It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the Politics of Extremism

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It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the Politics of Extremism

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 784 ratings · 197 reviews

Acrimony and hyperpartisanship have seeped into every part of the political process. Congress is deadlocked and its approval ratings are at record lows. America’s two main political parties have given up their traditions of compromise, endangering our very system of constitutional democracy. And one of these parties has taken on the role of insurgent outlier; the Republica...more Acrimony and hyperpartisanship have seeped into every part of the political process. Congress is deadlocked and its approval ratings are at record lows. America’s two main political parties have given up their traditions of compromise, endangering our very system of constitutional democracy. And one of these parties has taken on the role of insurgent outlier; the Republicans have become ideologically extreme, scornful of compromise, and ardently opposed to the established social and economic policy regime.

In It’s Even Worse Than It Looks, congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein identify two overriding problems that have led Congress—and the United States—to the brink of institutional collapse. The first is the serious mismatch between our political parties, which have become as vehemently adversarial as parliamentary parties, and a governing system that, unlike a parliamentary democracy, makes it extremely difficult for majorities to act. Second, while both parties participate in tribal warfare, both sides are not equally culpable. The political system faces what the authors call “asymmetric polarization,” with the Republican Party implacably refusing to allow anything that might help the Democrats politically, no matter the cost.

With dysfunction rooted in long-term political trends, a coarsened political culture and a new partisan media, the authors conclude that there is no “silver bullet” reform that can solve everything. But they offer a panoply of useful ideas and reforms, endorsing some solutions, like greater public participation and institutional restructuring of the House and Senate, while debunking others, like independent or third-party candidates. Above all, they call on the media as well as the public at large to focus on the true causes of dysfunction rather than just throwing the bums out every election cycle. Until voters learn to act strategically to reward problem solving and punish obstruction, American democracy will remain in serious danger.(less)

Hardcover, 225 pages

Published May 1st 2012 by Basic Books (first published January 1st 2012)

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Sep 15, 2012 Jay Connor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Asymmetry.

Perhaps the most relevant concept in understanding the full brace of change that is this new century is “asymmetry.” The simple Webster definition is: not identical on both sides of a central line. In other words, it is a mistake to try to understand something that is asymmetrical by using false equivalence. This is much easier said than done. The human animal is preconditioned to think in terms of balance and symmetry. For example, when we look in the mirror or at someone on the stree...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Marijah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At first I was concerned that the authors were presenting too slanted a perspective but as I continued to read I discovered that they'd plenty of evidence and facts to back up their claims. I wound up being very convinced, and depressed, by the view they have of our current American political climate.

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Apr 11, 2013 Greg Talbot rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein have delivered a brillant analysis on the problem and intelligent solutions toward functional D.C. politics. Rather than throw the ship overboard with reform that simply wil not happen – parlimentary European elections for instance - they illumiante solutions the general electorate would be receptive to. Consider the tweaking of a filibuster so it can not be used as defense weapon of instrasigence. Consider the BRAC process the department of defense used over divi...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mann and Ornstein, two fairly middle of the road political scientists from the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute respectively, diagnose the "mess in Washington." and propose solutions. They see two problems:our political parties have become "parliamentary" (read: unified and uncompromising)in style and they are "asymmetrically polarized" (the Republicans are more right-wing than the Democrats are left-wing). If you are a Democrat (and I'll admit this book plays to my bi...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Yune rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you have any political leaning, I think I can predict how you'll react to this book. It shoots out of the gate condemning Republicans as being far more intransigent than Democrats, and for being willing to halt normal government in favor of principles (particularly since they tend to be the party that prefers less governmental meddling, and thus any reputation the government gains for being unable to accomplish anything supposedly only strengthens their case). The authors say they don't try t...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Jerry rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics

My recommendation is don't waste your time reading this book. This is an extremely biased progressive rant on the Republicans. They say it is all the Republicans fault. "Some readers may be struck by a lack of balance in our treatment of the two major political parties." Well, yes! 98% about the sins of the Republicans and hardly a word of blame for the Democrats. They point out that there is no longer any overlap between the parties as the Republicans "veered" right and the Democrats "drifted"...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Ownbymom Ownby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bias alert. It's always easy to read a book which agrees with your personal bias, and this book fits that category for me. Mann and Ornstein recently spoke on our campus and reminded me of why I enjoyed the book. Their thesis is that currently Congress is completely dysfunctional because we have a constitutional system but a Congress which acts as if it were a parliament. They argue that, at this time at least, the Republican Party is responsible for the majority of the blame because they have m...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Colleen Clark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: financial-crisis-economic, politics-terror

Especially apropos in this election season - 2012.

