for one last mighty effort to pull democracy back from the brink.--Bill MoyersMasterful! Fascinating! Unsettling! Explains why Americans regularly demonize political opponents then suggests how we might free ourselves from a long, angry legacy. This rousing book should be required reading for scholars interested in the troubled past and citizens looking to a more democratic future.--James A. Morone, author of Hellfire Nation: The Politics of Sin in American History In a lively and illuminating fashion, De Luca and Buell chart the politics of demonization in America, placing its temptations into correspondence with the sacrifices it imposes on democratic life.--William E. Connolly, author of Why I Am Not a SecularistMines diverse sources--newspaper columns, films, commercials, popular music, academic scholarship--offering a truly fair and balanced treatment of Democrats and Republicans, left and right, utterly refusing to demonize the demonizers. This vibrant book could not be more timely.--Jane Bennett, co-editor of The Politics of MoralizingLiars! Cheaters! Evildoers! captures the power of demonization in our polarized politics, though as the authors rightly point out, this is deeply rooted in our history and political economy. Rather than give in to a diminished civic life, Tom De Luca and John Buell set out a compelling course for restoring democratic civility to politics. This should be on the short list for those who wish to ready themselves for the next battle in our culture wars.--Stanley B. Greenberg, author of The Two Americas: Our Current Political Deadlock and How to Break It The level of vitriol in American politics has been rising with no end in sight. Terms like evildoer, war on terror, and axis of evil have become commonplace in our discussion of international politics. What ever happened to civil debate? Where has all this moralizing come from? And what harm has this new level of attack caused to democracy in America?In this compelling and cogent account, Tom De Luca and John Buell chart the rise of what they rightly label as the demonization of American politics, showing how political campaigns often neglect debates over policy in favor of fights over the private character and personal lives of politicians. Political interests are still served by this style of politics, but democracy, the authors contend, is the loser. Covering everything from the Clinton impeachment to the war on terrorism to the 2004 presidential campaign, the authors show the distinctly American qualities of demonization and how their frequency and intensity has grown in the last four decades.Suggesting that demonization is not inevitable or irreversible, this important book offers ways out of the political mudpit and back to a more civilized debate where democracy and freedom of speech can coexist in a productive, idea-rich environment.

Tom De Luca is Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University and author of The Two Faces of Apathy. He is the 2006 Fulbright Distinguished Thomas Jefferson Chair in American Social Studies at the University of Amsterdam