How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism

Have the Republicans shot themselves in the proverbial foot? Will they ever separate truth from fiction, Church from State, form from content, politics as usual from doing what's good for the nation? It may be to late. If the Republicans don't loose the lunatic fringe who have ambushed the party, we may see the end of the two party system in our lifetime.

The book contains a great deal of good information about this terrible period of stalemate in American politics. However it is poorly written. Too often sentences require second and third reading with the meaning still remaining obscure. One wonders if the manuscript received a professional editing.

Heard their interview on NPR (DR show) and thought: well, this sounds true, I was suspecting something like this, all the filibustering, the closure motions, all tricks used to slow down the Congress work. It had been a smear campaign against our Congress, strategy of a previously great party, and it lasted for ages, Now they get what the wanted. American people hardly trust their Congress these days. Too bad.

These two experienced political observers tell the truth about current politics and what has been wrong with it for about 30 years. As throughout our history, the misconduct of our parties can be corrected by the citizens if they pay attention and exercise their rights of speaking and participating. The voters can outvote the big money and big lies. We don't need constitutional amendments or term limits -- we need informed active voters.

The quotes collected above reflect the broad appeal of this brief, thoughtful analysis. There are mullahs at work in our democracy propagating falsehood and hatred under the protection of our open, plural (and vulnerable) constitutional system.

Thoughtful,balanced analysis of the current political environment and the reasons why our government is not functioning as it should be. A must read for political obsessives and an easy to read and understand volume for those unfamiliar with our current political system.

I consider myself a libertarian/progressive and am pretty much in agreement with the author. Before making any changes to the system, however, I would have to make an in-depth review of the book which I have not had time to do. Also, I would strongly recommend reading "That's Not What They Meant!" by Michael Austin before reaching any conclusions.

I have seen Mann & Orenstein on the Sunday talk shows and on some of the cable political shows. They provide interesting analysis and insight into the whys and wherefores of the events, programs and political players actions and why the government seems to be so screwed up right now.

Concise and interesting review of the current crisis in Washington and its roots. Thoughtful analysis of various "fixes" why they won't work and offers solutions that might. Great read for those in search of understanding the problems with our government.

The authors have been working government issues for many years and are well known to both political parties, who recognize the validity of the conclusions. They track the origin and development of the current extreme positions of the parties, basing much of their history on published news from reliable reporters. Fortunately, they debunk some purported remedies and proposed some more rational actions.

Though perhaps a little more one-sided that its authors claim, this book pretty clearly illustrates how the Republican party has been taken over by extremists whose dislike of government (and of President Obama in particular) is greater than their love of country. To see why the current congress is the least productive in history, read this book.

This is a book that everyone should read. To pick the point of disconnect where the politicians went from having different views on the best way forward but working together to make progress to having different views and no intention of every co-operating is hard to see - perhaps Nixon's push to ignore the law was the start but then Regan was more of a spirit to use the best in people to make progress - somewhere the process was derailed and now cannot work as no one wants to make it work before the other guy concedes most of their principles. The authors have a slight level of optimism that it will be fixed by the need to fix it, but the previous 100 pages do not support this hope. And the continued "vote the bums out" moves from left to right and back again to not work either as it is not possible to get rid of them all in a single election. This is a thoughful book by two guys who have very different views but show how people can work together to discuss and make suggestions. Shame the members will not read it or worse read it to say ":of course, it's all the fault of those bums over there,not us".

It needs a Lincoln to fix, but would he have the money to get elected now ?

Though perhaps a little more one-sided that its authors claim, this book pretty clearly illustrates how the Republican party has been taken over by extremists whose dislike of government (and of President Obama in particular) is greater than their love of country. To see why the current congress is the least productive in history, read this book.

This is a book that everyone should read. To pick the point of disconnect where the politicians went from having different views on the best way forward but working together to make progress to having different views and no intention of every co-operating is hard to see - perhaps Nixon's push to ignore the law was the start but then Regan was more of a spirit to use the best in people to make progress - somewhere the process was derailed and now cannot work as no one wants to make it work before the other guy concedes most of their principles. The authors have a slight level of optimism that it will be fixed by the need to fix it, but the previous 100 pages do not support this hope. And the continued "vote the bums out" moves from left to right and back again to not work either as it is not possible to get rid of them all in a single election. This is a thoughful book by two guys who have very different views but show how people can work together to discuss and make suggestions. Shame the members will not read it or worse read it to say ":of course, it's all the fault of those bums over there,not us".

