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Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans
Upon leaving the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked what sort of government the delegates had created. His reply to the crowd: "A republic, if you can keep it." Now America's most respected governor explains just how close we've come to losing the republic, and how we can restore it to greatness.
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has been called "the most presidential man in America." He has brought more change to his state in a few years than most see in decades.
During his tenure, Daniels turned a $700 million deficit into a billion dollar surplus, balanced Indiana's budget even during the recession, converted its once unattractive business climate into one of the strongest for private sector job growth.
The Hoosier state is now a model of good and efficient governance. Its public sector payroll is now the smallest per capita in the nation. And yet services have improved across the board. Even its Bureau of Motor Vehicles -- the ultimate symbol of dysfunctional bureaucracy - has been rated the best in the country.
Daniels has done this by focusing on government's core responsibilities, cutting taxes, empowering citizens, and performing what he calls an "old tribal ritual" - spending less money than his state takes in, while distinguishing between skepticism towards big government and hostility towards all government.
Unfortunately few politicians have the discipline or courage to follow his lead. And worse, many assume that Americans are too intimidated, gullible or dim-witted to make wise decisions about their health care, mortgages, the education of their kids, and other important issues. The result has been a steady decline in freedom, as elite government experts -- "our benevolent betters," in Daniels' phrase -- try to regulate every aspect of our lives.
Daniels bluntly calls our exploding national debt "a survival-level threat to the America we have known." He shows how our underperforming public schools have produced a workforce unprepared to compete with those of other countries and ignorant of the requirements of citizenship in a free society. He lays out the risk of greatly diminished long term prosperity and the loss of our position of world leadership. He warns that we may lose the uniquely American promise of upward mobility for all.
But, the good news is that it's not too late to save America. However, real change can't be imposed from above. It has to be what he calls "change that believes in you" -- a belief that Americans, properly informed of the facts, will pull together to make the necessary changes and that they are best- equipped to make the decisions governing their own lives. As he puts it:
"I urge great care not to drift into a loss of faith in the American people. We must never yield to the self-fulfilling despair that these problems are immutable, or insurmountable. Americans are still a people born to liberty. Addressed as free-born, autonomous men and women of God-given dignity, they will rise yet again to drive back a mortal enemy."
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has been called "the most presidential man in America." He has brought more change to his state in a few years than most see in decades.
During his tenure, Daniels turned a $700 million deficit into a billion dollar surplus, balanced Indiana's budget even during the recession, converted its once unattractive business climate into one of the strongest for private sector job growth.
The Hoosier state is now a model of good and efficient governance. Its public sector payroll is now the smallest per capita in the nation. And yet services have improved across the board. Even its Bureau of Motor Vehicles -- the ultimate symbol of dysfunctional bureaucracy - has been rated the best in the country.
Daniels has done this by focusing on government's core responsibilities, cutting taxes, empowering citizens, and performing what he calls an "old tribal ritual" - spending less money than his state takes in, while distinguishing between skepticism towards big government and hostility towards all government.
Unfortunately few politicians have the discipline or courage to follow his lead. And worse, many assume that Americans are too intimidated, gullible or dim-witted to make wise decisions about their health care, mortgages, the education of their kids, and other important issues. The result has been a steady decline in freedom, as elite government experts -- "our benevolent betters," in Daniels' phrase -- try to regulate every aspect of our lives.
Daniels bluntly calls our exploding national debt "a survival-level threat to the America we have known." He shows how our underperforming public schools have produced a workforce unprepared to compete with those of other countries and ignorant of the requirements of citizenship in a free society. He lays out the risk of greatly diminished long term prosperity and the loss of our position of world leadership. He warns that we may lose the uniquely American promise of upward mobility for all.
But, the good news is that it's not too late to save America. However, real change can't be imposed from above. It has to be what he calls "change that believes in you" -- a belief that Americans, properly informed of the facts, will pull together to make the necessary changes and that they are best- equipped to make the decisions governing their own lives. As he puts it:
"I urge great care not to drift into a loss of faith in the American people. We must never yield to the self-fulfilling despair that these problems are immutable, or insurmountable. Americans are still a people born to liberty. Addressed as free-born, autonomous men and women of God-given dignity, they will rise yet again to drive back a mortal enemy."
273 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2011
32 people are currently reading
237 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 19, 2011
This is a current politician that has needed and doable solutions for the fiscal ills that trouble the governments of this country (and probably most other countries). A easily readable book where Daniels describes the actions he has taken, with the support of the Indiana General Assembly, in the 7 years he has been Governor of Indiana. Actions that reduced the cost of government, improved services, and balanced the State budgets. This is the kind of National President this Country needs.