An analysis of what's wrong with Congress and proposals for solutions by two experienced Washington observers - one at the Brookings Institution and the other at the American Enterprise Institute. Nonpartisan or bipartisan if you prefer. One doesn't sense any tension in the writing. They speak with one voice.

While they have a long perspective Mann and Ornstein lay the blame for the current impasse in Congress and governing altogether squarely on...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Arjun Mishra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics

I know that many readers will be miffed and upset that the two eminent Congressional and Constitutional scholars place the majority of the blame on the obstruction and single-minded tactics of the right-wing of the Republican Party (which as the authors document, is engulfing the entire party and throwing out anyone not right-wing enough), but that case is truly there to be made and there is hardly an alternative to take the lionshare of the blame.

I attended a talk by Arthur Brooks, President o...more I know that many readers will be miffed and upset that the two eminent Congressional and Constitutional scholars place the majority of the blame on the obstruction and single-minded tactics of the right-wing of the Republican Party (which as the authors document, is engulfing the entire party and throwing out anyone not right-wing enough), but that case is truly there to be made and there is hardly an alternative to take the lionshare of the blame.

I attended a talk by Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute (the conservative think tank that employs co-author Norman Ornstein) a couple months ago. Lugubriously, Dr. Brooks discussed how the future of conservatism was bleak in this country and how conservatives were losing the argument, especially morally. I disagreed with him then, and I disagree now. An observer of Congress and American politics can testify to the widespread success that conservatism is and has been enjoying. The youth of this country is returning back to the center right, as opposed to the center leftism of a previous generation. The country used to be majority Democrat; even with demographic changes, it is more equal now. He wasn't, but if Brooks were talking about my conservatism and his conservatism (that Northeast kind that used to dominate the Republican party but has been eschewed for myopic policies and destructive politics), then he would be right.

There is nothing new or groundbreaking in this book. You can find all of the charts and information on Ezra Klein's wonkblog, which has documented how this 112th Congress is the least productive in the post-war era, much less so than the Do-Nothing Congress of the Truman era. It puts everything together and lambasts the various problems of this current Congress. This is very important, as old norms have given way and ceded to new norms, which are dysfunctional and lend themselves to more problems. We all know the various problems: compromise is a dirty word, moderate Republicans are overthrown for myopic and nascent politicians with litter understanding of how American politics work, gerrymandering (authors dispute this), etc. I wish that they would have touched on voter fraud and obstructing voters from voting by creating a spate of laws that restrict voting based on IDs. It is necessary and an exigent topic.

Their solutions are an intellectual exercise at best. There is no chance that they will be implemented. At best, they will be considered on Sunday talk shows and intelligent punditry shows. I have seen them on television a couple times discussing the topic and while that segment shines of intelligence and optimism, hosts rarely discuss the topic again, despite its importance. As a Republican unhappy with the state of his party, this book rings true and resonates.

EDIT: It should be noted that the Brookings Institution is not liberal. It is non-partisan and non-ideological. That could contribute to why it is consistently rated the best think tank in the world. (less)

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Jul 16, 2012 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars

The subtitle of this book is “How the American Constitutional System Collided With The Politics Of Extremism.” The first thing this book has to recommend it is its duel authorship. Thomas Mann is a fellow at the liberal Brookings Institution. Norman Ornstein is resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. The fact that they chose to collaborate in this work suggests a relatively nonpartisan argument, or at least a mutual concern for the problems they articulate. Whatever t...more The subtitle of this book is “How the American Constitutional System Collided With The Politics Of Extremism.” The first thing this book has to recommend it is its duel authorship. Thomas Mann is a fellow at the liberal Brookings Institution. Norman Ornstein is resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. The fact that they chose to collaborate in this work suggests a relatively nonpartisan argument, or at least a mutual concern for the problems they articulate. Whatever the reader’s personal perspectives on the issues addressed, these authors deserve a fair and thoughtful reading.

In their Introduction they identify “two overriding sources of dysfunction” in our current political situation. “The first is the serious mismatch between the political parties, which have become as vehemently adversarial as parliamentary parties, and a governing system that, unlike a parliamentary democracy, makes it extremely difficult for majorities to act.” And “the second is the fact that…one of the two major parties, the Republican Party, has become an insurgent outlier – ideologically extreme, [making it] extremely difficult to enact policies responsive to the country’s most pressing challenges.”

