The opening essay, by Cockburn himself, maintains that throughout history, change has only happened in America through popular movements rather than party politics. Things as small as the quality of foods improved not because of Democrats or Republicans but because of hippies and farmers’ markets. Brandy Baker also champions this point by demonstrating that although the Democratic Party is seen as the better option for female voters, it has not really done much to improve their conditions. President Bill Clinton, for example, made no effort to pass the Freedom of Choice Act. Under his administration, 85% of the American states did not provide for abortion facilities. The Democratic vice-president Al Gore, on the other hand, only paid lip service to the abortion debate according to Baker. For this reason, she finds it unjustifiable that the Democratic Party is continuously seen as the one that would advance women’s reproductive rights. Unlike the popular feminist movement, feminist leaders today have put on an apologetic tone. Baker concludes that “movements work; the two party system does not”.

Apart from the plight of women, America’s black community has also taken a blow from both parties. A joint essay by Cockburn and St Clair argues that from the Reagan administration to Clinton’s, the war on drugs became a fight against blacks. President Reagan’s government expanded drug laws and allowed for the seizure of property of those who are convicted of the possession of drugs, as well as those who are merely suspected of being so. This program soon became a source of profit, as the federal police had confiscated $500 million worth of property by 1991, 80% of which were from people who were never charged with a crime. As Kevin Gray shows, President Clinton did nothing to improve this situation. The day he left office, 700,000 more people were incarcerated than on the day of his inauguration. Moreover, Greg Moses shows that as a result of Clinton’s limitations on federal funding for prison education programs, they decreased from 350 to 8.

Both parties shape equally both American foreign policy and domestic affairs. President Carter initiated the anti-Soviet effort in Afghanistan, and encouraged Saddam to confront Iran. Democratic leadership backed Republican president George Bush’s post 9/11 war campaign. According to Gabrielle Kolko in his essay “Alliances and the American Empire”, “the Democrats’ greater finesse in justifying these policies is therefore more dangerous because they will be made to seem more credible and keep alive alliances”.

The essays presented in this book aim to demonstrate that throughout American history, popular movements such as the civil rights and the feminist movements were the forces that brought about tangible change in American society. The political parties, upon closer examination, showed no real accomplishments and no sharp difference when it came to the implementation of their policies. The writers of Counterpunch, known for their radical views, gave a comprehensive review of different policy outcomes in the US and how they affected their targeted population. While certain accounts may seem extreme, what this compilation of essays accomplishes is verifying the necessity of popular movements in the United States.