Political Ideologies Audiobooks | Politics

Compassionate Conservatism: What It Is, What It Does, and How It Can Transform America

Compassionate conservatism is a new political force in the land, sweeping the grassroots of people of all faiths, races, and ethnicities. In its parts it offers solutions to many of our most intractable problems; in its whole it is nothing less than an innovative philosophy of government. No author is more qualified to explain its power and promise than Marvin Olasky, described by the New York Times as "the godfather of compassionate conservatism." Compassionate conservatism offers a new paradigm for how the government can and should intervene in the economy. It begins with a long-lost premise about human behavior: economics, by itself, is not what changes lives. Only faith, and deeply held beliefs, can do that. For decades government has focused only on material well-being, ignoring the passions and convictions that make life worth living. What is conservative about the new movement is that its leaders also know that government cannot instill these beliefs. What it can do is help them flourish. It can give aid, inspiration, and direction to America's natural "armies of compassion" that have been a hallmark of our history since the founding. Compassionate conservatism offers a way to transcend the root problems that currently oppress too many deserving Americans. It offers a unique vision of the triangular relationship between the state, our many churches, and our tens of thousands of charities. It is a true reinvention of welfare, a wholesale revolution in the welfare state, and a redefinition of the social safety net. In Compassionate Conservatism, Marvin Olasky takes us on a road trip with his son, Daniel, across the country, showing exactly how the new movement is unfolding. Along the way, he offers a set of principles, and a brief tour through history to show that these are not so much radically new ideas as rediscoveries of long-lost wisdom. Read this book for a blueprint of the future of politics and welfare in America.

Marvin Olasky (Author), Jeff Riggenbach (Narrator)

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The Communist Manifesto

Without question one of the most significant books in modern history, The Communist Manifesto is a brief, populist pamphlet that distils the core ideas of Communism into accessible prose. Published just months before violent uprisings threatened to destabilise much of the European establishment, it outlines a view of history as a constant battle between the classes that will inevitably result in revolution. An angry call for a stateless world where the workers are no longer exploited, its depiction of the remorseless nature of the remorseless nature of modern capitalism is as alarming and striking now as it was in 1848.

Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx (Author), Charles Armstrong, Roy McMillan (Narrator)

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The Closing of the American Mind

More than just a huge #1 best seller, this is one of the great and vitally important books of our time. Allan Bloom, a professor of social thought at the University of Chicago and a noted translator of Plato and Rousseau, argues that the social and political crisis of modern America is really an intellectual crisis. From the universities' lack of purpose to their students' lack of learning, from the jargon of liberation to the supplanting of reason by "creativity," Bloom shows how American democracy has unwittingly played host to vulgarized ideas of nihilism and despair, of relativism disguised as tolerance. Bloom demonstrates that the collective mind of the American university is closed to the principles of the Western tradition, in particular its spiritual heritage, which gave rise to the university in the first place. "Brilliant....so witty and so thoughtful, so outrageous and so sensible, so amusing and so chilling....An extraordinary book."-Wall Street Journal

Allan Bloom (Author), Christopher Hurt (Narrator)

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The Closing of the American Mind

More than just a huge #1 bestseller, this is one of the great and vitally important books of our time. Allan Bloom, a professor of social thought at the University of Chicago and a noted translator of Plato and Rousseau, argues that the social and political crisis of twentieth century America is really an intellectual crisis. From the universities' lack of purpose to their students' lack of learning, from the jargon of liberation to the supplanting of reason by "creativity," Bloom shows how American democracy has unwittingly played host to vulgarized Continental ideas of nihilism and despair, of relativism disguised as tolerance. Bloom demonstrates that the collective mind of the American university is closed to the principles of the Western tradition, and that it is especially closed to the spiritual heritage of the West, which gave rise to the university in the first place.

Allan Bloom (Author), Christopher Hurt (Narrator)

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The Mendacity of Hope: Barack Obama and the Betrayal of American Liberali

Americans find themselves in genuine confusion and dismay concerning the actions of President Obama's administration. What happened to reform? What happened to the heroic candidate who promised to change Washington? On one issue after another the Obama Administration has turned out to be a kinder, gentler version of the Bush Administration. None of Obama's most important campaign promises have come to pass. The Mendacity of Hope explains why the Obama Administration was destined to fail from the beginning: behind the uplifting rhetoric of the Obama campaign there was lurking a business-as-usual corporate machine. A brilliantly crafted call to arms, The Mendacity of Hope offers an essential analysis of the American political system and the powerful players who control our government.