In Part I, “The Problem,” the authors use the debt ceiling crisis of 2011 to illustrate the “new politics of hostage taking,” describing the role of Republican extremists in Congress in taking intransigent positions that made not only compromise but even progress on vital fiscal issues impossible. They assert that Congressional Republicans have moved farther to the right over the past three decades than Democrats have moved to the left, and a far higher percentage of Congressional Republicans are at the far right than Democrats are at the far left. Further, Democrats include a more diverse group of ideologies and are thus more prone to compromise in the name of solving problems through legislation, the Republicans preferring to resist compromise and thus bipartisan legislation in the name of ideological purity. While there are many contributing reasons to these trends, Mann and Ornstein put major blame squarely on the shoulders of Newt Gingrich and his “movement” in the 1990’s. They also attribute trends in media bias and extremism primarily to the Right, using Fox News and the “birther movement” as prime examples. They cite and present evidence for their assertions, although I do not know to what extent their conclusions are valid. In addition to these issues, the authors cite an increasing corruptive effect of big money in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizen United ruling, and they claim that, because of superior organization and planning, the Republicans have been more successful than the Democrats in injecting huge sums from wealthy donors into influencing electoral politics as well as legislation. Finally, Mann and Ornstein point to several obstructionist tactics that are used disproportionately and increasingly by the Republicans to undermine the Democrats and the current Administration. These include the increasing use of holds and filibusters, the refusal to allow consideration of executive and judicial appointments, and the refusal to fund legislation that has been passed but with which they disagree. Summarizing the nature of the current problem they write:

“The dysfunction that arises from the incompatibility of the U.S. constitutional system with parliamentary-type parties is compounded by the asymmetric polarization of those parties. Today’s Republican Party…is an insurgent outlier. It has become ideologically extreme; contemptuous of the inherited social and economic policy regime; scornful of compromise; unpersuaded by conventional understanding of facts, evidence, and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition, all but declaring war on the government. The Democratic Party, while no paragon of civic virtue, is more ideologically centered and diverse, protective of the government’s role as it developed over the course of the last century, open to incremental changes in policy fashioned through bargaining with the Republicans, and less disposed to or adept at take-no-prisoners conflict between the parties. This asymmetry between the parties, which journalists and scholars often brush aside or whitewash in a quest for “balance,” constitutes a huge obstacle to effective governance.”

In Part II the authors try to address the question of what we can do about the current situation. First, they list popularly proposed remedies that they are convinced would be ineffective – the assumption that the American political system will spontaneously correct itself, the emergence of a third party more attuned to the middle of the political spectrum, a Constitutional amendment to balance the budget, term limits, and the full public financing of elections.

Moving next to suggest positive steps that might help alleviate the present difficulties, the authors group their suggestions into three categories. First, they focus on fixing the party system, emphasizing the fact that “America needs parties that can function constructively in a governance system that requires an unusual degree of consensus to act.” Suggestions include expanding the vote by modernizing voter registration, fighting efforts to restrict voting, moving election day, and making attendance at the polls mandatory. In addition, they suggest redistricting reform, changing to open primaries, and establishing alternatives to winner-take-all elections. They discuss alternative ways of funding campaigns and recommend the reforming of leadership PACs and the prohibiting of lobbyists’ contributions to campaigns.

They then discuss the reforming of U.S. political institutions, including the restoring of majority rule in the Senate by limiting filibusters to one per bill, by putting the burden on the minority rather than the majority when a bill needs to move forward, by the elimination of extraneous delays, and by expediting the nomination process. They also suggest shifting authority between and within the branches of government.

Finally, recognizing that substantive change requires the approval of the party that has benefited from the status quo, an often unlikely prospect, the authors provide suggestions for navigating the current system. First, they hope to change the political culture by restoring public shame by calling out those who lie, distort, and vilify rather than engage in constructive discourse; by recreating a public square for constructive discussion; and by creating a shadow Congress of former legislators of all political persuasions, legislators who in the past have provided examples of constructive dialogue. Second, they hope to rein in the insurgent outlier, in this case the current Republican Party, by change from within, by the power of the citizenry, by Presidential leadership and campaign strategy, by media influence, and by voter activism.

