by David Lebedoff
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Product Description
The New Elite are the self-proclaimed smartest people in the land, a test-score meritocracy that believes the consent of the governed has been made obsolete by th SAT. Lebedoff says the real fight is between those who believe in majority rule and those who believe in rule by experts.
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Average Customer Review:
7 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
 Another right wing attempt to divert your attention and anger. , 2005-07-29
Another attempt by a far-right ideologue to shift the onus for the wreckage of America's current domestic and foreign policy from the Neo-Conservatives who run the Bush administration to some vague notion of a non-existent liberal "elite". This group of hard right Republicans, who have inflicted more material damage to this country, its security, economy and future than any other collection of policy makers in our history, have been able to operate with relatively little interference thanks to this sort of tripe.
If anyone actually gives this book, and ideas like the ones expressed in this book, any real credence, I suggest you look at any one of the last 4 budgets that have been sent to congress by the Bush Administration. The numbers don't lie. Within all the tax cuts for the ultra rich, funded by the sheer gutting of federal programs for the working poor, children's health, port and transportation security, veterans health care, etc, etc, you will see the REAL identity of the elite who are destroying this country.
The ability of the people pushing this type of social Darwinism to succeed rests in the fanning of popular resentment toward the last few people in the press, government and academia with the courage to speak up for the middle and working class in this unique and troubling era in our history.
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
 No There There, 2005-07-16
"There's no Intelligent Life out here. Only You." This is the way the Toyota Trucks ad runs. It has for some time. And if you want to understand why, Read this book.
An Uncivil War, claims Lebedoff, is being waged by a group of Americans whom he calls the New Elite. He defines them as being self-identified people who are 'interested in ideas.' They are often college educated people who have verbal skills but lack other qualities of concern to Lebedoff, most notably that they consider themselves smarter than every one else. But are so in a shallow or unsophisticated way.
Lebedoff points to a long list of fairly obvious problems in the current practice of democracy in America.
1) A crumbling sense of community.
2) Unresponsiveness of government.
3) Elections have ceased to be a forum for the discussion of ideas.
These and a number of other complaints he discusses briefly. Then he posits that all these ills are caused by the class of people he has identified.
The great flaw of the book is that it completely fails to argue persuasively for any link between his New Elite and these problems.
It scarcely argues this central thesis; it assumes it. And this is the fundamental flaw of the book
I agree with Lebedoff in his identification of the problems. I agree with him that these problems need to be solved. And to a limited degree I think his analysis points us in a new direction - a direction that might help. The New Elite - to the extent there is one - has some blind spots. But he implies throughout the book (though denying it once or twice) that there is some sort of conspiracy among the New Elite to grab power and subvert the whole system of democracy in America.
In this area and others the book stumbles seriously. For example, when one identifies a group of Americans numbering close to one hundred million, it is inevitable most sweeping generalizations one makes of the group are bound to be wrong in many or even most instances. One would rightly be skeptical to assert that there is a cohesive group of people with all the following traits:
1) Avoid Risks
2) Advocate Government by Experts
3) Reject Traditional Values
4) Embrace Symbols over Substance
5) Engage in Moral Posturing
Read between the lines and find that these traits are those of the only really clear example of the New Elite to reach the White House. And then suddently realize that one could simply read this book's title as "How Bill Clinton Ruined Democracy in America." I have concerns about some of his policies and some of his attitudes. But in many ways Clinton was a populist. And in many ways both his success and his tragic flaws arose from the qualities in him that gave birth to both his New Elitism and his Populism.
Lebedoff argues that morality and civility should be taught . He advocates a return to 'traditional values.' When most thoughtful people hear these things they hear code language for 'let's use our schools to turn everyone into bible-thumping evangelicals" and run away screaming hysterically. Lebedoff argues that the New Elite fails to respect the traditional values but that it should do so. To the extent Lebedoff is referring to the virtues Hume advocates or the ones advocated by Aristotle, I think he is completely correct. Both sides of the aisle will benefit greatly by adopting these virtues. But when his lines are interpreted as code, I would say we need to be careful to avoid turning our country into the Fourth Reich.
The overarching argument that technocrats should not be the ones responsible for making law is an interesting one. Certainly it is true that when a person runs for political office he should be able to clearly articulate political ideals and philosophies. And he should temper his practice as a legislator or executive according to those ideals and philosophies. A political process that gets us back into the practice of doing this is something I wish for as much as the author. I am skeptical that bashing technocrats or even banishing them from office would be enough to bring about this end.
The founders of the country were unconvinced that America's institutions were quite up to the task of teaching the right virtues. This is why we have mandatory education (which should teach them but falls far short of doing so) and why we have representative democracy and the electoral college. Even Lebedoff argues that the process of introducing more direct methods of electing political convention delegates played a major role in the degredation of political discourse.
Lebedoff takes it as an item of faith that 'majority rule' is the right thing. He is completely unconcerned about history's lessons about failed states run by majority rule. Nor does he spend any time examanining this premise. He simply imagines that there is some sort of sacred right to majority rule, that it is always ultimately best for a country and that anyone who questions whether this is necessarily the case is somehow unfiit to be an American - even if their viewpoint is informed by study of history and a concern about the moral or political weaknesses of majority rule.
It was a member of the British political elite who posited 'The masses are asses" and H.L. Menkin "Democracy is based on the idea that people should get what they ask for. And get it good and hard." Perhaps Lebedoff is right. Perhaps our country will be better if it drives itself into a brick wall at 60 mph than it would be if someone else were to take the wheel. Perhaps we stand in Ghandi's shoes saying "it is better for us to rule ourselves badly than to be ruled well by someone else." Perhaps this is the only way we shall internalize the lessons of history. Perhaps the minority who has read a little bit of history and has concerns for the future of the country should sit silently on their hands while everyone else learns by experience. Perhaps this is Lebedoff's argument. But I hope not.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Uncivil War , 2005-02-06
"The Uncivil War" is mandatory reading for anyone who wishes to understand politics and culture in early 21st century America.
This is a full five star opus.
10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Another highly readable book from David Lebedoff, 2004-12-19
I read David Lebedoff's "The New Elite" soon after it was published in the early 1980's, and was impressed with how the author was able to put into perspective the trends in our society that were leading many down the wrong path. In "The Uncivil War", Lebedoff shows what the path looks like after twenty more years of traveling. He uses significant events that we've lived through in recent times to illustrate the messes caused by the self-appointed whom we've allowed to take leadership positions in politics and business. With wisdom and wit, he again shows the patterns that to many are easy to miss.
If enough people read this book and take what it says to heart, there is still time to self-correct. To paraphrase, "it's the (lack of) values, stupid!" that we've got to fix. You'll enjoy the book, and will be the wiser for having read it.
9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
"It's the civility, stupid", 2004-12-17
It should be obvious to everyone after the last election that the Left Behinds are the ruling political force in American politics today. An interesting point that this book makes is that the New Elites betray an arrogant attitude by their over-the-top descriptions of conservatives and the conservative points of view, and that this turns off a lot of people. For example, I get a kick out of Maureen Dowd's editorials, but one wonders whether or not she realizes that her condescension of red states and her contempt for "Bushworld" is turning more people against her and for Bush. (I could have said the same thing about any number of other liberal politicians, editorialists, and journalists.) Media consumers will decide for themselves whether or not a particular scribbler has respect for their intelligence, and will give weight to what is being said accordingly. They always have and always will.
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