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dom_jones's review against another edition
4.0
great book, but reads like an american political presidential history, exploring legislative polarisation a little bit with more on trumps actual presidency than i thought. not enough on global economic factors in the rise of trump in my opinion. still a very good book for someone who wants to learn more about the rise of and presidency of DJT
emilyrandolph_epstein's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting overview of recent US political history. A good companion read to Wildland the Making of America's Rage.
samstillreading's review against another edition
5.0
When I asked for this book for Christmas, the US 2020 election hadn’t even occurred. Who knew that this book was going to become even more relevant after the election and in the last days of the current presidency?
Like many Australians, I have a fascination for US politics because it all seems so different and like many things American, on such a grand scale. Super Tuesday, rallies, slogans, T-shirts, music, the Electoral College…it’s all so different. Everyone seems so passionate and invested (while in Australia, the main dilemma is what sauce to put on your democracy sausage or travesty if the local polling place dares not to have a sausage sizzle). When America Stopped Being Great looks at how American politics has changed since Ronald Reagan was elected and how it hasn’t always been for the better. There are chapters on each president – Bush x 2, Clinton and Obama. Then, the book focuses on Trump’s campaign and his presidency up until mid-2020 in more detail. The premise is that Trump inherited a number of problems from previous presidents and the choices of Congress and the House. Bryant definitely doesn’t excuse Trump for all his choices but the book shows how previous politics has impacted on each presidency, often not in a good way.
The book describes how each president put his own spin on things – Reagan made the presidency a show, while Bush Senior tackled the end of the Cold War with a new show of force in Iraq. Clinton made things more personable, right down to boxers or briefs (and then some). George W. Bush took on the War of Terror, while Obama didn’t use force to claim America’s superiority in the world. And Trump – well, we’re living that right now. I didn’t always agree with Bryant’s statements about Obama – I commend him for not trying to solve every problem with force – but it was a fascinating read, particularly about presidents before my time. Along the way, Bryant shows the disparity between the Republicans and Democrats in their determination to chase those elusive voters who may be wandering away from the party and gain new followers. Over the past 40 years, the parties (G.O.P. in particular) have split into different factions, which has made governing difficult. The way it’s painted by Bryant (and I don’t know any different because all I see is the Australian news and the New York Times) is that intra- and inter- party differences and alliances rule over what’s best for the country. It seems near impossible to make any meaningful, lasting changes.
When America Stopped Being Great is an interesting read, and it’s very readable. It’s not dry at all and explains things in a way that it’s easy to understand if you’re not American. It doesn’t leave you with optimism that Joe Biden’s presidency will change things dramatically, but hopefully recent events will refocus the government on governing rather than party politics. A very worthwhile read.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Like many Australians, I have a fascination for US politics because it all seems so different and like many things American, on such a grand scale. Super Tuesday, rallies, slogans, T-shirts, music, the Electoral College…it’s all so different. Everyone seems so passionate and invested (while in Australia, the main dilemma is what sauce to put on your democracy sausage or travesty if the local polling place dares not to have a sausage sizzle). When America Stopped Being Great looks at how American politics has changed since Ronald Reagan was elected and how it hasn’t always been for the better. There are chapters on each president – Bush x 2, Clinton and Obama. Then, the book focuses on Trump’s campaign and his presidency up until mid-2020 in more detail. The premise is that Trump inherited a number of problems from previous presidents and the choices of Congress and the House. Bryant definitely doesn’t excuse Trump for all his choices but the book shows how previous politics has impacted on each presidency, often not in a good way.
The book describes how each president put his own spin on things – Reagan made the presidency a show, while Bush Senior tackled the end of the Cold War with a new show of force in Iraq. Clinton made things more personable, right down to boxers or briefs (and then some). George W. Bush took on the War of Terror, while Obama didn’t use force to claim America’s superiority in the world. And Trump – well, we’re living that right now. I didn’t always agree with Bryant’s statements about Obama – I commend him for not trying to solve every problem with force – but it was a fascinating read, particularly about presidents before my time. Along the way, Bryant shows the disparity between the Republicans and Democrats in their determination to chase those elusive voters who may be wandering away from the party and gain new followers. Over the past 40 years, the parties (G.O.P. in particular) have split into different factions, which has made governing difficult. The way it’s painted by Bryant (and I don’t know any different because all I see is the Australian news and the New York Times) is that intra- and inter- party differences and alliances rule over what’s best for the country. It seems near impossible to make any meaningful, lasting changes.