February 9, 2020
Mitch Daniels is one of my favorite humans, so I came in really wanting to love it. While he makes some good points, and I deeply appreciate his willingness to take policy stances that are unconventional for a republican (like Negative Income Taxes), the fact that he clearly wrote this while still considering running for president makes some of his (very real) accomplishments and accusations sound way too political. This goes against his natural tone and really jarred me out of the book. It is also a little sad to see that in the 9 years since he wrote this book, virtually none of the problems he points out have been addressed, if anything they have gotten significantly worse. At least he is making the changes he proposed at Purdue!
September 17, 2012
This book gets 2 stars based primarily on the strength of the final chapter. The first 80% of the books is nothing different from the stock and trade Republican Party talking points. When I read a book I want to learn something and what he writes about I have heard many time before from various Republican writers and speakers. Also, the first 200 hundred pages is heavily filled with what is wrong but very shallow on specifics. Venom drips from many of his passages referring to Obama's minions and of course we all know who else has minions. He particularly heaps ire on what he calls Czarista Kathleen Sibilius. He seems to get much inspiration from a Texas novelist whose main character never takes a thing from the government - maybe those big corporations shouldn't take any tax breaks. He says he has read reams of paper on global warming but he can't make up his mind on it.Is he reading tea Party tracts or real environmental science? What did I like about the book in the last chapter? His ideas on reforming social security and Medicare seem reasonable and he is a Republican who says there might be need for a reevaluation of our military use and possible cuts in spending.
One final thing, he has about 10 charts in the book and he either says nothing about them or 1 or 2 sentences of little value. He also, has about 15 pages of photos of himself with famous people that have no value whatsoever other than to show he knows Ronald Reagan etc.
One final thing, he has about 10 charts in the book and he either says nothing about them or 1 or 2 sentences of little value. He also, has about 15 pages of photos of himself with famous people that have no value whatsoever other than to show he knows Ronald Reagan etc.
November 26, 2011
A good take on the current state of our Republic and solutions. Daniels is an excellent writer, but the second half of the book repeats and feels a little hurried. Still, I recommend this book to anyone seeking a frank, straightforward analysis of current problems. Daniels approaches them as an experienced executive more than a politician.
November 14, 2012
What a shame that Daniels didn't run for Pres in 2012.
March 12, 2019
Only the facts, this is what I wanted to hear. I am a Hoosier and know about the issues and problems with the state of Indiana during the Daniels administration as governor, I remember the articles trying to bring him down, and am very happy to have his side of the story. His side fits with his actions during his administration.
Also the press displaying their bias and telling stories, you can't call them facts or truths, working to break our country, planting seeds that poison instead of building up and growing into good and truth to enrich the state/country. We need to NOT trust the press and do the research. Daniels has led Purdue University since he left the governors office and has kept tuition down while other schools in the state are running away with the students bank accounts which they will, in some cases, never recover from.
Also the press displaying their bias and telling stories, you can't call them facts or truths, working to break our country, planting seeds that poison instead of building up and growing into good and truth to enrich the state/country. We need to NOT trust the press and do the research. Daniels has led Purdue University since he left the governors office and has kept tuition down while other schools in the state are running away with the students bank accounts which they will, in some cases, never recover from.
January 5, 2025
The former Indiana Governor and Purdue President makes the case that our most serious issue is our debt and that we need to do whatever it takes to grow the economy and cut spending to get it under control. He's probably right, but there is no evidence of political will from either party and things have gotten much worse since this book was published in 2011. It's surprising how dated this book is for only being 14 years old.
Daniels isn't afraid to criticize both parties for their fiscal policies, and it reads like he would be no fan of Trump, but he is a Reaganite conservative, so many of his social policy ideas will not be acceptable today.
Daniels isn't afraid to criticize both parties for their fiscal policies, and it reads like he would be no fan of Trump, but he is a Reaganite conservative, so many of his social policy ideas will not be acceptable today.
September 30, 2023
People of all political stripes left, right, and other should heed Daniel’s call to join together and face our common mortal enemy: the inevitable math of our increasing national debt. As a experienced governor who has actually balanced government budgets, he has much practical wisdom here. If every governor, president and legislator read this book and adopted his ideas, we’d would be on our way back from the fiscal cliffs that we will soon be going over.