It needs a Lincoln to fix, but would he have the money to get elected now ?

This book provides good analysis of dysfunctional political situation in this country and the potential consequences of continuing to operate the government in ths way. We all know that government has become unworkable under the extreme political partisanship taking hold in Washington and the authors explain how current politics threaten our future.

This is an important book for all concerned Americans worried about the damage being done to our country by a Congress solely concerned with their re-election. The modern Press fails to keep us informed to an adequate degree and this book steps into the breach.

I purchased this book because I wanted to ascertain more insight into what is happening to our Republican form of government. I do believe that some of those who are elected to Congress instead of being problem solvers for the common good are determined to destroy the efficacy of our constitutional system. In fact some of these very representatives are creating a two class society by their actions and inaction: the haves and the havenots. They are in effect eradicating the middle class. These trends trouble me so much I have and still do consider applying for citizenship to become a Canadian. I hope as I complete the reading of this book that the authors do offer some suggestions which will avert and prevent this trend from continuing and happening.

This book should be required reading for every person of voting age. This is the best description of what is actually happening in this country that I have found anywhere. In Part I the authors take an analytical look at the current state of our "body politic". Their findings are not news to anyone who has been paying attention but their ability to strip the analysis of partisan rhetoric gives a clearer view than I have seen elsewhere. In Part II they start by discussing the usual conventional solutions to the problem and then proceed to demolish most of them but rather than just tearing down the conventional wisdom they replace it with other ideas that are both interesting and I believe worthwhile. Read this book for the sake of our nation's future it is well written and a good read even for the non-wonks among us.

Johnny Na's review pretty much nails it. Ornstein and Mann are astute, experienced political observers; not another pair of political pundits. If you're interested in understanding political process of recent decades and the mess that we are now in, this sheds a lot of light. They finger conservatives as the most responsible for the dysfunction, so movement conservatives probably won't even be able to read this book. There's no obvious way out, but it helps to know how we got here. Until we realize that politics in a democracy has to be more of a collaboration than a battle, we will continue to stagger along.

I admire Ornstein and Mann for writing this book. They have spent their substanial careers working in a very balanced, apolitical way to make this a better country. No doubt, it was a very difficult decision to get off the political fence and say what needs to be said. They have opened themselves up to a lot of criticism and personal attacks. But I would encourage those self-same critics to read this book before launching into attack mode. While some may disagree witheir recommendations and conclusions, I find it hard to beleive that any fairminded person could conclude anything other than these are two very patriotic Americans who want to America be great again.

I also appreciate the fact that the authors were not only willing to diagnose the problem but also come up with potential solutions, many of which are very creative and draw from the collective experience of deomocracies around the world. I guess I am much more jaded, however, and see these solutions impractical for all the reasons that Mann and Ornstein list as problems with the current system. While many of the solutions offered are workable, we cannot implement them now when we need them most because Republicans would never allow it. Reform will only happen, if it does happen at all, many years from now after the demographic changes just now starting to take hold make the current extremist iteration of the Republican Party irrelevant. Only then will we be able to have Supreme Court content to "call balls and strikes." Only then will we be able to restore some common sense to campaign finace.

Still, this is an important book. It is a historical marker that future scholars can reference when they attempt to make sense of what went so horribly wrong with the American Experiment. What was the poison that leached into the American Spirit? The poison has many components but among them are Newt Gingrich, Corruption, and Money.

I was expecting an updated, revised version of the earlier (2012) book, but it's basically the same text with an updated prologue that includes a discussion of the late-2015 Trump candidacy "effect." Still, I consider the book to be a very worthwhile read.

The authors present the current problems, the history behind what we are experiencing in Congress today, and ways that the problem can be rectified. The book is "slow moving" in parts, however, the presentation uncovers many facts that was unknown to me. I have gained knowledge reading this book.

SCARY stuff, especially in light of the results of this year's election results. It is a very good read to help understand how we got into this mess...and, I feel, is going to continue to get much worse, that is until we REALLY start over. We are going to have to follow Jefferson's advise to 'periodically renew' our democracy for us to remain (become again) united.

A great read that updated the original volume. Taken together they give us an accurate description of the internal conflict self inflicted on the political system by the need to win it retain a political office.

