''Crashing the Party'' is a 2002

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...

detailing his experiences running in the

2000 U.S. Presidential Election The 2000 United States presidential election was the 54th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. Republican candidate George W. Bush, the governor of Texas and eldest son of the 41st president, George H. W. Bush ...

Summary

Much of the book focuses on critiquing the modern Democratic Party, with Nader arguing that the party has become too much beholden to donors and drifted from the tradition of

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

; at one point, he remarks that "the Democrats might as well be Republicans" for their similar positions on many economic issues. Nader also criticizes the national media, accusing them of corruption and noting that "I can't overemphasize the influence of The New York Times and Washington Post in setting the scene for the rest of the media". The book concludes with a list of ten "First Stage Goals for a Better America."

Publication

The book was published by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

in January 2002. The subtitle "How to Tell the Truth and Still Run for President" was considered significant because, according to critic

Jonathan Chait Jonathan Benjamin Chait () (born May 1, 1972) is an American pundit and writer for '' New York'' magazine. He was previously a senior editor at ''The New Republic'' and an assistant editor of ''The American Prospect''. He writes a periodic col ...

, an "aura" honesty and trustworthiness had been central to Nader's work, both as an attorney and as a political candidate. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' predicted that the book would find its most success in the areas where Nader had won the most votes in the election.

External links

''Booknotes'' interview with Nader on ''Crashing the Party'', February 3, 2002.

References

{{Ralph Nader 2002 non-fiction books American biographies Books about the 2000 United States presidential election Works by Ralph Nader