The Lost Majority: Why the Future of Government Is Up for Grabs - and Who Will Take It
“There is much that is useful in Trende’s data-rich analysis, even (perhaps especially) for those put off by his conservative credentials… he reminds us that nothing is inevitable in American politics. Demographic advantage does not equal certain political victory.”—The New Republic “Trende has developed a reputation as one of the country’s most promising younger political analysts. In this iconoclastic, detailed study, he takes on one of the most visible and widely supported theories in contemporary American politics…Trende makes a strong argument that American politics is surprisingly fluid and that the widespread belief in the existence of distinct eras—such as the New Deal era, from 1932 to 1968, or the era of Republican ascendance, from Richard Nixon through George W. Bush—does not hold up under close examination.”—Foreign Affairs"A remarkably informative and insightful primer on American elections….Many of Trende’s topics would be fertile ground for an entire book, and I join Trende’s many fans in looking forward to his next one. When the time arrives to draw up the curriculum for the Walter Lippmann Pundit Training Academy — think clown college, but less amusing — Sean Trende’s book ought to be at the top of the reading list.”--The National Review"If you read only one political book before the presidential election make it THE LOST MAJORITY . . . A provocative, original analysis of the coalitions that have shaped the past century's politics . . . The depth of research and incisive analysis displayed in THE LOST MAJORITY powerfully confirm Trende's status as a bright new star in the field." --Lousiville Courier-Journal“Trende is persuasive in debunking realignment theory…on his main subject, the zig and zag of party politics, Trende is wholly convincing. He has a fi ne sense of exactly which item to select from his vast store of data to make his case. In American politics, every majority is in time a lost majority.”--Commentary"A convincing, methodical assessment of historical coalition-building and its impact on contemporary politics . . . [an] impressive debut.”--The Weekly Standard“Readable and logical…a fairly persuasive argument that our general assumptions about the implications of any given election are usually wrong…I heartily recommendThe Lost Majority: particularly if you want to have a good idea how people haveactuallybeen voting for the last ninety years.”--RedState"A brilliant critique of what we might call realignment thinking." --Reihan Salam, The National Review Online“Sean is one of the best analysts in the political realm today because he looks for what the data actually says rather than what he wants it to say. The result is a book that will frustrate both Republican and Democratic activists because it does not foresee a realigning victory for either team. Well done!”—Scott Rasmussen, Founder and President, Rasmussen Reports“For about a half century, students of American politics, including myself, have been held captive by the theory of realignment. Every turnover of Congress or the White House has brought new predictions of a long-term majority. Sean Trende does a remarkably good job of trying to undermine this view of American politics. Anyone interested in where our elections are taking us—on the left or the right—would benefit from reading his book.”—John B. Judis, Senior Editor,The New Republic, and author ofThe Emerging Democratic Majority “For years I thought there was nothing new to be found on the well-trodden ground of American political history over the last century. I was wrong. InThe Lost MajoritySean Trende provides an original and convincing analysis of the politics of our past and a bracing look at where it can go in the future. Required reading for all political junkies.”—Michael Barone, Senior Political Analyst,The Washington Examiner “The last ten years of American politics have been a roller coaster that has confounded all the experts. Until now. In this groundbreaking book, Sean Trende of RealClearPolitics re-conceives the last 80 years of American history to explain persuasively why both the Republicans and Democrats have foundered, and what happens next to both sides. This one is a must-have for those with an interest in next year’s electoral battle!”—Jay Cost,The Weekly Standard “This thoughtful, data-rich, well-argued book by Sean Trende makes a persuasive case: that dreams of a permanent electoral majority are destined to be dashed. Every president and his advisers dream the dream, that a temporary victory in one or two elections can somehow be transformed into one-party rule for eons. Free people in a republic won’t permit it, and economic cycles and other big events will eventually make fast work of political plans hatched in anybody’s Oval Office.”—Larry Sabato, author ofA More Perfect Constitution