Stonehill Professor presents political bestseller

By Mack Eon 

In front of a crowded Martin Auditorium on Tuesday, April 14^th, Scott Ferson introduced his book, How The Democrats Lost America: Making Sense of the 2024 Election And The Future of American Politics. 

Ferson is an adjunct professor at Stonehill, working in The Martin Institute in the Political Science major. 

Ferson has worked in politics for about 40 years, including a run as press secretary for the late Senator Edward Kennedy and a role as chief strategist for the congressional campaign of Seth Moulton (D).

Ferson’s book is currently a number one bestseller in new politics, though the exact number of copies is unknown. 

“I asked the lady from the publishing company how many copies number one meant, 10,000, 100,000, and she just told me it was proprietary information.”

Ferson’s book focuses on multiple characters' perspectives, analyzing how they become disenfranchised from the Democratic Party. 

Ferson speaks on the topic of money from Steve's perspective, who struggles to understand the rationale behind tax policy. 

“Steve wonders where his money went- why the government takes $100,000 of his money, where it is going, what it is used for. Why we are in foreign entanglements and why his money is being spent for nothing. All it takes is one Steve, dozens of Steves, hundreds and thousands of Steves, to change history.”

He also speaks on how Ferson believes that there is no attempt from the democrat party to reach out to people like Steve, a construction worker who wonders where his money is going, why it’s being spent, and why he matters, and Ferson believes the democrats lost Steve, more than the Republicans won Steve. 

“The democrats lost the 2024 election more than they won it. They made no attempt to reach out to Steve, and their Clinton-era policies push people like Steve to the Republicans.” 

Ferson also spoke about the nature of political discussion, setting a rule for himself on how to understand voter mindsets.

“I made myself a rule; I won’t mention politics, and I’d rather ask them a lot of questions, with respect for their identity, of course, and ask them about who they are, what they do, who they are related to.”

He also spoke about his visits to small businesses, where he would probe people about their beliefs.

“I went to restaurants, Waffle Houses, the like. My favorite was barbershops, because you are essentially held captive; they simply have to talk to you.”

Ferson also talked on a topic he dubbed the “coalition of the disconnected.”

“Most people I talk to have never been contacted by a political candidate. Most people I talk to don’t even know who their local congressman is. And not by choice or by ignorance. But there is truly no attempt to connect.”

Ferson also spoke on the current nature of democracy and his concerns regarding the amount of money being handed around.

“When I talk to people at the dog park, their concern is more in the fact that, well, they are concerned about the future of democracy. My kids are afraid of losing the American dream. The existential threat of climate change.”

Multiple Stonehill students also attended the event, sharing their thoughts on the importance of political awareness. 

Perry DerKosrofian ‘29 emphasized the importance of scope regarding political understanding.

“It’s good to get a broader scope on the situation we are in. Whether it’s politics or sports, we should try to understand more about it.”

Andrew Parker, an alumnus of the Class of 2024, spoke about the concerning nature of politics for the current graduating class. 

“I think the country is entering a very uncertain future, and for my generation, it is depressing. The American Dream is becoming more of a nightmare; everything seems to be going wrong, and if we are going to fix things, we need to be more politically aware.”