This book discusses Congress issues. It is well written and informative and should be read by all newspaper editors and those interested in improving Congress. Or Federal goverment issues are complex with no short answers. Both members of Congress and voters are not well informed. Are gut tells us that something is wrong but media does not inform us well and it is hard to find answers. So many rely on 30 second televion adds or radio adds or comments that we agree that do not provide good information. This book provides good information of issues that need attention.

This book gives the reader an incredible look into the history of polarization in the US government, and how today's climate is more dysfunctional than at any point in our recent political past. The result is a fantastic, engaging read that also provides the reader with some potential solutions to the perceived problems - if those in government ever looked for real change. The authors; background lets them speak with authority as they lay out the facts and present the case for which individuals are holding the government hostage, so to speak. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to understand more about why Washington seems to be doing less.

A good if long winded assessment of the starring role today's Republican party takes in the national obstruction drama. "Even Worse" likes the term asymmetrical. Great talking points for Democrats and others who want specific incidents and good detail to use in speeches and appearances on TV talk shows. The authors' scholarship is unassailable, as are their credentials and their standing as proper critics criticizing properly. They even have some decent suggestions about reforming campaign finance and restoring the Senate to majority rule. But until the American people speak with a more unified voice and a more unified vote there's scarce little chance of any reform of any kind. Bush-2 was a disaster. Obama is a disappointment and no one in the current presidential cage match is prepared with both reasonable solutions and the ability to get them past a congress more attuned to the eleventh century than the 21st.

Excellent explanation of the Republican strategy in Congress and why we are in gridlock. I'm sure that the Democrats would do the same. The title says it all. This short, simple read will explain American politics completely!

I appreciated that the authors made fact-based conclusions, not the typical opinions. They presented a marvelous insight about our political system having the confrontations of a parliamentary system, not the willingness to compromise demanded of a democracy that respects the rights of minority parties. Best, they made a comprehensive case for action across many areas of our politics, and presented a challenging but inspired set of solutions. Should be read by anyone pondering our political crisis.

This book examines many of the decisions made by leaders of this country and the issues behind the scenes that drive them. A must read for all individuals concerned about the inner workings of our government.

Mann and Ornstein do a excellent job of laying out the root causes of Congress' dysfunction and how lawmakers act on those root drivers in the form of congressional procedural workarounds and rhetoric. They suggest ways out of the mess. Some which are nice to haves, but others are definitely achievable. Most importantly, they shed light on our own contribution to the problem as voters and actions on how to change it.

I got the paperback and it has additional remarks about the book, an additional "Preface to the Paperback Edition," and a 20-page "Afterword to the Paperback Edition." We will do well to heed the information in this book and the suggestions made to heal our nation. This goes also for our media--so important in shaping the views of voters.

I have commented (complained) long and loudly to others that the news media is trying too hard to be 'fair' or 'evenhanded' when reporting the problems with "congress". When the cause is so obvious why not lay the blame? Both parties have had their good and bad and it is refreshing for these guys to call a spade a spade.

Mann and Ornstein, two of the savviest assessors of recent American governance, provide a stunningly dismal assessment of current-day governance. This political dysfunction they call "asymmetric polarization," with Republicans the primary culprits for implacably refusing to support anything that might help Democrats politically no matter the cost to American society.

They give credit to the Democrats for, despite steadfast Republican oppostion, "an impressive legislative harvest" during President Obama's first two years. After Republican 2010 electoral success, Mann and Ornstein characterize the outcome as "an appalling spectacle of hostage-taking--most importantly the debt ceiling crisis-that threatened a government shutdown and public default, led to a downgrading of the country's credit, and blocked constructive action to nurture an economic recovery or deal with looming problems of deficits and debt."

The authors chastize the media for failing to highlight the role of Republicans in reaching this current appalling situation. They castigate the Republicans for perils-of-Pauline tactics on what historically has been a relatively placid vote on raising the debt ceiling. They view with alarm the "Young Guns' in Congress who are led by Majority Leader Eric Cantor. They are distressed by Republican Senate filibusters and House Republicans eschewing anything that smacked of compromise.

Mann and Ornstein trace "the seeds of dysfunction" back to Newt Gingrich and his strategy "to destroy the institution [Congress] in order to save it." This has contributed to a growing polical polarization in which moderates, either Democratic or Republican, are becoming a nearly extinct species. They comment on how this polarization is increasingly reflected in cable television, on blogs, and on YouTube. Fox News, more profitable than the three network news divisions combined, is at least partly responsbile for this asymmetric portrayal. The 5-4 Supreme Court decision on Citizens United is a likely major contributor to further polarization.

