mounting to a devaluation of the moral content of American culture, which is to say a devaluation of the romantic ideals that informed the original intent of the American founders. The text of the book includes the arguments and evidence in support of the strategies that he advocates for reclaiming that culture, the first and most important being "to engage the overriding issues of the day" and to engage in "an effort to define those issues" (6). In that sense, To Renew America has a political purpose, for it involves persuading the body politic that comprises the culture to appropriate action. As Speaker of the House, Gingrich appears well positioned to engage and direct American culture in the direction he desires, which is a direction of dramatic change.
Defining the issues that govern the environment of cultural change is a critical enterprise, if effective management of change strategies is to be achieved. In this regard, Gingrich sets forth six general areas of concern, or more exactly areas of need. The first, which is his assessment of the decline of American culture and the critical need for its reform, constitutes the dominant theme of To Renew America. The second need is for America to enter what he calls "the Third Wave Information Age," or the whole range of technology and activities associated with the power of computer telecommunications. The third is the need for America to assert preeminence in the global economy. The fourth need is to "replace the welfare state with a opportunity society" (8). The fifth is to decentralize bureaucratic administration of government services, and the sixth, related to it, is the need to balance the federal budget. These needs and issue areas overlap and converge, but every subject area involves a consideration of the role that the government bureaucracy might play in addressing the problems of each case. Gingrich finds the current government role entirely unsatisfactory, essentially en...