All politics IS local and I'm so glad someone wrote this book! Meaghan did a great job laying out her arguments and as someone who has worked in state politics, I couldn't agree with her more. All politicos should read this, but more importantly all people!

A good overview of what has happened in politics recently, and its origins thirtyish years ago. Good focus on specific states instead of trying to cover everything, and good use of Cass studies to show what worked and what didn't. I follow politics pretty closely and live in one of the state's discussed so a lot of this wasn't new to me, but it was still a good read. I believe this would provide a lot of good information for someone less into politics who wants to understand why some things have happened.

The author is a talented writer, consistently putting forth persuasive arguments to back up her points. Unfortunately, many times only the information that will support her points is included, and many well-known and easily found facts that contradict her words are omitted. While the author presents many interesting thoughts that make sense, it is discouraging to read what could be considered as falsehoods by omission. This reduces many sections to everyday political slant, mostly from the Progressive viewpoint.

Even as she describes the danger of state governments becoming Red states, most others acknowledge the country is moving more to the left. The author attempts to paint some people and organizations as Republicans centrists, although I would consider most of those she names as Democrats (and not Progressives). If you are not sure of this shift, consider George W. Bush and John F. Kennedy. Carefully examine their policies and stances on different issues, and then decide which president stands more to the left of the other.

The author also argues that this shift in state government is hurting the Democratic Party, and to some degree I agree with her. On a more simplistic look at the issue, about a third of the country identifies with the Democrats and a third identify with the Republicans. Winning the hearts and minds of those in the middle – Independents – can be viewed as how to win elections. If this is true (and I am not totally discounting the weight of having a state legislature and Governor in your corner), then perhaps it is the policies (or how they are presented) that are not appealing to these swing voters. Just a thought.

Personally, I feel it is more persuasive to present both sides of the argument, fairly balanced, and then make your pitch. This gives readers a chance to make up their own mind as opposed to being led to the trough of water an author wishes for us to drink. This book presents points to consider, but loses weight when one does a little research and realizes what has been left out. As with the majority of political books nowadays, Progressives will love it and those on the Right will ignore it. I give this book five stars for the writing and how the book is set up, but reduce it to three stars for the doesn’t-fit-my-argument omissions. Three stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Perseus Books, Public Affairs for a complimentary advance ebook of this title.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book for review. It’s an unfortunate truth that the last few years have seen a hollowing out of Democratic power. From state houses to the nation’s Congress to the Presidency, the forces of the right have been shockingly and distressingly successful at grabbing the levers of power. This is, of course, no accident, as Meaghan Winter reveals in her book All Politics is Local: Why Progressives Must Fight for the States.
Indeed, as she points out in frightening detail, the right has been very effective not only in grabbing power, but in ensuring that they keep it, even if it means going against their constituents’ own wishes. The book focuses on three states and the ways in which they have confronted (and been confronted) by these realities: Missouri, Colorado, and Florida. We see numerous egregious examples of Republican abuse of their new power, ranging from gerrymandering (the sheer scale of their effrontery is truly hard to grasp) to a systematic and ruthless rollback of all the things that progressives have fought for (climate change, abortion, and guns are three key issues). It’s hard to say whether Florida or Missouri provides the more glaring object lesson in the outright cynicism that seems to motivate the Republican party these days. In both cases, state governments have done significant damage to both their states and, in the case of Florida, the planet in their mindless service to their right-wing donors.

As guilty as Republicans clearly are for this state of affairs, Winter is not shy about showing how Democrats and other national liberal groups have also been negligent in their response. For too long, she argues, Democrats have focused almost exclusively on federal office, which has meant that not only has money been spent on those big-ticket races, but also that they only seem to care about states during major federal election years. Any other time they are forced to fend for themselves, with often disastrous results.

Throughout the book, Winter focuses not only on the big picture and on the negative, but also on the hardworking progressive activists, legislators, and donors who have done their part to roll back this seemingly relentless tide. These are the people–mostly but not exclusively young–working long hours (and not getting paid for many of them), while turning themselves to the herculean task of building a society and a government that works for all people rather than the privileged and moneyed few. Though they don’t always win, it is heartening to know that there are still those who believe in a better world and are able and willing to do what it takes to bring it into being. Further, Winter deserves credit for paying just as much attention to their invaluable efforts as she does to those of their cynical counterparts on the right.

As we continue to feel the endless buffeting of our democratic norms, All Politics is Local is a timely reminder that all is not lost, that we can take back our future. At the same time, however, it does not shy away from revealing the enormous difficulties that we still face across the electoral map. What’s more, we have to go into this with eyes wide open about the work involved. Progress is not (nor has it ever again) something that is accomplished and then forgotten about. It is a fight that must be constantly pursued in the face of those who would continue gaming the system for their own advantage. Winter’s book makes it clear that we must fight against those forces at every opportunity, and we must not let down our guard. If we do, as we have so often in the past, then we will have only ourselves to blame for the ruin that results.

These days, it’s easy to lose sight of the small, local details, caught up as we are in the daily horror show that is the Trump administration and its cynical allies in the Senate. However, if we take the lessons of All Politics is Local to heart, we can, perhaps, make this country, and this world, a better place for everyone to live in.