After providing chapter and verse on why "it's even worse than it looks," the authors endeavor to provide a series of positive prospects that could ameliorate the current dismal situation. I shan't bother to catalogue these. Within a bipartisan environment, some of their recommendations might seem worth considering. However, under the current imbroglio that they so fulsomely describe, I don't imagine that Mann and Ornstein believe that any of their recommendations have the chance of a snow ball in hell. My instinct is that their publisher implored them to provide 'some solutions.'

My impressison is that American politics is experiencing the culmination of the Republican extremism that was evidenced by New Gingrich and the Congress of 1994. Until or unless there is some systemic revolution that prompts a return to a manner of bipartisan compromises for the good of American society, 'solutions' provided by skilled political scientists seem for naught.

Mr. Ornstein brings years of observation for the reader to see serious problems with our method of choosing leaders in our Congress. His words are so clear even those too young to vote will understand why it is crucial for changes to be made in House and Senate rules and perhaps the U.S.Constitution.

The subject of this erudite book is nothing less than the extreme disfunction occurring in the United States Congress--in particular, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The authors are not traditionally partisan; they are professional historians of congress who are respected by most of their peers.

Despite the objectivity of the authors, they have arrived at the unavoidable conclusion that the cause of the constant sequence of legislative impasses that have been plaguing both the House and the Senate during the Obama administration--and especially since the 2010 congressional elections--must be laid directly at the feet of the Republican party.

This conclusion should not come as a great surprise to anyone who has been following politics for at least the last couple of years. Senate minority leader, republican Mitch McConnell, clearly stated the GOP goal at least until the 2012 elections: to make sure that Obama would be a one-term president! There was no mention of solving the country's serious economic and social problems. To cooperate in any way with Obama or the Democrats might result in credit being given to Obama. Instead, the Republican strategy has consistently been to block any legislation that would be beneficial to the country or its citizens. Ironically, this strategy has required the GOP to oppose ideas that they themselves have endorsed and initiated in the recent past. Since the Republicans are in a slight minority in the Senate, they have resorted to that antiquated tool, the filibuster, to block every serious piece of legislation, including popular proposals that have the approval of the majority.

The GOP obstruction effort has been even easier in the House of Representatives. Since 2010, when intransigent Tea Party fanatics were elected and invaded the institution, the Republicans have held a substantial majority. They have used that majority to block virtually every piece of substantive or helpful legislation, while fostering endless bills addressing their extreme views on social issues. While driving the nation to the brink of default on our national debt, resulting in a lowering of our credit rating for the first time in history, they have introduced endless bills to abolish abortion rights and overthrow Obama's signature health care legislation, the Affordable Care Act.

The current crop of Republicans are people who have little understanding of how government functions, who have no respect for the needs of the broader spectrum of their ethnically diverse fellow citizens, and who are extremely intolerant of anyone who disagrees, however slightly, with their inane politics and long-nurtured hatred of everything that is not white, evangelically religious, and ready to kill for a cause, however ignoble and partisan.

Mann and Ornstein also discuss the catastrophic impact of the Citizen's United decision by the Supreme Court, which overwhelmingly favors the GOP and their wealthy backers, both individuals and large corporations. They conclude the book with a number of suggestions about how the political system could be improved and the impasses removed. I remain unconvinced that their ideas are sufficient or, more importantly, could ever be implemented in the current political climate. In any event, this book deserves to be read and digested. It's an excellent description of how the nation got into this mess, even if its remedies are more wishful thinking than pragmatic solutions.

Off of the suggestion of Paul Krugman (reliably liberal economist from the New York Times) I picked this little book up. There’s a sense among the optimistic in this country that this period of hyperpartisanship is fleeting, and it will abate itself in due time as cooler heads prevail. What this book does, however, is give a very convincing argument that Washington, in essence, is a microwave, due to systemic exploits that allow the minority party an almost unlimited ability to obstruct the policy of the majority – from big initiatives like the Affordable Care Act, to even the smallest of judicial appointments being bogged in filibusters and cloture votes. What were once rarely-used procedural stalls are now used on a routine basis – and what’s worse is they are now paired with a zealous pragmatism for the party that stands most against government (the Republican Party) to sabotage government institutions for its own electoral game. Once you see it for what it is, it becomes increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to see a future where this is not only going to get worse, but could cause a collapse in all semblance of reasonable governing ability as our government, due to the bomb-throwing, limps from crisis to crisis, powerless to act.

