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Featured Selections: Resources for Activists
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Rules for Radicals
by Saul Alinsky
This book teaches readers how to be effective organizers and "realistic radicals." Alinsky, a leftist folk hero on college campuses, gained prominence by organizing the Chicago stockyards first made famous by Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Later, he made waves by organizing an aggressive voter registration drive aimed at challenging Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. This book gives conservatives greater insight into the agenda of the left, and an understanding of their "end justifies the means" worldview. |
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Patton on Leadership
by Alan Axelrod
Many of the same rules that make you a good military leader translate well to the business world -- and to politics. Though this book isn't about politics, the odds are, you'll learn more about how to win in politics from this book than you will from the vast majority of political books out there. |
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Bad Boy
by John Brady
About the political life of Lee Atwater, "the godfather of spin," this book details Atwater's political strategies, from managing local races to running Bush's 1988 campaign. Woven into the biography are valuable lessons about campaigning -- information that they don't teach you in college. Though many disagree with Lee Atwater's personal -- and political -- life, it shouldn't dissuade you from learning from this brilliant strategist. (We certainly don't endorse his sins, but you'd better understand them if you're going to work in politics). |
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The Advance Man
by Jerry Bruno and Jeff Greenfield
Jerry Bruno was JFK's "advance man," and this book shares insider "secrets" about how to use P.R. to generate excited crowds at your candidate's speeches and stops. If you've ever wondered how to make a crowd of 50 look like 200 people -- you must read this book. Co-authored by Jeff Greenfield, former speechwriter for John Lindsay and RFK, this book won't dazzle you with grand strategy, but it will give you the practical tools to get good press. This book also proves that even "the so-called experts" don't have all the answers (the last chapter is titled, "Lindsay will beat Nixon"). |
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Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power
by Robert A. Caro
Want to get serious about politics? Read Robert Caro's biography chronicling the early life of Lyndon Johnson through his defeat the first time he ran for the U.S. Senate. Learn how Lyndon Johnson honed the skills that would later put him in the White House. This book is perfect for the ambitious politico involved at the local, state, or even congressional level. |
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What It Takes: The Road to the White House
by Richard Ben Cramer
I wouldn't recommend this behind-the-scenes look at the 1988 presidential primaries to someone running for office today (no candidate should have time to read a 1,000 plus page book during the campaign). But it's perfect for someone who wants to get involved in campaign politics or move to Washington. It's a great insight into the psyche of candidates, the jargon of campaigns -- and a demonstration of just how tough campaings are. (The author of this book is also a frequent contributer to Rolling Stone and Esquire. Some of the language in this book certainly isn't appropriate for younger readers). |
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The Art of Political War
by David Horowitz
Former Congressman James Rogan calls David Horowitz the "Sun Tzu of the twenty-first century." He may be right. This book teaches conservatives the very techniques that the left has perfected for decades. Endorsed by Karl Rove, this book is an excellent read for any conservative who wants to learn how to win. |
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The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything
by Guy Kawasaki
The Art of the Start will give you the essential steps to launch great products, services, and companies—whether you are dreaming of starting the next Microsoft or a not-for-profit that’s going to change the world. It also shows managers how to unleash entrepreneurial thinking at established companies, helping them foster the pluck and creativity that their businesses need to stay ahead of the pack. Kawasaki provides readers with GIST—Great Ideas for Starting Things—including his field-tested insider’s techniques for bootstrapping, branding, networking, recruiting, pitching, rainmaking, and, most important in this fickle consumer climate, building buzz. |
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Selling the Dream
by Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki's phenomenal success at Apple Computer and as a start-up entrepreneur was the result of an innovative approach to sales, marketing, and management called evangelism. Evangelism means convincing people to believe in your product or ideas as much as you do, by using fervor, zeal, guts, and cunning to mobilize your customers and staff into becoming as passionate about a cause as you are.