November 3, 2023
A clear call to action for America and its citizens, this book describes the rise and fall of nations throughout history and some of the trajectory impacting America currently. Mitch Daniels are clear thoughts on ways to improve our country primarily from a fiscal standpoint with very real issues. I would like everyone helping to make fiscal decisions for our government to listen to Mr. Daniels thoughts and ideas. Here's hoping...
September 23, 2017
A vision of hope for how we Amercans can work to keep our republic strong in the face of surmounting national debt and other national problems, all articulated so well. I was glad to get a concise summary of numerous policy issues that matter (or should matter) to all of us, and learn more.
July 1, 2019
Loved it. Encapsulates the idea of loving Americans by trusting them to do whats best for them. I hope to see more of Daniels and his contemporaries in American politics. Lost a star because he is a little bit of a Obama hater.
November 1, 2018
Clear minded. Thoughtful. Pragmatic.
May 19, 2021
I wish Mitch had run for president. I wish he would run now.
March 26, 2025
This man should been President. Sadly, our nation continues towards economic and social decline.
April 20, 2022
Daniels’s conservatism is one I admire even if we would differ on some things. But his pre-Trump naïveté about the dark underbelly of his own party sounds quite jaded. He attacks (rightfully) the incivility of the left but ignores his own party’s shortcomings, now on full display.
I’d love for him to update this work or write another. His is a voice worth hearing even if his view of conservatism seems dated in 2022.
I’d love for him to update this work or write another. His is a voice worth hearing even if his view of conservatism seems dated in 2022.
August 16, 2013
Buried in this lightweight meandering list of right-wing shibboleths are a few valid points:
* institutions and the people in them do not like to give up power. However, he only mentions this in regard to left-leaning institutions like unions. He fails to notice that right-wing institutions all have the same, human, characteristics.
* if you're going to make big changes, you're going to piss off a lot of people. However, when left-leaning people are pissed off, it's because they were bad, selfish people to begin with. When right-wing people are pissed off, it's righteous injustice.
* the US is spending more than it's making. This is true, but he makes no attempt to examine the ROI of various expenditures.
* bailing out the banks, insurance companies, and other corporations was irritating for everyone. But, he puts at all at Obama's feet, never mentioning that most of these programs were put in place by the Bush administration, and never grasping that, as maddening as they were, they basically worked. Also, never quite grasping that his beloved private-sector institutions were the cause of the mess to begin with.
His grasp of economics and history are comical. Everyone tends to find their preconceptions validated in what they read, but he really can't seem to grasp nuance at all.
Every presidential hopeful needs a book deal. This is his. That's about it. Republicans need to be reassured that current problems are Obama's fault. They don't want to be reminded that Obama is simply dealing with a mess left by his predecessors.
None of this is a commentary on his job as a governor. It will take years before that legacy can be evaluated.
* institutions and the people in them do not like to give up power. However, he only mentions this in regard to left-leaning institutions like unions. He fails to notice that right-wing institutions all have the same, human, characteristics.
* if you're going to make big changes, you're going to piss off a lot of people. However, when left-leaning people are pissed off, it's because they were bad, selfish people to begin with. When right-wing people are pissed off, it's righteous injustice.
* the US is spending more than it's making. This is true, but he makes no attempt to examine the ROI of various expenditures.
* bailing out the banks, insurance companies, and other corporations was irritating for everyone. But, he puts at all at Obama's feet, never mentioning that most of these programs were put in place by the Bush administration, and never grasping that, as maddening as they were, they basically worked. Also, never quite grasping that his beloved private-sector institutions were the cause of the mess to begin with.
His grasp of economics and history are comical. Everyone tends to find their preconceptions validated in what they read, but he really can't seem to grasp nuance at all.
Every presidential hopeful needs a book deal. This is his. That's about it. Republicans need to be reassured that current problems are Obama's fault. They don't want to be reminded that Obama is simply dealing with a mess left by his predecessors.
None of this is a commentary on his job as a governor. It will take years before that legacy can be evaluated.
December 28, 2014
The first qualification for any politician running for President of the United States is optimism. Every politician understands this and strains with every muscle in his forced smile and every ready cliche on the tip of his tongue to convince the American people that he, not his opponent, is the most optimistic in all the land. "I strongly believe that America's best days are ahead of us," he invariably says at least a thousand times per election year, reading from a script that hasn't changed since the Roosevelt administration. "My opponent has a pessimistic view of the American people," he glibly says when his opponent points out a problem that cannot be fixed without making tough choices.
