CLEAR AGENDA

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The Art of Political War
And Other Radical Pursuits

By David Horowitz

Review by Phillip Reynolds:

Politics is a war in which everyone has their guns blazing and each side constantly looks for their next target. The showdown has always been Republicans versus Democrats, each party adjusting their strategies and deadly techniques to obliterate the enemy.

David Horowitz, a former 60s leftist turned libertarian conservative, understands the art behind such political wars and in his latest book, The Art of Political War, he outlines the reasons why Democrats seem to keep winning these wars and what Republicans need to do to change the political tides. The first half of the book is devoted to the modern political war and the second half is a compilation of articles he has written about highly controversial topics.

While Republicans continue to blame the liberal media for their failures, Horowitz urges them to take the offensive and fight back using the same devious tactics of the Democrats. He writes about the rules and the strategies to the political war and cites examples of how these tactics are applied to win. Democrats stray from the traditional rules, while conservatives stand aside and complain. Horowitz concludes that Democrats get it while conservatives do not. They need to fight fire with fire.

During the Clinton sex scandals, it wasn't luck that won the President his second term, but strategy and political spin. The Republicans never found their collective voice against Clinton, while Democrats were screaming at the top of the lungs, "sexual McCarthyism", against the Republican prosecutors. The Clinton Administration used the public's ignorance of constitutional interpretation during the impeachment trial to allow the political arguments to prevail and sway. The American public was enjoying a soaring economy and Democrats were able to portray Clinton as the victim to partisan attacks. This was enough to win the war. As Horowitz puts it, "It's the politics, stupid".

Horowitz continues to show how Democrats understand the principles of the modern political war and what conservatives should do to combat their tactics. He encourages Republicans to use soundbites that define the Democrats and neutralize their attacks, to reach out to the working class and minorities, and to take back issues that Clinton has taken credit. He provides example strategies to do this effectively.

David Horowitz does an extraordinary job at figuring out why Democrats control the media and how they consistently win the political game. From his interpretations, he draws important conclusions about liberals in the political game. His principles behind political war are simple but very true. Every conservative will appreciate the information and advice Horowitz offers on the political war. I think the public will see some of the book's tactics used in the upcoming elections by Republicans. Democrats of course are up to their old tricks, (smear tactics, labeling and political spin to make Republicans the enemy).

In the second half of the book, Horowitz compiles a number of essays and articles that he has written for the online magazine Salon.com that involve highly controversial issues. If you have ever read Horowitz's other books or articles, you know that he is not afraid to take any issue head on. These essays range from school reform to racial preference (affirmative action), in which Horowitz ridicules key players for their extremely liberal views and actions. The conclusions he draws might seem harsh, but overall, they are fairly true.

Horowitz claims that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are destroying the civil rights movement started by Martin Luther King Jr., blaming white people for the problems prevalent in the black community instead of taking action to correct them. He takes aim at top liberal intellectuals and officials such as Cornel West, Naom Chomsky, and Tipper Gore.

He also includes his own personal experiences with liberals, such as a Time columnist Jack White's smear campaign on Horowitz's previous book, Hating Whitey, and Horowitz's own involvement with the Black Panthers in the 1970s that led to the death of a close friend. Horowitz is able to make specific and insightful conclusions on prominent social and political issues.

The views and experiences that Horowitz writes about in The Art of Political War show the harsh realities of politics and the extremes to which liberals are more than willing to take. All of his arguments make sense in today's tense, 'politically correct' atmosphere, and even show Democrats' hypocritical nature.

I've always held conservatives to a higher standard when it comes to political tactics, but Horowitz makes sound arguments with great evidence of why enough is enough. Republicans and conservatives can use the information in this book to gain an advantage in everyday political arguments and political wars.

Horowitz doesn't dance nimbly around controversial issues, but aims straight for the heart, which is very satisfying to any conservative. His aggressive writing style is easily understood and straightforward. I love it when someone in the political arena has the guts to say and write what everyone is thinking. If you're conservative and are sick of the liberal spin placed on every aspect of society, this book is the blueprint to fight back.
 

Phillip Reynolds is a recent graduate of the College of Charleston who started his career working at Empower America, a conservative public policy think tank. He recently worked for The Heritage Foundation in the Online Communications department.