Selling the Dream is a handbook and workbook for putting evangelism into action. Kawasaki charts a complete blueprint for the beginning evangelist that covers such topics as how to define a cause (whether it is a business, like Windham Hill Records or the Body Shop, or a public interest concern, like the National Audubon Society or Mothers Against Drunk Driving), how to identify good and bad enemies, how to deliver an effective presentation, and how to find, train, and recruit new evangelists. One of the highlights of the book is a short course in developing an evangelistic business plan, illustrated by the complete, original Macintosh Product Introduction Plan. |
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Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty
by Harvey MacKay
Though not a political book, per se, it should be mandatory for every aspiring politician. It teaches you how to develop a network of friends who'll be there when you need them. One of the best ideas espoused in this book is that it's not how many people you know, but how well you know them that counts. Before I finished chapter one, I picked up the phone and called ten friends that I hadn't talked to in years. |
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Hardball: How Politics is Played, Told By One Who Knows the Game
by Chris Matthews
An essential read for anyone getting involved in politics. Chris Matthews teaches political maxims through parables. Learn how Presidents Reagan, Johnson, Kennedy, and many others used the lessons espoused in this book to get to the top. If I had a friend who was getting involved in politics and wanted to read only one book, I'd give them a copy of Hardball -- and then get out of their way. |
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21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
by John Maxwell
"Elizabeth Dole mastered it. If husband Bob had done the same, he might have become the forty-third president of the United States." What is it? The Law of Connection. And it's just one of the 21 laws that you and I need to master. |
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Nofziger
by Lyn Nofziger
This is a behind the scenes look at politics during the Nixon and Reagan administrations. Serving President Reagan since 1966, Nofziger's account is unique. (Most Reagan authors never knew the President before his days as California's governor). In addition to giving you lots of Reagan info, this book is loaded with tips that campaign professionals ought to know. He talks a lot about "handling" the candidate. For example, anyone who has run a campaign knows it's difficult to convince the candidate to stay on message and "spin" their way out of tough interviews. Nofziger addresses this common lament: "Most candidates have a compulsive urge to answer a question. It was my job...to keep the candidate and the campaign on track. Otherwise, the other guy wins." |
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On Speaking Well
by Peggy Noonan
"Elizabeth Dole mastered it. If husband Bob had done the same, he might have become the forty-third president of the United States." What is it? The Law of Connection. And it's just one of the 21 laws that you and I need to master. |
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All Politics is Local
by former House Speaker Tip O'Neill
Whether knocking on doors or meeting folks at the county fair, the best way to persuade people is the personal way. In this short but sweet book, former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil shares a lifetime of stories to illustrate this important lesson. Even if you aren't an avid reader, you'll find it difficult to put this book down. |
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Lincoln on Leadership
by Donald T. Phillips
It's been reported that Bill Clinton treated this book as his political Bible. But don't let that discourage you (this book was recommended to me by former Christian Coalition leader, Ralph Reed). Abraham Lincoln overcame much to become what most historians regard as our "greatest President." For me, the best part of this book was learning how he managed and motivated his generals to action. You can learn a lot from "Honest Abe." |
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Confrontational Politics
by H.L. Richardson
Written by former California State Senator H.L. Richardson (also the founder of Gun Owners of America) this book is excellent at teaching conservatives how to fight back: "Our liberal cultural elites don't mind if you get involved in politics. They just don't want you to be any good at it." Reading Confrontational Politics will help you become "good at it." |
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Reagan on Leadership : Executive Lessons from the Great Communicator
by James M. Strock
Who better to learn from than "The Great Communicator"? Studying President Ronald Reagan will not only make you better at politics, it'll make you a better person! Being decisive, negotiating from strength and crafting a compelling vision are just a few of the lessons you'll learn from James M. Strock's fabulous book about President Reagan's leadership. |
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Theodore Roosevelt on Leadership : Executive Lessons from the Bully Pulpit
by James M. Strock
Theodore Roosevelt is an excellent person to study for one simple reason: he believed that his leadership abilities were learned and developed. By reading and studying other leaders, he made a concerted effort to develop himself (much like the way he developed his weak and sickly body into the "roughrider" we now remember). Roosevelt wrote of Ulysses S. Grant, "It is part of the man's greatness that now we can use his career purely for illustration." You and I can say the same thing about TR. |
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