I found this book to be interesting. Hundreds of books on current politics are published every year, most merely partisan polemics. The tone of this work is far different and more intent on being constructive. The primary recommendation for this book, in my opinion, lies in the authorship, the collaboration of two authors from apparently opposite sides of the politic spectrum. Like most current political books, it is likely that this one will be read through the lens of the political bias of each reader, Democrats celebrating its conclusions and Republics condemning them. At the very least, it deserves a careful and thoughtful reading, inviting each reader to think about the issues raised and to respond constructively to them. There seems to be no question that this country is at a difficult and confusing crossroads, a moment in history when we can choose to proceed in one of a number of directions. By doing nothing different we are de facto making a choice, and we need at least to know and acknowledge what choice we are making.

In summary, the authors have presented a cogent and convincing argument for the difficulties we face. If their suggestions, and there are many, often seem unlikely to be implemented in the face of daunting obstacles and the resistance of those benefiting from the current state of affairs, they at least deserve thoughtful discussion and action where possible. The book ends with this short paragraph: “We end where we began: it is even worse than it looks. But we are confident that if the worst has not yet hit, better times, and a return to a better political system, do indeed lie ahead.” I am unconvinced that their book justifies their optimism.
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Jul 14, 2012 Judie rated it 5 of 5 stars

While there has been disagreements between the political parties almost from their inception, previous generations of politicians realized they had to work together and compromise in order to lead our county. According Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, that model began falling apart when Newt Gingrich became a Congressman.
They acknowledge that the Democrats, who had been in charge for a long time, did not always play fair, but members of both parties put the good of the country ahead of tha...more While there has been disagreements between the political parties almost from their inception, previous generations of politicians realized they had to work together and compromise in order to lead our county. According Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, that model began falling apart when Newt Gingrich became a Congressman.
They acknowledge that the Democrats, who had been in charge for a long time, did not always play fair, but members of both parties put the good of the country ahead of that of the party. Now the party comes first for the Republican majority.
They offer many examples, beginning with the debt limit crisis of 2011 during which Republicans, many of whom supported the proposed bill, kept it from coming up for a vote and then voted against it just because President Obama supported it. Political appointees, including judges and cabinet personnel, were not affirmed because of Republican intransigience. Votes that should have taken a few days were delayed for weeks. Unnecessary and misused filibusters brought Congress to a standstill frequesntly for excessive lengths of time.

The arrival of almost one hundred new Representatives in 2010, many of whom ran on a promise to change Washington and who lacked political experience or savvy, voted strictly to stop President Obama.

After presenting many examples, they offer possible solutions:

Expanding the vote by making it easier for people to vote. Currently, many states are making it more difficult. The suggest following the lead of many other countries by making voting mandatory and by making it more convenient by expanding voting hours, moving from Tuesday to the weekend, and making registration easier.
Have open primaries. That would make political extremists less powerful because the centrists would have to be reckoned with.

Fix the way campaigns are financed and prohibiting lobbyists from contributing to candidates.

Having the media stop being "balanced" and become more accurate by not treating lies and distortions the same as it treats facts.

This book should be read by anyone interested in preserving our democratic republic and learning how carefully the divisivness has been cultured.(less)

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Jul 10, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the follow-up book to The Broken Branch and again studies Congress and how it is not living up to its Constitutional obligations. President Reagan would not meet GOP approval in this current Congress since he followed his tax cut of 1981 with tax increases almost every subsequent year of his presidency, George H W agreed in 1990 to a deficit-reduction package that included tax increases and budget process reforms, turning back significant congressional GOP opposition and even the last pr...more This is the follow-up book to The Broken Branch and again studies Congress and how it is not living up to its Constitutional obligations. President Reagan would not meet GOP approval in this current Congress since he followed his tax cut of 1981 with tax increases almost every subsequent year of his presidency, George H W agreed in 1990 to a deficit-reduction package that included tax increases and budget process reforms, turning back significant congressional GOP opposition and even the last president advocated broad immigration reform (one of the things he wanted that I approved of), expansion of government in health care and education, as well as TARP and the bank bail-out. The lack of negotiation and compromise is stifling the country when the GOP refuses to even consider anything they think will help President Obama politically even if the original ideas came from them such as for health care, deficit and budget resolutions, and various job plans. The authors have ideas for overcoming this problem but primarily it is for voters to elect compromisers rather than extremists. One idea is to have a shadow Congress consisting of former members, most of whom are appalled at the current climate in DC and who would publish their recommendations on important bills--since these people would not be running for election, they likely would be working only to help America. Other ideas are for higher voting percentages including requiring Americans to vote like Australia does, which would dilute the votes of highly partisan people since the majority of the population is very middle-of-the-road in their political views. Another is to have Election Day be on the weekend as is the case in most of the world---it turns out that we have it on Tues from the days of a highly rural population so that they could connect it with coming to market. Many of their ideas have to do with encouraging more people to use their Constitutional right to vote----an appalling low number of people vote in this country due to difficulty getting to polling places or being turned off by the stupidity of Congress.(less)

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Jun 14, 2012 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is well worth reading.

