"In the third decade of the 21st century we face major challenges to democracy. We are struggling to build a multi-racial, multiethnic democracy based upon political and social equality. We are finding it especially difficult to create an economy that empowers everyone and distributes economic rewards fairly without extreme gaps between rich and poor. The challenges to democracy are both theoretical and very practical. A rather remarkable consensus has emerged among scholars--especially, among political scientists--about the problems we face. There is less consensus about what can be done to confront those problems. In Democracy's Rebirth, Dick Simpson synthesizes the theoretical and empirical studies from many different authors, merges it with his own practical political experience, to frame a single coherent vision of what is to be done at this critical juncture in our history. The result is both a theoretical discourse and a practical manifesto. With 50 years of political research and his unique perspective as a former political candidate, elected official, campaign strategist, and government adviser, Simpson outlines the local, national, and global challenges to democracy. For Simpson, the challenges exist not only at the national level but in citieslike Chicago, so he uses Chicago as a case study of how these social, political, and economic challenges play out at the local level. The goal is not utopia, not heaven on earth. However, if democracy is to be reborn in Chicago and America, we must create a more participatory democracy but also a better, more deliberative democracy, led by strong democratic leaders"--
Dick Simpson draws upon his fifty-year career as a legislator, campaign strategist, and government advisor to examine the challenges confronting Americans in their struggle to build the United States as a multiracial, multiethnic democracy. Using Chicago as an example, Simpson examines how the political, racial, economic, and social inequalities dividing the nation play out in our neighborhoods and cities. His investigation of our current crisis and its causes delves into issues like money in politics, low voter participation, the politics of resentment, political corruption, and a host of structural problems. But Democracy’s Rebirth goes beyond analysis. Simpson lays out a sober, practical manifesto meant to inspire people everywhere to educate themselves and do the hard work of creating the kind of strong institutions that will allow true democracy to flourish.
