The Book Every Good Progressive Should Read

Posted by David Sirota at 11:00 AM on June 27, 2007.

Mike Stark, writing at DailyKos, makes the point that it is important for the progressive movement to support movement progressives when they get out there in the traditional media fighting the good fight. This is something the conservative movement does so well - and we have an important opportunity right now to support one of our champions, Glenn Greenwald.

Glenn, as regular readers know, has been a recipient of this blog's Tom Chambers Award for his strong commitment to exposing and ridiculing Beltway media bias over at his blog. He has a new book out called A Tragic Legacy about the collapse of the Bush administration. I'll admit to only reading the introduction and first chapter, as I've been digging out from a move to Denver - but what's clear from the get-go in the book is that it's a devastating indictment, and not just of the Bush White House, but of the media that worships it.

Every reader of this site should go over to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell's or your local bookstore and buy Glenn's book. It's not just an important read - it's also important for us to support movement progressives. If we can move Glenn's book up the bookseller charts and onto the New York Times bestseller list, he has a better chance of getting his message out through more traditional media channels. That's because - for better or for worse - the media responds and gives time/attention to those who have a proven audience. A book that gets on the New York Times bestseller list is not just a book that sells well - it is a symbol to the media gatekeepers that there is a major audience for both the author in question and the progressive message in general.

Ultimately, this is the way we're going to make sure that when Ann Coulter gets an appearance on, say, Good Morning America to say she hopes John Edwards dies in a terrorist attack, we have more voices that can demand a counter appearance to say she's a crazy lunatic. Coulter gets on these shows and gets her platform, as Chris Matthews admitted this week, because the conservative movement backs her up with support at the bookstore. The same can be so for our side. So go get Glenn's book today and help continue building our movement.

ADDENDUM: Some may say that I advocate for supporting progressive writers because I am a writer myself. Sure, I guess I am biased in that way, but my motivations come from a different place. I am a writer BECAUSE that is how I think I can best contribute to building the progressive movement, but - as with almost anything in life - you can't make build something on your own. You need the help of others. In the political arena, writers need the help and support of their audience to get their message out. That's why I regularly urge readers to support all sorts of progressive causes and
voices - because that's how we're going to be a successful movement together.

Tagged as: books, glenn greenwald

David Sirota is a veteran political strategist and author of Hostile Takeover, a New York Times bestseller about the corruption of both political parties.