Two political scientists -- one from the conservative American Enterprise Institute, the other from the moderate Brookings Institution -- have collaborated on an important book that outlines how "the politics of extremism" has undermined our Constitutional system of government. They conclude: "Today's Republican Party ... is an insurgent outlier. It has become ideologically extreme; contemptuous of the inherited social and economic policy regime; scornful of compromis...more

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Jun 12, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

I consider myself a centralist and an Independent when it comes to voting and political views. In the past 3 presidential elections I have voted for each of two major parties, and a 3rd party candidate. Over the past 12 years I have felt my own political views and observations change. But it was not until reading this book that I thought to question that maybe the political parties themselves have significantly changed in that time.

This book writes a scathing review of the Republican Party’s ac...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Actually I'd give It's Even Worse Than it Looks a 4.5. It's superb, timely, and thought-provoking.

Granted: this book's going to be an easier read if you lean left. Mann & Ornstein criticize both parties but the contemporary GOP definitely takes it on the chin in this one. To take the book as a slam against conservatives, though, is to entirely misread their intention. They're staunch supporters of the two-party system and commend many aspects of the Republican party in its better moments and...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Ronald rated it 1 of 5 stars

While the book starts out strong with strong documentation of what is currently wrong with the United States of America. IE those people willing to put money and power above the safety of our people and Nation. Unfortunately the solutions offered are no different than those already reject by sane Americans. Shadow Governments and changes to the consitutions. Thought the most amusing solutions are for Americans to simply vote smarter and those elected officials go back to doing what is best for A...more

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Oct 30, 2012 E. Daniel Ayres rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, audiobooks-read

This book was a "quick read" for me. Maybe in part because the authors were not saying much that I had not thought or heard before. Like Steglitz, the authors don't give me the kind of optimism about successfully implementing changes that make things better that I would like to have. We are definitely fighting an uphill battle against the sophisticated image manipulators who represent powerful corporate interests and wealth in this country, and more importantly, in the global economy as a whole....more

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Oct 06, 2012 Michael Austin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

I agree with almost everything that the author's say in this book: that our governmental system has become slower and more divisive than it was intended to be, that both sides are to blame for this, and that one side (the Republicans) are more extreme, and more culpable, than the other side (which is certainly not made up of a bunch of angels). The arguments are clear and persuasive that joint blame is not the same as equal blame and that Republicans have been more obstructionist, more uncomprom...more

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Jun 04, 2012 John Purcell rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.5... It's nice to find a well researched and articulate book that gives voice to the confusion and bewilderment I have experienced watching political discourse and activity over the past couple of years in this country, especially since Obama was elected. I have had so many WTF moments, incredulous that what was happening in the regular course of government was actually happening. The faux debt crisis, for me, was the straw that broke the camel's back, the one where I seriously thought Republ...more

4.5... It's nice to find a well researched and articulate book that gives voice to the confusion and bewilderment I have experienced watching political discourse and activity over the past couple of years in this country, especially since Obama was elected. I have had so many WTF moments, incredulous that what was happening in the regular course of government was actually happening. The faux debt crisis, for me, was the straw that broke the camel's back, the one where I seriously thought Republicans were committing treason. Their actions and positions last summer were so obviously motivated by party-wide self advancement, rather than the good of the country they were elected and paid to serve, that I felt they should have been taken out back and summarily shot.

This book clearly takes the position that our government, with pure partisan politics at the center, is dysfunctional, with the possibility that if something is not done, it will "get worse". The culprits are the current Republican party, which the authors term an "outlier" in party politics, with a take no prisoners attitude. They don't care what happens to the country, believing that to save the beast they must first kill it. This is a radical Ideology at its core, designed to make the country hate the government in power so badly that we will "throw the bums out", allowing them to effortlessly move into the political vacuum created. It's insidious.

