Foxes in the Henhouse: How the Republicans Stole the South and the Heartland and What the Democrats Must Do to Run 'em Out - Hardcover

Steve Jarding has spent most of the past twenty-five years studying, teaching, writing, analyzing, and working in American politics and has become arguably the most sought-after expert on southern and rural politics in America today. In races and organizations -- including Tom Daschle's first U.S. Senate win in South Dakota in 1986, Bob Kerrey's two U.S. Senate wins in Nebraska in 1988 and 1994, Mark Warner's upset bid to become Virginia's governor in 2001, three years as senior adviser to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and as executive director of Senator John Edwards's record-shattering leadership PAC -- Jarding has established himself as a "hands-on" tactician who knows how to win. He teaches at Harvard University.

Those who stayed up late to watch with worry or woke in dismay after the November 2004 presidential elections will welcome this answer to "How in the Hell did this happen?" as the first chapter, aptly titled, promises to explain. In this humorous discussion of what went wrong and how to change it, Harvard professor Jarding and Virginia politico Saunders present a method to secure a Democratic victory by gaining the lead in the South and the Midwest. The book encourages Democrats to open their minds to the rural culture of "Bubbas," or blue collar, religious folks who despise government intrusion, have been voting Republican and would respond to political "NASCAR marketing." Jarding and Saunders keep it lively, interspersing low-blow jabs at Republicans with statistics, political history and strategies for Democrats to connect with Bubbas over contentious issues like gun control, environmental protection, gay marriage and abortion.
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