CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PREFACE WHO WE ARE

“Why I Am a Liberal” by Bob Beckel

“Why I Am a Conservative” by Cal Thomas

PART I WHERE WE ARE

1 The People vs. the Polarization of American Politics

2 The Polarization of American Politics

3 “The Rest of Us”

4 Congressional Stories

5 The Parties

6 The Press, Fund-raisers, and Myths

PART II THE GATHERING STORMS

7 Storm Clouds from the South

8 A Circular Firing Squad

9 “I’ll Never Lie to You”

10 Roe v. Wade

11 The Reagan Revolution

PART III STORMS

12 Iran-Contra and Bob Bork: The Peace Ends

13 The Politics of Personal Destruction

14 Polarization’s Poster Children: Bill Clinton and George W. Bush

15 Clinton Years/Clinton Wars

16 Clinton’s Revenge

17 George Bush Rides In

18 War Abroad and War at Home

PART IV THE WAY WE WERE

19 A Change of Culture

20 When Adults Were in Charge

21 Bipartisanship

22 The Power of the Parlor

PART V COMMON GROUND

23 Common Ground: Slogan or Choice?

24 Common Ground: A Campaign Guide for 2008

25 Selling Common Ground

26 Thoughts and Conclusions

EPILOGUE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

SEARCHABLE TERMS

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

CREDITS

COPYRIGHT

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER