Reviews of Independents Rising
Independents Rising:
Outsider Movements, Third Parties, and the Struggle for a Post-Partisan America
Jacqueline S. Salit. Palgrave Macmillan, $25 (256p) ISBN 978-0-230-33912-5
Given the upcoming presidential election, Salit’s earnest and informative book is sure to be consulted by those trying to understand the enigmatic and influential independent voter. Independents first spilled into the mainstream with the 1992 presidential campaign of Ross Perot (who garnered 19% of the popular vote) and have been a driving source of politics ever since. Salit, president of IndependentVoting.org and publisher of The Neo-Independent magazine, details the history of independents from Perot to Bloomberg and into the age of Obama. Covering both national and regional concerns, the book is strongest when it demystifies the movement itself. As Salit emphatically illustrates, independents are not motivated by ideology but, rather, by a desire to reform the current political system. Such reforms would include opening up primary elections and the end of partisan dominance. Salit often touts her credentials within the movement, but her closeness to the story serves to highlight the book’s weaknesses, which include the sometimes defensive tone, bland anecdotes about lunch meetings, and confusing accounts of political infighting. Regardless, the book gives necessary voice to voters who are fed up with partisan politics and desire change. Agent: Robert Guinsler, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Aug.) Reviewed on: 04/30/2012
Other Formats: Open Ebook – 256 pages – 978-1-137-07255-9
The independent movement began to grow in the 1970s when Fred Newman launched the New Alliance Party in an attempt to beat back the bipartisan election process. The party gained acceptance among minorities and progressive whites, groups who felt they had been shut out of the system. In 1988, Lenora Fulani, the party’s presidential candidate, was slated on the ballot of all 50 states—not only the first woman, but also the first African-American to do so.
As the NAP expanded, their influence was felt in both local and national politics. Eventually, Fulani and Newman joined Nicholas Sabatine to form the Patriot Party, which was absorbed in California by the Reform Party. As the quest expanded across the country, the candidacy of Ross Perot really put the independent movement on the map. Salit managed Michael Bloomberg’s mayoral race for the Independence Party, proving that they could be a great influence in politics. Two other significant instances in which independent voters displayed their power were the 2008 presidential election and the 2010 congressional elections. As she explains the pitfalls of political life, the author demonstrates her expertise in the fight to give nonpartisan voters a more potent voice in the democratic process. Fighting against the strong political machines of a two-party system may seem Sisyphean now, but Salit’s story of how well they’ve done so far inspires hope that one day they will succeed. Review Issue Date: May 15, 2012 Online Publish Date: May 2, 2012
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THE DAILY BEAST
September 23, 2012
“Independents Rising is a street-level look at the grassroots activism of independent politics, propelling the creation of the New York Independence Party (described as an “anti-party party”) and electing New York City’s independent Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
VANITY FAIR
August 24, 2012
“Must Reads for the Rabble Rouser”
Jacqueline Salit’s Independents Rising (Palgrave Macmillan) surveys the political impact of the grassroots groups stirring up trouble on both sides of the mainstream.
INDIESAREUS
August 13, 2012
“Independents Rising is all at once a history book, a mystery/thriller, a soap opera and a textbook on grass-roots political movements.” [Read more]
INDEPENDENT VOTER NETWORK (IVN)
August 9, 2012
“Independents Rising, by Jacqueline Salit released by Palgrave Macmillan this week, aims to clear up misunderstandings surrounding independent voters and establish the realities of their political power. She takes the reader through decades of major political developments of third parties and the growth of independents in America.” [Read more]
THE HANKSTER
August 6, 2012
“Independents Rising is a beautifully choreographed dance between what was being described by most pundits, journalists, writers, thought-leaders, et al, and what was actually happening on the ground.” [Read more]
EXAMINER.com
April 25, 2012
In her book, Independents Rising, Jacqueline Salit chronicles the growth and maturation of the independent movement over the last quarter century, and exposes the fallacy of viewing independents as just Democrats or Republicans who don’t want to actually be party members, but who can nonetheless be counted on to vote for the party’s nominee. [Read more]
