It's My Party, Too The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America Hardback - 2005

by Christine Todd Whitman

The Republican party is embroiled in a heated and high-stakes battle between its far-right and moderate wings-with conservatives declaring open warfare on the moderates who ask themselves "Whatever happened to the party of Lincoln?" Bearing profound implications not only for the future of the party but also for the future of American politics, this momentous battle will rage on no matter what the outcome of the presidential election.

Christine Todd Whitman retired as a member of the Bush administration in June 2003, tired of the ideological battles in Washington and eager to return home to New Jersey. A lifelong and loyal Republican and a leader of the party's moderate wing, she is a passionate believer in the power of the "productive middle" in politics. In the tradition of Democratic Senator Zell Miller's national bestseller A National Party No More, which critiqued the Democratic party's move to the far left, in It's My Party Too she offers a passionate and revealing insider's argument against the hijacking of her party by zealous "social fundamentalists." Recounting many stories from the front lines of her own battles, both as a two-term New Jersey governor and on the hot seat as EPA administrator, she takes readers inside the tumultuous world of our politics today to reveal how a moderate approach can work wonders while that of extremists only leads to more division and fewer solutions.

Relentlessly pushing their ideological stances on abortion rights, race relations, the environment, tax policy, and go-it-alone foreign policy, the conservative extremists are not only violating traditional Republican principles, she argues, but are also holding the party back from achieving a true majority. By playing so slavishly to the far-right base, running negative campaigns and marginalizing women, the party has forsaken the much broader base that propelled the "Reagan revolution" and has fueled the country's overheated polarization.

Writing with the straight-talking and keenly intelligent candor that launched her onto the national stage-and made her such an inspiration to women all around the country-Christie Whitman sounds a rallying cry that will be vital reading for the millions of moderate voters who are fed up with the extremism of both parties. From one of the leading moderates in the Republican party-and one of its most powerful women-a thoughtful and provocative critique of the party's hard turn to the right and a call to arms for a return to its moderate roots.