The Real State of the Union

From the Best Minds in America, Bold Solutions to the Problems Politicians Dare Not Address
By Ted Halstead, New America Foundation
New America Books/Basic Books | March 2004
256 pp. | ISSN: 0465050522

The brightest and most original minds in America offer a penetrating analysis of the state of the union and the policy challenges facing the nation as the 2004 election approaches.

Resulting from a collaboration between The Atlantic Monthly magazine and the New America Foundation, The Real State of the Union features 18 original essays on the most important facets of our national well-being. Written by many of our nation's most insightful observers, the essays provide an objective and penetrating analysis of the most critical challenges facing America as well as innovative solutions to many of them.

The State of the Union Address is among the nation's oldest rituals, but one that has deviated from its original purpose: Rather than a candid assessment of the country or a meaningful self-evaluation by the current administration, it has become a political spectacle marked by self-congratulation and spin. The Real State of the Union seeks to turn an empty exercise into a more meaningful national dialogue about the social, political, and economic health of our country. Rejecting the political correctness of both parties, this volume tells the American public what it needs to know about the real problems that plague the country and why the political solutions that are offered too often fail to address the real nature of those problems.

Contributors

  • Geneive Abdo
  • Ricardo Bayon
  • Ray Boshara
  • Katherine Boo
  • Shannon Brownlee
  • Michael Calabrese
  • James Fallows
  • Noah Feldman
  • David Friedman
  • Francis Fukuyama
  • Jacob Hacker
  • Ted Halstead
  • Karen Kornbluh
  • Michael Lind
  • Phillip Longman
  • Maya MacGuineas
  • Matthew Miller
  • James Pinkerton
  • Jedediah Purdy
  • Jonathan Rauch
  • Gregory Rodriguez
  • Laurie Rubiner
  • Sherle Schwenninger
  • J.H Snider
  • Paul Starobin
  • Margaret Talbot
  • Jennifer Washburn

More Praise for The Real State of the Union

"An exhilarating and mind-stretching way of thinking about where the United States stands at this moment."
David Broder, The Washington Post

"One-stop shopping for all the issues that matter in the '04 election."
Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek

"Clearly, this brilliant collection proves that the future belongs to those who can think outside the tired old boxes of left and right."
Dr. Eric Schmidt, Chairman And CEO, Google Inc.

"Eschewing party lines, The New America Foundation may become the only think tank that matters."
Esquire