Coffee Party Book Club - The Stronghold: by Professor Thomas Schaller

How Republicans Captured Congress but Surrendered the White House. Once the party of presidents, the GOP in recent elections has failed to pull together convincing national majorities. Republicans have lost four of the last six presidential races and lost the popular vote in five of the last six. In their lone victory, the party incumbent won—during wartime—by the slimmest of margins. In this fascinating and important book, Thomas Schaller examines national Republican politics since President Ronald Reagan left office in 1989. From Newt Gingrich’s ascent to Speaker of the House through the defeat of Mitt Romney in 2012, Schaller traces the Republican Party’s institutional transformation and its broad consequences, not only for Republicans but also for America. Here is Schaller’s message: as the GOP became more conservative, it became more Congress-centered, and as its congressional wing grew more powerful, the party grew more conservative. His belief is that this “dangerous loop”, unless broken, may signal a future of increasing radicalization, dependency on a shrinking pool of voters, and less viability as a true national party. It’s a thought-provoking idea that we invite our Coffee Party USA members to consider by reading the book and joining us for a discussion with the author. A link for purchasing the book can be found on our Coffee Party USA website. On Monday, March 30 at 8:30pm EST, you will have your chance to ask Professor Schaller about his take on the direction of the Republican Party and what it means for all of us as we host him on our special monthly BlogTalk Radio program event. Mark you calendar now!