Introduction. Why a Critical Reader?

PART I. STRUCTURE

Chapter 1. Democracy and Political Economy

Frances Moore Lappe, “The Straightjacket of Thin Democracy”
Susan George, “A Short History of Neo-Liberalism”
Dan Clawson, Alan Neusfadtl, and Mark Weller, “Why Does the Air Stink? Corporate Power and Public Policy”

*Fred Magdoff and John Bellamy Foster, “Capitalism and the Environment”

Chapter 2. Ideology and Political Culture

Jennifer L. Hochschild, “What is the American Dream?”

*James Gustave Speth, “Happiness and the American Dream”

Ira Chernus, “The Theology of American Empire”

Robert Jensen, “The Greatest Nation on Earth”

Chapter 3. Constitutional and State Structures

Joshua Cohen and Joel Rogers, “American Exceptionalism and the Politics of Fragmentation”

Kenneth M. Dolbeare and Linda Medcalf, “The Dark Side of the Constitution”

Brooke Allen, “Our Godless Constitution”

Howard Zinn, “Some Truths Are Not Self-Evident”

PART II Politics and Institutions

Chapter 4. Mass Media and Politics

*Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols, “The Death and Life of American Journalism”
W. Lance Bennett, “News Content and Illusion: Four information Biases That Matter”

*John Atlas and Peter Dreier, “Why ACORN Fell: The Times, Lies, and Videotape"

Bill Moyers, “'Facts Still Matter…': The Need for an Independent Media"

Chapter 5. Parties and Elections

Thomas Frank, “What’s the Matter With America?”

*Paul Street and Matthew DiMaggio, “The Myth of the Tea Party”

*Lawrence Lessig, “Democracy After Citizens United”

Katrina Vanden Heuvel, “Just Democracy: The Crisis and Opportunity in American Elections”

Chapter 6. Congress

John C. Berg, “Congress and Big Business”

Common Cause, “Democracy On Drugs: How a Bill Really Becomes a Law"

*Matt Taibbi, “Wall Street’s Big Win: The Charade of Financial Reform”

Patricia Siplon and William F. Grover, “Congressional Inertia: Iron Triangles Old and New”

Chapter 7. The Presidency

Michael A. Genovese, “The Limits of Presidential Power”

Bruce Miroff, “The Presidential Spectacle”

*Tom Engelhardt, “Militarism and the American Presidency”

*Joseph G. Peschek, “The Obama Presidency and the Economic Crisis”

Chapter 8. Law and the Courts

Jeffrey Rosen, “Supreme Court Inc.”

*Saul Cornell, “New Originalism: A Constitutional Scam”

Patricia J. Williams, “This Dangerous Patriot’s Game”

Claire Snyder-Hall, “Neo-Patriarchy and the Anti-Homosexual Agenda”

PART III Politics and Vision

Chapter 9. Political Challenges at Home and Abroad

*Barbara Ehrenreich, “Kicking People When They’re Down: Poverty in America”
Walter Benn Michaels, “Race, Gender, and Class in U.S. Politics”

*Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, “Merchants of Doubt”

*Noam Chomsky, “9/11 and the Imperial Mentality”

Chapter 10. Visions of a New Democracy

Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter From Birmingham Jail”

Naomi Klein, “Reclaiming the Commons”

Jared Bernstein, “All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy”

Bill McKibben, “Deep Economy: Reimagining Growth and Progress”

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.