Comeback - by M Steven Fish

Book Synopsis

The fate of American democracy now hinges on the Democrats' ability to defeat the Republicans for the foreseeable future. But for the Democrats to win consistently, they must reestablish their credentials as fearless leaders, tough fighters, and fierce patriots.

Comeback delivers a bold new take on democracy's crisis. Many liberals think that escalating economic anxieties and cultural backlash drove voters to Trump. But a crush of data shows this thinking to be deeply flawed. It also strikes working-class voters as condescending and repellent. And while the Democrats stick to "kitchen table" issues and showing how much they care, voters care more about strength and commitment to principle than prescription drug prices.

Politics is a dominance game and a contest to capture the flag. Politicians who seem to be the strongest leaders and most passionate patriots hold the advantage. The Republicans get it. The Democrats don't.

Republicans have a high-dominance political style. They take risks, savor conflict, and use provocative language. Democrats have a low-dominance style. They're risk-averse, afraid to engage on cultural issues-and more than a little boring. Republicans hammer away at their patriotism, even as they betray the nation and shred American values. Democrats are loyal to American values but have grown squeamish about patriotism and have no national story.

Ordinary people often don't recognize themselves in the stories liberal politicians tell about them, while the authoritarians speak a language of dominance and national greatness that connects. The Democrats need a new approach to messaging. Comeback spells it out-and provides a roadmap for trouncing Trumpism.

Review Quotes

"In this powerful and provocative book, democracy scholar Steven Fish argues convincingly that what liberals need now is strong leadership, with buoyant, vigorous, self-confident messaging, to combat bullying authoritarianism, 'recapture the flag' for democracy, and excite people with a positive moral vision of change . . . This is a rallying cry for Democrats to reestablish 'their reputations for superior strength and patriotism.'"-Larry Diamond, Mosbacher Senior Fellow of Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford University, and author of The Spirit of Democracy

"As authoritarianism threatens to take hold in the United States, many Americans have bought into narratives of inevitable decline and found themselves overtaken by despair. Steve Fish is having none of it. Comeback is the work of a veteran scholar and happy warrior: Fish not only corrects the record but lays out a battle plan for saving democracy."-Tom Nichols, Staff writer at The Atlantic and author of The Death of Expertise

"For all those who want to truly understand the Trump phenomenon, Steven Fish's Comeback is revelatory. For those who long to defeat Trump and Trumpism once and for all, Comeback is vital reading."-Mark Danner, author of Spiral: Trapped in the Forever War

"From an eminent scholar of democracy and dictatorship comes this crucial, cogent, and impassioned plea for rescuing American democracy. Comeback gave me hope that democracy in the United States could survive-if enough people read it and take Fish's critically important findings to heart."-Valerie Sperling, Professor of Political Science, Clark University, and coauthor of Courting Gender Justice

"Fish lays waste to a string of narratives that lead to electoral dead ends and provides a script for a campaign to beat back-and dominate-Trump and his miserable vision. If you're a democratic patriot, or a patriotic Democrat, you'll be nodding along as you read. This book could help the right side win."-John Carey, Professor of Government, Dartmouth College, founder of Bright Line Watch, and coauthor of Campus Diversity: The Hidden Consensus