Frank B. Atkinson's Books

Virginia in the Vanguard

Political Leadership in the 400-year-old Cradle of American Democracy, 1981-2006

By: Frank B. Atkinson

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Virginia in the Vanguard

Political Leadership in the 400-year-old Cradle of American Democracy, 1981-2006

By: Frank B. Atkinson

Virginia in the Vanguard continues the story begun in The Dynamic Dominion, detailing the resurgence of Virginia's Democratic Party in the 1980s and the Republicans' efforts to turn back the gains made by Chuck Robb and Douglas Wilder. It closes with Democrat Tim Kaine taking the governor's seat and former Republican and Democratic governors George Allen and Mark Warner poised to enter the 2008 presidential primaries.

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Page Count

382

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

0742552101

ISBN 13

9780742552104

The Lion's Den (HB)

A Story of American Renewal

By: Frank B. Atkinson

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The Lion's Den (HB)

A Story of American Renewal

By: Frank B. Atkinson

The Lion’s Den (HB) By: Frank B. Atkinson The Lion’s Den is essential reading for anyone whose confidence in American democracy has been shaken by recent events. There is plenty to discourage and alarm us these days; the supply of negative political role models, real and fictional, seems endless. Frank Atkinson leaves no doubt that we can do better and be better. Just in time, it seems, he arrives with some exemplary political characters, a powerfully uplifting story, and a summons to get to work restoring the ethic of principled citizenship and service that reflects the ‘better angels of our nature’ and offers hope for bringing Americans together again.” - LARRY J. SABATO, Director, UVA Center for Politics The Lion’s Den offers a prescription for American renewal at a time of eroding confidence in our political institutions and growing confusion about our national purpose. In Frank Atkinson’s formulation, there are no quick fixes for our broken politics … no easy cure for what ails our democracy. A republic’s community spirit and capacity for constructive self-governance depend on a consensus about essential values and the active choice to practice, promote, and perpetuate those values. The ethic of principled citizenship and service that Atkinson considers indispensable for American renewal is not an inherited trait – like every ethic, it is a character requiring cultivation. And it is strongest when grounded in personal faith and integrity … illuminated by hard-learned lessons from history and experience … inspired by worthy human exemplars … propelled by the optimistic pursuit of a “more perfect union” … and kindled in a culture of mutual respect and forbearance guided by the “Golden Rule.” No starry-eyed idealist, Frank Atkinson’s major nonfiction works – The Dynamic Dominion and Virginia in the Vanguard – turned a candid lens on the hard-fought modern politics of his native state. In The Lion’s Den, he offers a compelling fictional account of life in the political arena – at once a venue for selfless contribution and palace of selfish ambition. Inspired by timeless lessons from the Book of Daniel, Madison’s vision of competition and compromise, and the colorful politics of his contemporary Commonwealth, Atkinson places his characters in a modern-day lion’s den where they grapple with vexing moral and practical choices. But Atkinson’s players find the grace to come together ... and, he suggests, so can we.

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Page Count

692

Publisher

Dorrance Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1644266660

ISBN 13

9781644266663

The Dynamic Dominion

Realignment and the Rise of Two-Party Competition in Virginia, 1945-1980

By: Frank B. Atkinson

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The Dynamic Dominion

Realignment and the Rise of Two-Party Competition in Virginia, 1945-1980

By: Frank B. Atkinson

The Dynamic Dominion tells the dramatic story of Virginia's political transformation from the Second World War to the Reagan Revolution. The cradle of American democracy — and thus of the democratic movement that is sweeping the globe today — the venerable Old Dominion has emerged again in the second half of the 20th century as a dynamic political pace setter for the nation. In 1945, Virginia was a one-party, one-faction state under the aristocratic rule of conservative Democratic Senator Harry F. Byrd and his famed 'Byrd organization.' From his perch as the uncontested leader of the state that led the south, Virginia's Byrd became a regional symbol, a congressional kingpin, and a national power. With its political system and culture static, Virginia's voice was heard nationally mostly in dissent, as it had been for a century. Within a few decades, emerging two-party competition and an unprecedented party realignment combined to place the rapidly changing commonwealth in the national vanguard. Well before Republican parties throughout the South became competitive, Virginia's Republicans in the 1970s compiled the most impressive winning streak of any state party in the country. They did it by constructing a coalition of rural conservative Democrats and suburban Republicans — the same coalition that Ronald Reagan assembled nationwide in 1980, ushering in the Reagan Revolution. As told in The Dynamic Dominion, the Virginia story contains all the excitement, drama, conflict, and intrigue of a fast-paced thriller. It is a story of triumph and tragedy, celebrities and statesmen, heroes and scoundrels — of shifting party loyalties and makeshift coalitions, hard-fought campaigns and razor-close elections — of ambition and cynicism alongside sacrifice and idealism. Best of all, the tale is true. It is the fascinating story of contemporary democracy flourishing in Virginia . . . the place where it was born.

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