The authors, two normally conservative members of established Washington think tanks, do a very nice job of relating the history, starting in the 1970s, progressing through the Reagan years and highlighting the nefarious plan of Newt Gingrich to move the Republican Party to prominence. They give example after example of the obstructive, yet irrational nature of the current Republican plan (one they find highly dangerous to the stability of the country). But they don't stop there. They then discuss multiple suggestions for stopping and reconstructing the political process to get us back on a two party system that actually works together in a robust, albeit oppositional manner for the betterment of the country.

Apparently, Mann and Ornstein were the "go to" guys for the Sunday talk show circuit, until this book was published. Now they are pariahs, ignored by all the talk shows (except Chris Hayes on MSNBC). For that reason alone you should read this book.
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Oct 06, 2012 Bill S. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

The two authors - Constitutional scholars - offer a thought provoking look at the reasons American politics has been gridlocked the last few years and what can be done about it. Laying most of the blame at the feet at the idealogical rigidity and unwillingness to compromise of the Republican Party's conservative wing this book documents a number of instances where President Obama's hands were tied by these Tea Party types for the simple reason they wanted to create the impression Obama was an in...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Schnaucl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, non-fiction, read_2012, september

This was a good book. I thought the first chapters about how the debt ceiling debacle went down were the most interesting and informative. I was glad to see that two scholars who are known for their objectivity talked about the problem of false equivalence when lazy reporters try to be "fair" by saying both parties are at fault where there's clearly asymmetrical polarization which only contributes to making it worse because it normalizes the behavior of the extremists.

Some of their suggestions...more

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May 22, 2012 Lis Carey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, public-policy

This is a scary book.

First, it needs to be said that Ornstein and Mann are not "liberals" in any sense. They are, at most, center-right conservatives. They are respected and popular pundits "inside the Beltway" and frequent guests on the Sunday political talk shows.

At least, before they published this book.

We're all aware that our politics in recent years have been unusually broken, with gridlock and partisan obstructionism preventing even basic government functions from being carried out proper...more This is a scary book.

First, it needs to be said that Ornstein and Mann are not "liberals" in any sense. They are, at most, center-right conservatives. They are respected and popular pundits "inside the Beltway" and frequent guests on the Sunday political talk shows.

At least, before they published this book.

We're all aware that our politics in recent years have been unusually broken, with gridlock and partisan obstructionism preventing even basic government functions from being carried out properly. Conventional, mainstream media wisdom says that this is equally the fault of both sides, that Democrats and Republicans both have become more extreme in recent years.

Mann and Ornstein say that's not correct, that the Democrats have moved a little to the left, while the Republicans have become an extreme ideological outlier, unwilling to compromise on anything, and not accepting even a shared understanding of facts and evidence with the rest of the world.

Furthermore, they document this: the slight shift in the Democratic ideological tilt, as they lost the Dixiecrats, with very little movement in the rest of the Democratic caucus, while Republicans moved much further to the right. This happened in part because they welcomed the Dixiecrats who no longer felt welcome in the Democratic party, but also as a result of deliberate strategy and tactics used to break the longstanding Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. One of the key players in this was the relatively pragmatic Newt Gingrich, who deliberately developed parliamentary-like party discipline and unity, in order to obstruct the Democrats, make Congress less functional, therefore less popular, and induce the voters to "throw the bums out."

The authors lay out clearly the ways in which parliamentary parties, the Republicans especially but the Democrats, in response, developing similar if not quite as strong discipline, are incompatible with the governmental structure we have, which requires a high degree of consensus and cooperation in order to work. They beautifully explain how the GOP has driven the system closer and closer to the edge, driving out the liberals, the moderates, the center right, the merely "very conservative" members of their own party, in pursuit of ever-greater ideological purity.

They also, thankfully, lay out suggestions for how to make the situation better. These suggestions include changes to the government (extraordinarily hard to achieve), changes to how the parties behave (very hard to achieve), and changes to voter behavior (dependent on voters recognizing the seriousness of the situation.) They propose open primaries as one way to lessen the power of the extremes, and encourage voters and candidates more ready for cooperation and compromise in order to get the practical business of government accomplished.

This is an important book, one that everyone who cares about our political system ought to read. Unfortunately, it's getting very little attention because the mainstream media that normally love Ornstein and Mann haven't been interested in having them on since this book came out. Why? Maybe because they place a lot of blame on the mainstream media for buying into the false equivalency of "both sides do it" and not reporting on the genuinely extreme and destructive behavior of the current Republican party.

Highly recommended.

