The 2006 American midterm elections may be the most hotly contested midterm election in decades, and the Democrats are hoping to win big. But they can't do it without a coherent strategy.

The 2006 midterm elections may be the most hotly contested in decades, and the Democrats are hoping to win big. But they can' t do it without a coherent strategy. Now, a much needed architect has arrived in Paul Waldman, who at last gives progressives the clear-eyed, multifaceted plan they need for victory. Like conservatives since Barry Goldwater' s defeat, he argues, progressives need to start planning for long-term success, and they need for starters, to come up with a way to describe their worldview in a single sentence. Offering a host of specific advice and recommendations- how Democratic candidates must be strong as well as right, and why Democrats should forget the South and embrace the Southwest- this book may well be the landmark game plan for progressives that The Emerging Republican Majority was for the Goldwater/Reagan Republicans. Paul Waldman (Washington, DC) is a Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America and the former associate director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. His books include Fraud: The Strategy Behind the Bush Lies and Why the Media Didn' t Tell You (1-4022-0252-0).