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It's hard for me to objectively analyze this book because it places most of the blame for the current political polarization squarely on the GOP, which is a view that fits a little too nicely with my own biases. Of course, the authors also make the argument that the media's tendency to cover both sides impartially and equally is part of the problem, saying that the media should be more willing to point out when an individual party is at fault.
At any rate, even if I'm undecided on the specifics, I can certainly agree that our political system is far too polarized and unwilling to compromise. The authors present some remedies which are extremely unlikely to happen, but at least they're raising awareness about the issue. I know that since reading this book, I've been trying to lay off my own kneejerk reaction that Republicans are always wrong.
At any rate, even if I'm undecided on the specifics, I can certainly agree that our political system is far too polarized and unwilling to compromise. The authors present some remedies which are extremely unlikely to happen, but at least they're raising awareness about the issue. I know that since reading this book, I've been trying to lay off my own kneejerk reaction that Republicans are always wrong.
A well researched look at the current state of American politics, with reasonable suggestions for solutions, although even the simplest of the ideas will be very difficult to implement. A lot of the reviews say this book is biased. I admit that it sounds biased, and certainly matches up well with my own political preferences, but many of the factual examples given to support their opinions are from people on the opposite side of the partisan divide from me. Worth reading for anyone who cares about and is worried about the future of our country. I finished reading this at the end of 2012, as Congress is still unable to come to agreement on preventing us from going over the fiscal cliff. This situation is completely unacceptable. We regular people not involved in politics need to be better educated on what's really happening in Washington D.C. and then engage ourselves if we expect things to change. This book is a good start.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
informative
Quick political precis of what has become dysfunction in US political life, especially Congress, with some suggestions on how to fix it. Instructive.
Mann and Ornstein show conclusively that our party system and congressional rules are in profound conflict with getting legislation accomplished. Many of our problems are due to the modern dogma around filibusters, and the Hastert rule, neither of which is dictated by the Constitution. There's also good stuff on how the media fails to report what's really going on, and how voters are just not paying attention. The authors claim that things are so bad that voters should avoid split ballots to help create alignment across the executive and legislative branches.
There are two astounding sections in this book:
(1) The authors' discussion of what happened during and after the Citizens United fiasco: There are also good quotes here that expose the hypocrisy of Justices Kennedy and Roberts. It is very sad. Then Mann and Ornstein go through the proposed DISCLOSE Act, which would have rectified a lot of the information hiding resulting form Citizens United. DISCLOSE got 59 votes along strict party lines -- and, honestly, John McCain of all people should have voted for this one. But of course he couldn't owing to party dictates.
(2) The demolition of the Bob Woodward account of Obama's first term. As the authors put it, Woodward is a great reporter but a lousy analyst. Woodward simply fails to understand the strategy of the Republicans and the odious politicking of Rep. Cantor. It has to be read to be believed.
The book has a whole chapter on potential fixups, but they all seem pretty thin.
I have dear friends who think that both the Democrats and the Republicans are equally dysfunctional. They need to read this book: It well supports its claim that the problem with government right now is asymmetrical, and is almost entirely due to the shenanigans of the Tea Party Republicans.
There are two astounding sections in this book:
(1) The authors' discussion of what happened during and after the Citizens United fiasco: There are also good quotes here that expose the hypocrisy of Justices Kennedy and Roberts. It is very sad. Then Mann and Ornstein go through the proposed DISCLOSE Act, which would have rectified a lot of the information hiding resulting form Citizens United. DISCLOSE got 59 votes along strict party lines -- and, honestly, John McCain of all people should have voted for this one. But of course he couldn't owing to party dictates.
(2) The demolition of the Bob Woodward account of Obama's first term. As the authors put it, Woodward is a great reporter but a lousy analyst. Woodward simply fails to understand the strategy of the Republicans and the odious politicking of Rep. Cantor. It has to be read to be believed.
The book has a whole chapter on potential fixups, but they all seem pretty thin.
I have dear friends who think that both the Democrats and the Republicans are equally dysfunctional. They need to read this book: It well supports its claim that the problem with government right now is asymmetrical, and is almost entirely due to the shenanigans of the Tea Party Republicans.
Even more relevant today than when it was published in 2012