You could fill several bookshelves with histories and analyses of the conservative movement that dominated U.S. politics in the 1980s. Until now, however, no one in this country has written a single focused history of the New Democrat movement, and its "third way" analogues in Europe and Latin America, despite their obvious importance in understanding the domestic and international politics of the 1990s. That's finally changed with the publication of Reinventing Democrats, Kenneth S. Baer's comprehensive history of the New Democrat movement, published by the University of Kansas Press.

Based in part on extensive interviews with key figures inside and outside the DLC and the Clinton Administration, Reinventing Democrats authoritatively covers the crisis of the Democratic Party that led to the formation of the DLC, the movement's early years of controversy and growth, the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign that brought New Democrats to national prominence and power, and the intellectual and political ferment New Democrats have helped stimulate here and abroad ever since. Baer pays special attention to the broadening of the movement beyond Washington and the original DLC core, the trans-Atlantic conversations about the Third Way, and the challenges faced by New Democrats in 2000 and beyond.

Reviews of advance copies have been universally enthusiastic. The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne called it: "An important and artfully told story about the intersection of personalities, political ambition, and the world of ideas. Baer shows us how they fit together. His history of the New Democrats is essential to understanding the dynamics of the 2000 election campaign."

Newsweek's Howard Fineman said: "Lucidly written and meticulously researched, Reinventing Democrats could well be the Democrats' road map to power and a guidebook for anyone who wants to understand politics in the new century."

And John B. Judis of The New Republic commented: "Anyone who wants to understand the origins of the Clinton presidency and, more broadly, the development of a political 'third way' between the old liberalism and conservatism will want to read Baer's important book. It's indispensable for understanding politics today."

Reinventing Democrats can be ordered directly from the University Press of Kansas, 2501 West 15th Street, Lawrence, KS 66049-3905, telephone: 785-864-4155, fax 785-864- 4586, or over the web at www.kansaspress.ku.edu. It's also available through amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, and should appear soon in local bookstores.

If you want a taste of Reinventing Democrats, an excerpt from the final chapter appears in the current issue of The New Democrat. It's your history. Read all about it.

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