US political figures avidly read -- Dreams and Nightmares (The legacy left for the lower class in the 1960s)

Author: [USA] Macon Maguire
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: This book is called "the most important book George W. Bush has read other than the Bible," and is hailed as "the book that helped George W. Bush become president." In evaluating this book, Bush said, "The Dream and the Nightmare clearly outlined for me the profound impact of the failed culture of the 1960s on American values and society. The so-called new culture fostered dependence on government, destroyed families, and moral decay, undermining the values that have stood the test of time and are crucial to every American aspiring for a better future. The Dream and the Nightmare—The Sixties, Legacy to the Underclass is hailed as 'the book that helped George W. Bush become president,' and this praise is well-deserved. On January 5, 2001, Bush told a Wall Street Journal reporter that The Dream and the Nightmare is the most important book he has read other than the Bible. Bush’s chief strategist Karl Rove called this book 'the map that guided Bush to develop his philosophy of 'compassionate conservatism.' Bush once described this book as follows: 'The Dream and the Nightmare clearly outlined for me the profound impact of the failed culture of the 1960s on American values and society. The so-called new culture fostered dependence on government, destroyed families, and moral decay, undermining the values that have stood the test of time and are crucial to every American aspiring for a better future.'" This book led Bush to reconsider the role of government. The so-called 'compassionate conservatism' essentially means that the government should interfere as little as possible. The 'underclass' refers to a mindset and lifestyle, a cultural state rather than an economic condition. The poverty of the 'underclass' is not just about lacking money but is a moral and spiritual poverty. Therefore, the poor who are not part of the 'underclass' may escape poverty through hard work, but the poverty of the 'underclass' is often passed down through generations. The urban centers are increasingly being eroded by the rapidly expanding 'underclass' (60% of whom are Black, 20% are Hispanic), which has become one of the most alarming social issues in the United States. The author of this book, Macon Maguire, was once an editor at Fortune magazine and is currently the editor-in-chief of the quarterly journal City at the Manhattan Institute in New York, specializing in urban and poverty issues.