Roger D. Hodge (Author), James Lurie (Narrator)

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Let Me Go

In 1998, Helga Schneider, in her 60s, was summoned from Italy to the nursing home in Vienna in which her 90-year-old mother lived. The last time she had seen her mother was 27 years earlier, when her mother asked her daughter to try on the SS uniform which she treasures, and tried to give her several items of jewellery, the loot of Holocaust victims, which Schneider rejected. Prior to that, the last time they had seen each other was in 1941 (when Schneider was 4 and her brother 19 months old), when Fr Schneider abandoned her family in order to pursue her career as an SS officer. As their conversation continues, Schneider establishes that from the Nazi women's camp at Ravensbruck, her mother moved to Auschwitz-Birkenau where she was in charge of a "correction" unit where brutal torture was administered. Her mother not only remains uncontrite, but continues to regard her former prisoners as the sub-human inferiors of Nazi ideology. Helga Schneider's extraordinary, frank account is desperately sad and extremely powerful. She describes without sentimentality or self-pity her own difficult upbringing and the raising of her own child against the background of painful confrontation of the reality of her mother. She skillfully interweaves her family history the story of their final meeting and powerfully evokes the dreadful misery of Nazi and immediate post-war Berlin. This is an important document on many levels: as Holocaust history, as evidence of the power of political ideology, and as an exploration of moral responsibility.

Helga Schneider (Author), Anne Dover (Narrator)

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The New Road to Serfdom: A Letter of Warning to America

In March 2009 British conservative Daniel Hannan became an overnight celebrity when he assailed Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the floor of the European parliament. The YouTube clip went viral, leading to whirlwind appearances on FOX and other conservative media outlets. A thoughtful and articulate spokesman for conservative ideas, Hannan is better versed in America's traditions and founding documents than many Americans are. In The New Road to Serfdom, Hannan argues forcefully and passionately that Americans must not allow Barack Obama to take us down the road to EU-style social democracy. Instead, he pleads with Americans not to abandon the founding principles that made this country a beacon of liberty for the rest of the world.

Daniel Hannan (Author), Gildart Jackson (Narrator)

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Politics - According to the Bible

A variety of perspectives exist within the Christian community when it comes to political issues and political involvement. This comprehensive and readable book presents a political philosophy from the perspective that the Gospel pertains to all of life so Christians should be involved in political issues. In brief, this is an analysis of conservative and liberal plans to do good for the nation, evaluated in light of the Bible and common sense. In this ground-breaking book, recognized evangelical Bible professor Wayne Grudem rejects five mistaken views about Christian influence on politics: (1) 'compel religion,' (2) 'exclude religion,' (3) 'all government is demonic,' (4) 'do evangel-ism, not politics,' and (5) 'do politics, not evangelism.' He proposes a better alternative: (6) 'significant Christian influence on government.' Then he explains the Bible's teachings about the purpose of civil government and the characteristics of good or bad government. Does the Bible support some form of democracy? Should judges and the courts hold the ultimate power in a nation? With respect to specific political issues, Grudem argues that most people's political views depend on deep-seated assump-tions about several basic moral and even theological questions, such as whether God exists, whether absolute moral stan-dards can be known, whether there is good and evil in each person's heart, whether people should be accountable for their good and bad choices, whether property should belong to individuals or to society, and whether the purpose of the earth's resources is to bring benefit to mankind. After addressing these foundational questions, Grudem provides a thoughtful, carefully-reasoned analysis of over fifty specific issues dealing with the protection of life, marriage, the family and children, economic issues and taxation, the environment, national defense, relationships to other nations, freedom of speech and religion, quotas, and special interests. He makes frequent application to the current policies of the Democratic and Republi-can parties in the United States, but the principles discussed here are relevant for any nation.

