"The Democrats: A Critical History is worthy reading for anyone who is interested in social change."-- MediaMouse.org

The 2006 elections put the Democrats in the majority in both houses of Congress, yet those hoping for change have been deeply disappointed. Lance Selfa looks at the Democrats in a broad historical perspective, showing that today’s betrayals stem from the Democratic Party’s role as one of the two parties serving the interests of the US establishment, not of the broader public or its “base” of women, African Americans, trade union members, and working and poor people.

Many other books on the Democrats have seen the party’s recent history as a departure from its storied past as the “party of the people.” Selfa’s book is one of the few written for a popular audience to challenge this myth and to put today’s crisis of the Democratic Party’s legitimacy in a historical perspective.

As the 2008 presidential season heats up, there will be many books about individual candidates and their personalities. This book is for people who want to go beyond campaign puffery to look at the serious topics and questions at stake, with a vision that isn’t limited to the next election cycle.

Lance Selfa is a researcher and author. An editor and contributor to International Socialist Review, he edited The Struggle for Palestine (Haymarket Books, 2002). He lives in Chicago.