BOOK CLUBS
Please find below some questions that might help as your book club reads “Democrats 101”. Please send us your feedback here
The question
Are we anything more than a political party? Do we stand for anything deeper? Should we?
Is it possible for us to have core values we all agree on?
The Prime Directive
Do we really have a Prime Directive? Do we really have a moral purpose as a party, something beyond winning elections and pursuing policies?
How important are policies? When are they important?
The Endless Curse
When you were a little kid, what did you learn in school about the South and slavery and the cause of the Civil War? Is it any different for kids today?
Unraveling
Is racism real for everybody?
Is it possible to understand racial issues without sharing experiences with people who are racial different from you?
What does the photo on page 21 say about then and now?
How much has actually changed racially in this country? What does the photo on page 35 actually say?
Birth of the Death Star
Do things like Freedom and Democracy mean the same things to everyone? Do they mean anything?
What other political words have changed their meaning?
What are the consequences of these changes?
Over the Cliff
What are the fundamental differences between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, now .. and before?
What are the most effective Republican buzz words? How effective are they?
Do we Democrats use labels and buzzwords effectively? Should we?
Blood in the Water
How much do Republicans depend on fear? Do we?
What is an example of red meat today? Do we throw it as well?
The Common Thread
Do we really have a Common Thread? Has it affected you personally?
If we become dominant enough to affect real change in America, how do we avoid becoming arrogant and complacent?
Emotion versus Reason
Do you personally have time to really follow politics? How many of the people you know do?
Does emotion overrule reason for all of us?
Elitism
Is it true? Do we as a party tend to come off to others as elitist? Arrogant? Condescending?
Why?
Will our elite .. the Establishment .. ever not be in the big cities? What are the consequences of location?
How do we deal with all this?
The end of Norman Rockwell
How has diversity in America changed for you personally?
Is that change positive, or negative?
How important is good internet connection and being computer-literate? Can you succeed without it? Should it be a right?
Back to the Beginning
How does the American public see the Democratic Party?
Are we just “the other party”? Is it "a pox on both of them"?
Race
Have your views on racism changed over the past twenty years? How, and why?
Will racism ever end?
Can we fix it?
Who Are These People Anyway?
How do you define being a Republican? (No cheap shots, please.) How do you know one when you see one?
How do you define Conservative Values? Has that definition changed over the years? Has it changed after reading this book?
Have we allowed Conservatives to define us?
The Dark Empire
Are Democratic politicians controlled by Dark Money?
Is there a difference between a billionaire’s money and a union’s money?
Myths and Fables
Is Capitalism good? What is your immediate reaction to the word?
What is your immediate reaction to the word “Socialism”?
Is Social Security socialism? Is Medicare? Are they good programs, or bad?
What does it imply when you say something is “left” or “right” politically? Is there an unspoken subtext? What do “left” and “right” actually mean?
Are civil rights Left or Right?
Are we actually divided into Moderates and Progressives? What defines these groups?
The Democratic Creed
Are these our true core values?
Will this Creed still stand up twenty years from now .. for all of us?
Tomorrow
What can you do to continue this conversation with other Democrats?
What can you do to start this conversation with other Americans?
For further discussion:
What other work (films, documentaries, books, and the like) do you think would complement this conversation?