I bought this book.(less)

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Dec 01, 2012 Paul Mullen rated it 3 of 5 stars

A key thesis of this book is that our political parties have become more focused on control than leading. He demonstrates how some legislators advocate for a particular bill, only to reverse positions when it becomes apparent that the incumbent political party might also support it, fearing that they may get credit. He lays much of this blame at the feet of the Republican Party in its current embodiment, though I suspect that the algorithm would hold for any party out of power today. He suggests...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Tara rated it 5 of 5 stars

We can all feel that there is something wrong with the way our political system has been operating over the past few years and everyone has their own opinion about where the blame lies. Sadly most of those opinions are uninformed, or informed by biased media outlets. Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein have collected all of the problems, the evidence, and potential solutions to the ugly political atmosphere, which puts politicians' pride above the good of the nation, that has ascended on this countr...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book gave a voice to my frustration with politics in general and with the Republicans in congress in particular. Mountains of evidence are presented in a logical way to illustrate the startling shift in modern politics toward extremism and against compromise.

You don't have to be a political science major to understand the book, and yet you come away with a greatly increased understanding of the American political system. I didn't agree with all of their proposed solutions to the problem, b...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

The authors are long-time watchers of Congress through their jobs at the liberal Brookings Institution and the conservative American Enterprise Institute. They collaborate to discuss the problems with our current political situation, which they attribute overwhelmingly to the Republican party, particularly
-Newt Gingrich (because he took a take no prisoners approach to his own advancement and the advancement of the Republican Party),
-Mitch McConnell (who won't do anything that might potentially...more The authors are long-time watchers of Congress through their jobs at the liberal Brookings Institution and the conservative American Enterprise Institute. They collaborate to discuss the problems with our current political situation, which they attribute overwhelmingly to the Republican party, particularly
-Newt Gingrich (because he took a take no prisoners approach to his own advancement and the advancement of the Republican Party),
-Mitch McConnell (who won't do anything that might potentially smack of working with Obama), and
-the Tea Party (because they have a fundamental hatred of federal government and would rather see it fail and be destroyed than actually function).
As a result, the Republican party is far more right of center than the Democratic party is left of center (though they identify Democratic faults as well, such as arrogance while in the majority).

Potential solutions they advocate avoiding, with supporting studies:
-third political party,
-constitutional amendment to balance the budget (deep cuts would be required and hurt the economy and Congress couldn't actually implement a balanced budget - they recommend the "pay as you go" approach of the 1990s rather than the "cut as you go" approach of the Tea Party),
-term limits (studies that have looked at term limits in state legislatures have found that term limits "neither altered the characteristics of those elected to office nor dissuaded them from pursuing other elected offices, building professional careers in politics, or becoming lobbyists...That produced incentives to go for a big, short-term splash and leave the long-term mess to the next wave of their successors. A legislator ... acquired less specialized knowledge and relied more on others...becoame less beholden to their constituents..less productive and less innovative.)
-full public financing of elections

Potential fixes they do advocate:
-expanding the vote through modernized voter registration, mandatory voting (as in Australia), fighting efforts to restrict voting, moving election day to the weekend
-redistricting reform
-changes to campaign funding rules
-restoring majority rule in the Senate (changing the filibuster rules, speeding the nomination process)
-shifting authority between the branches of government
-change the political culture (opinion leaders should be bolder about denouncing bad behavior, stop the partisan media, create a shadow Congress - still not sure what that means, rein an insurgent outlier, take back the Republican party

One point I found interesting, and would like to explore further, is a citation to work by libertarian William Niskanen "who found that lower taxes actually increase the size of government, and that raising taxes may be the most effective way of reducing government by making voters pay for what they receive, instead of getting things at a steep discount."(less)

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Sep 27, 2012 Bill Preston rated it 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up after seeing the two authors on either Mahr or Stewart or MSNBC, or probably all three. Quick read, bottom line: nothing is going to change in Washington as long as big money lobbyist call the shots thru campaign funding, especially for incumbents. Most interesting approach, the Australian one where everyone of voting age is required to vote or face a fine. The fine is modest and a voter can vote for none of the above, but voter participation in Australia is extremely high and a...more

