If the Gods Had Meant Us to Vote They Would Have Given Us Candidates

New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2000. First Edition [stated]. Fifth printing [stated]. Hardcover. Very good. xiii, [1], 354 pages. Connections. Index. Signed by author on the title page below his printed name. Cover has slight wear and soiling. James Allen Hightower (born January 11, 1943) is an American syndicated columnist, progressive political activist, and author. From 1983 to 1991 he served as elected commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture. In the late 1960s, he worked in Washington, D.C., as legislative aide to U.S. Senator Ralph Yarborough. In 1970, Hightower co-founded the Agribusiness Accountability Project in Washington, D.C., which resulted in two of his early books. Since 1993, Hightower has produced Hightower Radio, a daily commentary carried by over 130 affiliates. He also hosted a weekend talk show on the American Broadcasting Company radio network and a weekday midday talk show on the United Broadcasting Network (later called America Radio Network). If anything, in this presidential election special, he's madder than ever! Now, with the year 2000 being an especially significant marker for contemplating our country's direction, not only for the new year but for the new century and the new millennium, it's time for citizens to reclaim their political, economic, and cultural heritage. Leading the way with his hilariously irreverent yet profoundly serious book is our name-naming, podium-pounding, point-them-in-the-right-direction populist, Hightower himself. He whacks conventional wisdom right upside the head, showing, with startling facts and compelling personal stories, that despite a so-called period of prosperity, America's middle class is getting mugged. Hightower rips the masks off of the candidates, the parties, the consultants, and especially the moneyed powers who are supporting all of the leading presidential hopefuls. No one is spared in this insightful blend of horror and success stories, commentary, humor, useful facts, and sparkling language.