Book Review: Confrontational Politics

Most of us realize that politics in America is nothing more than a game – a game to get more power and influence and knock your opponents out of positions of the same.  An ugly game, at that.  In his book Confrontational Politics, former California senator Bill Richardson gives us a thorough run-down of how the game is played.  Creating a perception of popular support.  Organizing and leveraging the power of ideological minorities.  Manipulating people’s hot buttons.  Seeking out conflict in an effort to advance political goals.  It is a fascinating little primer on how to make things happen in America.

Here’s the catch: Bill Richardson is a right-winger and very much so.  He is founder of an organization called Gun Owners of America; that should give you a clue.  (In fact, Nordskog published this book on behalf of the Gun Owners Foundation.)  Richardson openly demonizes left-wingers in this book and makes no apologies for that.  The ugly, manipulative, confrontational political tactics he describes he specifically attributes to left-wing politicians.  His purpose for writing the book, he says, is to educate the good guys on his side in the tactics of the opposition and encourage them to start fighting fire with fire.

If you’re an extreme right-winger, you’ll probably love this book.  If you’re a liberal, you probably won’t get through the first chapter before you hurl it into the fireplace.  If you’re one like me, who hopes desperately for center ground, productive discourse, and genuine progress . . . well, you’ll probably walk away from the book enlightened but discouraged at where we have come to as a society.

If I’ve piqued your interest, you can purchase the book from Nordskog Publishing here.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.