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May 22, 2013 Tresuiri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a hard read. Not in that it was difficult material, but in that it was difficult to listen to the facts laid out bare in this book. The authors have convincingly laid out their case that the Republican Party is an insurgent outlier in national politics. At first glance this seemed a little off, however the authors build a clear case that the Republican Party is trying to crash the congressional system in the hopes that they can rise to a position of power from the ashes of the cras...more This book was a hard read. Not in that it was difficult material, but in that it was difficult to listen to the facts laid out bare in this book. The authors have convincingly laid out their case that the Republican Party is an insurgent outlier in national politics. At first glance this seemed a little off, however the authors build a clear case that the Republican Party is trying to crash the congressional system in the hopes that they can rise to a position of power from the ashes of the crash. I found this insane on the face of it; however in example after example in the book, and example after example of what we’ve experienced firsthand in the news, we can see that it is true. I never imagined that the party of deep patriotism is the same party that is trying to bring about an end to this country. This book also draws together a concise history of where extreme politics got started in the federal legislature, how it has prospered in both parties, how it is growing, and why it is a crisis now. In the last quarter of the book, the authors offer many suggestions on how to counter these extreme pressures in politics. To be sure, both parties are guilty of participating, but asymmetrically. This has been well documented in many newspapers articles over the past years, but this book does us the additional service of connecting this far right movement to how the country has become nationally unbalanced and dysfunctional. At the point that the Republicans have stated that they’re not going to let the system function (i.e. holding Oboma’s appointments indefinitely in the hopes that the next Republican can appoint someone) we have to call into question the legitimacy of the Republican Party to govern. To be sure, the authors rightly lay many of our governance problems at the door step of the GOP.
The book goes on to issue many suggestions on how bring back balance to the system. From recommending mandatory voting (a la Australia), having the media report the polarization of the parties in their stories, to having citizens take back their parties. On the whole, I thought this book was a good scholarly work. A work that I would recommend every citizen read to understand their National legislature and how the two party system has ceased to work for us.
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Dec 30, 2012 Karen Hood Zais rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 abo...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Terence rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

If you follow the news or the goings on in Washington even a little then you more than likely have a nagging sense of frustration, fear, and disappointment with the present state of politics and the general direction of the country. The contrast of what this country aspires to be against what actually transpires in reality isn't a kind one. And to be sure there have been rough patches before—the Civil War comes readily to mind—but in more recent memory the antics and ploys seem exceptional. And...more If you follow the news or the goings on in Washington even a little then you more than likely have a nagging sense of frustration, fear, and disappointment with the present state of politics and the general direction of the country. The contrast of what this country aspires to be against what actually transpires in reality isn't a kind one. And to be sure there have been rough patches before—the Civil War comes readily to mind—but in more recent memory the antics and ploys seem exceptional. And these two authors, who have been involved in politics for more than thirty years, have written here what amounts to a long essay confirming that fear.

The read is concise and gut-wrenching. It's hard not to set the book down without feeling weary, frustrated, or just flat out angry. The authors lay out what they see as the problems and they offer suggestions for possible remedy. And it's actually the latter that hurts the most. Once you realize the true depths to which we have sunk you better understand how much effort and time will need to be invested to return to a place of prestige and pride.

Their suggestions and warnings are sometimes expected but many other times quite surprising. Ideas you'd expect to help they've found from analyzing past experiences turn out to actually only worsen the situation: third parties, balanced budget amendments, term limits, and full public financing of elections are all things they find problem with for interesting and compelling reasons. Instead they feel the path to betterment will be paved along the way of mandatory voting, open primaries of the top-two vote getter ilk, instant run-off elections, the restoration of majority rule in the senate, the reformation of campaign finance regulations. But the underlining element to each of these that is implicit in their examinations and which they don't focus long on specifically is the restoration of a more reasoned and reasonable population. Their thoughts on the restoration of public shame I thought were well said and quite welcome.

The work ends on a positive note where the authors espouse their sense that the will to take these tasks on is growing. They seem to believe we are up to the challenge. But they are also quick to warn that it will require a great amount of work and that time alone will not be the solution. Maybe they are right. But after having read their words it's difficult to share also in the strength of such convictions.(less)

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“Today's Republican Party...is an insurgent outlier. It has become ideologically extreme; contemptuous of the inherited social and economic policy regime; scornful of compromise; unpersuaded by conventional understanding of facts, evidence, and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition, all but declaring war on the government. The Democratic Party, while no paragon of civic virtue, is more ideologically centered and diverse, protective of the government's role as it developed over the course of the last century, open to incremental changes in policy fashioned through bargaining with the Republicans, and less disposed to or adept at take-no-prisoners conflict between the parties. This asymmetry between the parties, which journalists and scholars often brush aside or whitewash in a quest for "balance," constitutes a huge obstacle to effective governance.” — 2 people liked it

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