I think weve had historical uprisings that have gone in progressive and conservative directions, says Sirota. The best example is 1976. You had an outsider running for president right after a major corruption scandal. You had an impending energy crisis, a pending recession. This sounds exactly like whats going on today. We all feel like were at a progressive moment right now. And although Jimmy Carter won, the uprising was not represented in the administration. It just got more intense and very quickly turned into a conservative movement through the presidency of Ronald Reagan. My book basically concluded that this is a very high-stakes moment where the country could go in one direction or the other in a pretty intense way.
For more information, call 303-447-2074 or go to www.boulderbookstore.com. Sirota heads to the Colfax Avenue Tattered Cover tomorrow; get details at www.tatteredcover.com.
Tue., July 15, 2008