If you had to summarize the message of the book in fifteen words or less, what would you say?
A healthy democracy is about what we give, not just about what we get.
What are the three virtues referred to in the subtitle?
Service, learning, and community.
How do such virtues help us find solutions to partisan gridlock?
In many ways, but I’ll give one example of each. Citizens motivated by a spirit of service give our leaders political permission to work for the common good, whereas an electorate divided into blocs of pocketbook voters incentivizes politicians to pander to the multiple special interests this creates. If we value learning, we don’t elect leaders who act as if they have nothing to learn. If we value having authentic communities in our own neighborhoods, businesses, or churches, we hold leaders accountable to value the same thing.
Published on February 07, 2015 06:38