Maurice England, Wayne A. Grudem, Wayne Grudem (Author), Maurice England, Wayne Grudem, Zondervan Publishing (Narrator)

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America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag

America by Heart is a highly personal testament to Sarah Palin's deep love of country, her strong roots in faith, and her profound appreciation of family. The book includes brief readings from classic and contemporary readings that have moved and inspired her, as well as Americans, both famous and obscure, whom she admires. Ranging widely over American history, culture, and current affairs, Governor Palin reflects on the key values that have been such an essential part of her own life and that continue to inform her vision of America's future.

Sarah Palin (Author), Sarah Palin (Narrator)

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Leadership and Crisis

From day one of the BP oil spill, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal acted as a leader in a crisis should: quickly and decisively'providing a stark contrast to President Obama, who dithered and bogged down the containment process with needless bureaucracy. In his new book, Leadership and Crisis, Jindal reveals the extent of the Obama administration's incompetence during the oil spill and shows why commonsense conservative solutions are exactly what we need to solve all of our nation's biggest problems. Tackling everything from Obamacare and the economy to environmental and energy issues, Jindal presents his own solutions to today's most pressing problems'and proves why the principles of limited government and conservative leadership are the key to getting America back on her feet. Blending Jindal's unique personal story with the current events of today, Leadership and Crisis reminds us how a true leader should act and reveals how we can restore America to greatness through the timeless principles put forth by our Founding Fathers and the Constitution.

Bobby Jindal, Curt Anderson, Peter Schweizer (Author), Sean Runnette (Narrator)

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Profiles in Leadership

The best historians in the land consider examples of great leadership, well known and surprising, from Washington to Willkie and more. What made FDR a more successful leader during the Depression crisis than Hoover? Why was Eisenhower more effective as supreme commander during World War II than he was as president? Why was Grant one of the best presidents of his day, if not in all of American history? What drove Bobby Kennedy into the scrum of electoral politics? Who was Pauli Murray and why was she one of the most decisive figures in the movement for civil rights? Find the surprising and revelatory answers to these questions and more in this collection of new essays by great historians, including Sean Wilentz, Alan Brinkley, Annette Gordon-Reed, Jean Strouse, Robert Dallek, Frances FitzGerald, and others. Entertaining and insightful individually, taken together the essays represent a valuable set of reflections on the enduring ingredients of leadership.

Nicholas Hormann (Author), Nicholas Hormann, Walter Isaacson (Narrator)

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The Mendacity of Hope: Barack Obama and the Betrayal of American Liberalism

A fearless and incisive manifesto that exposes the real causes of President Obama's failure to enact liberal reform, by the former editor of Harper's Magazine Americans find themselves in genuine confusion and dismay concerning the actions of President Obama's administration, especially when it comes to the financial crisis and health care. Obama's reform packages, passed with great fanfare, ignore the most significant perils facing the United States. In The Mendacity of Hope, Roger D. Hodge makes the provocative case that substantive reform was never even on the table. Behind the euphoria of Obama's victory was in fact a business-as-usual corporate machine, a bloc of political investors, campaign contributors, and lobbyists expecting big returns on their investments. And what a return they have received: in one bailout after another, for the health insurance industry as well as for Wall Street, Obama made sure that the Democratic Party's most powerful investors made out like bandits. None of Obama's most important campaign promises, ending the Iraq war, abolishing torture, closing Guantánamo, changing Washington's culture of corruption, has come to pass. Instead, he has escalated the conflict in Afghanistan, bailed out the bankers, and institutionalized the civil rights abuses of the Bush regime. Another president might have played the forces of corporate interest differently, but Hodge argues that the fantasy of American politics is that a different kind of president is possible without a fundamental reform of our political system. Americans bought into the delusion that one man could bring change to Washington, but instead of reform we've seen a continuation of George W. Bush's assault on the Constitution. Obama's presidency has demonstrated that mere hope is never enough, that change will come only when the American people take charge of their own politics. A brilliantly crafted call to arms, The Mendacity of Hope offers an essential analysis of the American political system and the powerful interests that control our government.

Roger D. Hodge (Author), James Lurie, Roger D. Hodge (Narrator)

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Political Ideologies Audiobooks in Politics