Learning from Loss

The Democrats, 2016–2020

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 22 Sep 2020 | Archive Date 18 Sep 2020

Talking about this book? Use #LearningfromLoss #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

The Democrats' decision to nominate Joe Biden for 2020 was hardly a fluke but rather a strategic choice by a party that had elevated electability above all other concerns. In Learning from Loss, one of the nation's leading political analysts offers unique insight into the Democratic Party at a moment of uncertainty. Between 2017 and 2020, Seth Masket spoke with Democratic Party activists and followed the behavior of party leaders and donors to learn how the party was interpreting the 2016 election and thinking about a nominee for 2020. Masket traces the persistence of party factions and shows how interpretations of 2016 shaped strategic choices for 2020. Although diverse narratives emerged to explain defeat in 2016 - ranging from a focus on 'identity politics' to concerns about Clinton as a flawed candidate - these narratives collectively cleared the path for Biden.


Seth Masket is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver. Masket writes regularly for Mischiefs of Faction and FiveThirtyEight. His work has also appeared in Politico, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post's Monkey Cage. He is the author of The Inevitable Party: Why Attempts to Kill the Party System Fail and How They Weaken Democracy (2016) and No Middle Ground: How Informal Party Organizations Control Nominations and Polarize Legislatures (2009).

The Democrats' decision to nominate Joe Biden for 2020 was hardly a fluke but rather a strategic choice by a party that had elevated electability above all other concerns. In Learning from Loss, one...


Advance Praise

“Read this book for the first truly comprehensive and persuasive account of why Joe Biden won the 2020 Democratic primary. Masket also deftly explains how political parties are adapting to the modern media landscape, and how they can sometimes overreact based on stylized interpretations of the facts (‘narratives’) that may not match the more complicated reality. Masket shows why Biden's comeback win wasn't nearly as surprising as the conventional wisdom seemed to hold.”

- Nate Silver, editor-in-chief, FiveThirtyEight

“Seth Masket has written an engaging, illuminating and thought-provoking book, one that adeptly combines broad theoretical sweep with fine granular detail.”

- Molly Ball, Time national political correspondent and author of Pelosi

“Combining the sophistication of a political scientist with the readability of a political journalist, Seth Masket sets out to explore the stories Democrats have told themselves about their catastrophic loss to Donald Trump. He returns with a vividly detailed MRI scan of the Democratic mind.”

- Jonathan Rauch, Brookings Institution


“Read this book for the first truly comprehensive and persuasive account of why Joe Biden won the 2020 Democratic primary. Masket also deftly explains how political parties are adapting to the modern...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781108482127
PRICE $24.95 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)