Tip sheet for Paul Street and Anthony DiMaggio’s new book CRASHING THE TEA PARTY: MASS MEDIA AND THE CAMPAIGN TO REMAKE AMERICAN POLITICS

Contact: paulstreet99@yahoo.com 773-653-0941

Brief Description Crashing the Tea Party challenges conventional dogmas related to the most recent “movement” of choice of right wing America and the mass media. Street and DiMaggio uncover details about the Tea Party that have remained largely unexplored. Is the Tea Party a genuine social movement or a top-down interest group created largely by the mass media, Republican Party, and corporate funding? This book fills in key gaps in public understanding of the nature of social movements, the American party system, and the role of media in the creation of political brand names and the shaping of public opinion.

Book Tour (so far):

September 17, 2011: Chicago, IL, Open University of the Left (Lincoln Park Library, 230 pm)

September 18, 2011: Madison, WI (Rainbow Books), 2 pm, http://www.rainbowbookstore.org/

September 27, 2011: Bloomington, IN (Boxcar Books), evening time TBA

September 29, 2011, Milwaukee, WI (People’s Book Cooperative), 7pm

October 4, 2011: New York City (Bluestockings Books), 7 pm

November 2, 2011, Chicago, IL (57th Street Books), 6pm

More to come – stay tuned.

Sales Handle

The large quantity of high-decibel coverage and commentary “the Tea Party” has received in the mass media since the spring of 2009 has—along with sponsorship, funding, and direction provided by top Republicans and corporations and political investors (e.g., the Koch brothers) — has granted it a relevant place in America’s political life. But what is the Tea Party phenomenon exactly, and where might it lead?

Blurbs

?”This acute and highly informed analysis of the Tea Party phenomenon brings to light the reality that lies behind excited media portrayals….This lucid and careful study could hardly be more timely” – Noam Chomsky

? “Street and DiMaggio are two of America’s most important social and political critics, and this book goes a long way in reflecting their insights and understanding of the politics of siege and anger now gripping the United States” – Henry A. Giroux, McMaster University

Selling Points

?Provides the first in-depth scholarly and historical investigation of the Tea Party phenomenon, informed by participant-observatory examination of the Tea Party “movement.”

? Separates fact from fiction and media spin in understanding “the Tea Party,” situating the phenomenon within the broader historical and ongoing context of U.S. political culture

? Provides cutting-edge analysis of the pivotal 2010 mid-term elections and the emergence and relevance of the historic labor uprising in Madison, WI and other Midwestern state capitals in early 2011.

? Of interest to all readers (general or specialist) interested in progressive change and recent U.S. politics

 Bios

 Paul Street, the former Research Director of The Chicago Urban League, is an independent journalist, historian, and speaker and the veteran of f many media appearances. He has published widely in popular and academic media and has authored seven books, including, most recently, The Empire’s New Clothes: Barack Obama in the Real World of Power (Paradigm 2010). Anthony DiMaggio is the author of When Media Goes to War (Monthly Review 2010) and Mass Media, Mass Propaganda (Lexington Books 2008). July 2011 ? Paradigm Publishers ? Nonfiction ? $20 ?6X9 ? ISBN: 978-1-59451-945-1