When America Stopped Being Great is an interesting read, and it’s very readable. It’s not dry at all and explains things in a way that it’s easy to understand if you’re not American. It doesn’t leave you with optimism that Joe Biden’s presidency will change things dramatically, but hopefully recent events will refocus the government on governing rather than party politics. A very worthwhile read.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
thecurbau's review against another edition
5.0
As essential a read as ever. While the orange tyrant has left the White House, the America he once lead still exists. This book documents the path to his leadership and looks beyond, encouraging a reformation of a 'great' nation.
jmatkinson1's review
4.0
Nick Bryant has, by confession, had a love affair with the United States since his teenage years and as a student and then a political correspondent has lived in the country on and off for decades. H ere he takes a look at the political landscape from the mid-1980s to the election of Donald Trump in 2016. Alongside this he places the politics into the backdrop of the social and economic zeitgeist and how they have danced around each other. I found the book particularly interesting in terms of the long game in American politics, how Trump's life and career echoed the bigger picture of American society and also the view that Hilary Clinton lost the 2016 election 20 years earlier.
avrilhj's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
Description of the USA as a failed state, pretty much. And Bryant’s book finishes before the attempted insurrection of January 6, 2021. His argument is that Trump was the symptom, not the disease, and it’s hard to argue with that. Given that, it’s hard to see who or what could pull the US out of its current situation. It’s a huge relief that Trump wasn’t re-elected, but the conditions that created Trump and propelled him to the White House remain the same. Bryant may talk nostalgically about the bipartisanship of the Cold War, but 9/11, the climate emergency and covid19 haven’t been able to bring Americans together, so ‘existential threat’ obviously isn’t the solution. My feeling after reading this is that the USA had maybe a century of being the most powerful nation of earth, but that time is now over. Which makes it even more frustrating that Australia’s PM is talking about the ‘forever relationship’ between the USA and Australia, and is positioning us to challenge China.
Description of the USA as a failed state, pretty much. And Bryant’s book finishes before the attempted insurrection of January 6, 2021. His argument is that Trump was the symptom, not the disease, and it’s hard to argue with that. Given that, it’s hard to see who or what could pull the US out of its current situation. It’s a huge relief that Trump wasn’t re-elected, but the conditions that created Trump and propelled him to the White House remain the same. Bryant may talk nostalgically about the bipartisanship of the Cold War, but 9/11, the climate emergency and covid19 haven’t been able to bring Americans together, so ‘existential threat’ obviously isn’t the solution. My feeling after reading this is that the USA had maybe a century of being the most powerful nation of earth, but that time is now over. Which makes it even more frustrating that Australia’s PM is talking about the ‘forever relationship’ between the USA and Australia, and is positioning us to challenge China.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘For anyone trying to make sense of the present, the question always is how far to reach back.’
The Trump presidency, according to Mr Bryant, is the culmination of several different factors, and had its beginning in the Reagan era:
‘Though Ronald Reagan took 16 years to achieve what Donald Trump managed in little over 16 months, America’s first movie-star president laid the path for America’s first reality-TV-star president.’
Leaving aside the issue of how ‘great’ America is (or was) and when that period of greatness began (and ended), I found this book provided an interesting look at how the path was laid for Donald Trump’s ascendancy. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Mr Bryant writes about how Donald Trump learned from the mistakes made by his predecessors and was able to capitalise on an increasingly polarised democracy.
‘The double paradox of the Clinton impeachment, then was that it made is harder for his wife to shatter the glass ceiling and easier for Donald Trump to become president. Hillary Clinton became a repeat victim of her husband’s infidelities.’
Sigh.
Healthy democracies, Mr Bryant writes, have always relied on a prosperous middle class. So, what happens when the middle class shrinks? In America, as in other developed economies, the divide between rural and metropolitan areas increases. Job opportunities change and shrink. Manufacturing jobs move offshore, unemployment grows.
Global economic factors cause local economic pain, and people want their governments to do something to reduce that pain. Enter Trump with his (recycled) ‘Make America Great Again’, tapping into the anger, concerns and fears of so many.
And now the Trump presidency is over, and President Biden has been elected. What will happen next?
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The Trump presidency, according to Mr Bryant, is the culmination of several different factors, and had its beginning in the Reagan era:
‘Though Ronald Reagan took 16 years to achieve what Donald Trump managed in little over 16 months, America’s first movie-star president laid the path for America’s first reality-TV-star president.’
Leaving aside the issue of how ‘great’ America is (or was) and when that period of greatness began (and ended), I found this book provided an interesting look at how the path was laid for Donald Trump’s ascendancy. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Mr Bryant writes about how Donald Trump learned from the mistakes made by his predecessors and was able to capitalise on an increasingly polarised democracy.
‘The double paradox of the Clinton impeachment, then was that it made is harder for his wife to shatter the glass ceiling and easier for Donald Trump to become president. Hillary Clinton became a repeat victim of her husband’s infidelities.’
Sigh.
Healthy democracies, Mr Bryant writes, have always relied on a prosperous middle class. So, what happens when the middle class shrinks? In America, as in other developed economies, the divide between rural and metropolitan areas increases. Job opportunities change and shrink. Manufacturing jobs move offshore, unemployment grows.
Global economic factors cause local economic pain, and people want their governments to do something to reduce that pain. Enter Trump with his (recycled) ‘Make America Great Again’, tapping into the anger, concerns and fears of so many.
And now the Trump presidency is over, and President Biden has been elected. What will happen next?
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
avvid's review
4.0
A bleak and depressing summary of “the trump years”. All true. All awful. The writing is good. There are some original observations in the final chapter, but mostly this is all stuff we know. I looked forward to reading it every day, and it certainly kept my attention, but it’s really just a rundown of where we came from/how we got here. This will be a good resource some day, but for now, living it was enough!