Mary Ellen McCaffree and Anne McNamee Corbett, Politics of the Possible

Start: 03/07/2012 6:30 pm

MaryEllenMcCaffree AnneMcNameeCorbett

Given our current political environment, the new book, Politics of the Possible by Mary Ellen McCaffree and Anne McNamee Corbett offers a timely and refreshing approach to today’s often frustrating governmental process. Budgets, deficits, wrangling political parties, and special interests that increasingly press (and achieve) their demands in disregard of the public’s general welfare – all find antidotes in this lively political history. Politics of the Possible reminds us how our government is supposed to work. It’s a living example of an effective decade of governing when our elected leaders moved beyond partisanship and focused on problem-solving for the people.

By retracing McCaffree’s’ path inside the gears of governing during Washington state’s most productive and legendary decade, Politics of the Possible charts the overhaul of our state during the 1960’s, culminating in a stunning 1970 special legislative session that capped a sweeping program of progressive, bi-partisan reforms.

The story unfolds through the eyes of Mrs. McCaffree, a mother of five who entered politics to champion her children’s’ overcrowded, under-funded schools. In her four terms as a state legislator from Seattle, she was central to the ‘Evans Era’ leadership team, was an architect and author of a major program of tax reform, and championed nationally groundbreaking legislation in education and environmental protections.

As the authors say in the preface, “More than history, this book affirms what is possible here and now.” And Bill Gates, Sr., noted, “Readers will tend to weigh what they see happening today against the important principles Mary Ellen McCaffree lays out so effectively in Politics of the Possible.”

The authors wrote out of concern that newer American citizens don’t understand the process of our governing bodies well enough to play their part in assuring our government works for us. Politics of the Possible provides a real-world model of citizen-driven success, along with the tools for getting involved and making a difference.

The book's website is here.