The book was a solid, fact-based argument that this is not a fleeting destructiveness in our national dialogue but a likely permanent and worsening condition that undermines the very idea of democratic government to the benefit of one political party that is no longer interested in dialogue with a party they increasingly see as baby-killing America-hating tyrants.

The breath of fresh air from this book is that it doesn’t stake the ground of the muddled middle and make the standard “both sides need a babysitter” appeal – although the Democrats have been responsible for engaging in some of this horseplay, the blame mostly rests on the Republican Party for some of the more egregious violations of good faith, such as the reckless shutting down of the federal government in 2011 that revealed leadership was openly considering government as a “hostage to be ransomed” (McConnell’s words) rather than an institution that would work for the benefit of all of the American people.

The book shines light on a growing problem and insists that it is not going to correct itself on its own. What I feel the book inadequately addressed was how the obvious inadequacies of the U.S. Constitution is primarily responsible for the gridlock and the bomb-throwing. The Republicans tsk tsk the Democrats and their judicial activists for not following an originalist perspective; that is, a perspective that binds government action to what the U.S. Constitution meant to those who wrote it and its amendment. This gives them the staging ground they need to launch into attacks that the Democrats are not sufficiently devoted to the sacraments of our founders, to delegitimize their opponents. Meanwhile there is a sense that Republicans, by destroying the government and privatizing society, also do not believe in the U.S. Constitution – in an environment that everything is privatized, what good is the U.S. Constitution for a government drowned in its own bathtub of toxic waste? The dysfunction, therefore, has its roots in the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution – one side wants to interpret it liberally and read it with the perspective of a 21st century mind, whereas the other wants to hold government exactly to what the U.S. Constitution meant to yeoman farmers in the late 1700’s. Either way spends the U.S. Constitution as a force of law – but it is not so much the goal that the two-party system disagrees on, but their differing methods that causes all the acrimony and bitterness between the two. At the same time, neither party can bring themselves to really admit the repeal of the U.S. Constitution as an authority of law is the primary goal – because the U.S. Constitution biases a two-party system, and in the event of its collapse, it could bring about an entirely new dynamic which could see both of these parties as relics of history. One party wants to bring the U.S. Constitution into the 21st century (with a potential unmooring of its guiding principles, redefining the entire nation, its purpose and its law) whereas the other party wants the interpretation to be firmly stuck in 1700’s jurisprudence (with a potential collapse of laws now unable to respond to current governing needs, privatizing the entire nation).

This book is a good read. It jogs you to accepting that the Obama era is not just a blip of hostility in our otherwise staid democratic methods, but the beginning of a possibly permanent collapse in our system of government and its ability to respond to real needs and real problems.

This book was written a time ago. All the information about how the parties are locked down is quite old news. It's nice that a conservative can be critical of the shenanigans of the GOP. I do not think that they did much of a job in delineating WHY they are locked down. I think a lot of the destruction of our political process has been wreaked by Fox News and Limbaugh--they run the GOP and are destroying it--these problems are covered much better in the book "The Loudest Voice in the Room" about Roger Ailes. Should be truly frightening to both conservatives and others. He is unintentionally destroying the Republican Party.

Excellent book. Given the vintage and the sterling reputations of the two authors you would expect something like this. For the casual reader there is at times TMI, but overall superbly done! Bravo! Viva! Ole!

Highly informed and scholarly but also hard hitting look at the United State's political paralysis which the authors lay at the feet of the Republican party. One author is a scholar at the conservative Heritage Foundation, the other a liberal foundation (Brookings Institute?). People who like this book should also look at "What's the Matter with Kansas" by Frank.

Excellent book that really explains what has happened in Washington and goes to great lengths to prove that the viewpoints are not biased in favor of one political party over the other. The authors are objective in their analysis and detail everything that has taken place over the past 30 or so years to taint Washington politics.

It makes me wonder how our democracy can continue for our children in the fashion in which it has in the past. Power is no longer equal between the parties and one has been working for a long time to take over. Compromise is not a word that is known anymore