Keeping the Republic would have made a great campaign book had Governor Mitch Daniels decided to run for president in 2012. Unlike the eventual GOP nominee that year, who was obliged to speak optimistically in public, but who expressed deep pessimism in secretly recorded private meetings, Daniels airs all of this doubts about the American experiment up front. He reminds the reader of the Latin phrase emblazoned on America's original currency: Exitus in Dubio Est -- "the outcome is in doubt." But he sees a path out of America's current fiscal situation and sees the American people as adult enough to deal with it.
Daniels' brand of optimism -- grounded in reality and devoid happy but meaningless cliches -- is what America needs at this time.
Keeping the Republic would have made a great campaign book had Governor Mitch Daniels decided to run for president in 2012. Unlike the eventual GOP nominee that year, who was obliged to speak optimistically in public, but who expressed deep pessimism in secretly recorded private meetings, Daniels airs all of this doubts about the American experiment up front. He reminds the reader of the Latin phrase emblazoned on America's original currency: Exitus in Dubio Est -- "the outcome is in doubt." But he sees a path out of America's current fiscal situation and sees the American people as adult enough to deal with it.
Daniels' brand of optimism -- grounded in reality and devoid happy but meaningless cliches -- is what America needs at this time.
April 4, 2013
Daniels and his team have engineered a remarkable turnaround in Indiana's finances, based on the premise that goverment is meant to serve the people, not tell them what to do. He clearly explains the financial risks facing the US and offers his solutions, though his pragmatism leaves room for other answers. The quotes scattered thru the book are great (particularly from Reagan); and I love that when he travels to events statewide, he stays in the homes of his constituents. Why can't he be Governor of IL?!
October 27, 2011
This book presents the real facts as to our nation's current economic state and as you might guess it isn't pretty. Daniels is very straightforward in the book and does a good job presenting his suggested solutions, including in most cases identifying the arguments against his proposals with clear rebuttals. I especially like his support for the negative income tax to replace the hodge podge of the many different welfare programs.
January 22, 2012
I think pretty highly of Governor Daniels. His book is a pretty good example as to why. He's thoughtful, provocative, and an effective communicator. I'm not sure I agree with every assertion made and ever conclusion drawn in the book, but this much is clear: our current economic path is neither sustainable nor desirable. Daniels' call for action is necessary at this point in our nation's history.
January 17, 2012
Gov. Daniels sets out a compelling case that the country needs to address our national debt. He sets out a solid plan to do this. The question is whether the country has the will to do this before it is too late. This is not a typical book by a politician, especially one that wants to run for President, which is refreshing.
This book needs to be required reading for anyone holding national or state level office.
This book needs to be required reading for anyone holding national or state level office.
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June 13, 2015Interesting book. Not so much a political philosophy as an analysis of the current state of the USA. I wish I had his faith in the American public. He seems convinced that we will wake up and be able to straighten out the mess in our National political system. First, of course, we need to straighten our thinking, motivation, and actions as individual citizens. Therein lies the rub...
May 24, 2016
It is about time!
Simple, much needed wake up call to self management with practical suggestions that been proven to work and us (Amercians) out of this hole we have spent our way into! Stop the politicians from spending us into depth and hold them accountable to cut costs, reduced spending and balance a budget at all levels of governments that serve us (the people )!
Simple, much needed wake up call to self management with practical suggestions that been proven to work and us (Amercians) out of this hole we have spent our way into! Stop the politicians from spending us into depth and hold them accountable to cut costs, reduced spending and balance a budget at all levels of governments that serve us (the people )!
November 7, 2011
He has some ideas worth considering. But did he need to channel his inner Ann Coulter for an entire chapter on how the Democrats were mean to the Republicans in 2010 in Indiana? As if only Democrats stoop to name-calling and chicanery. It ruined the whole book for me.
December 6, 2012
Definitely a political-oriented book, but Mitch Daniels seems to have a more common-sense, practical approach. You'll learn more about Indiana government than you thought you would, but it's a good case study.
October 14, 2014
A great perspective on the financial issues facing our country. Well written and very accessible -- very enlightening for anyone who wants to better understand the reason why incurring so much debt is problematic for the future of our country.
September 26, 2011
This was a really difficult book for me to read, but I'm really glad that I did. The ideas in it were very interesting.
September 29, 2011
Must read for anyone thinking about the future of American politics or economics.
April 4, 2013
I will always be sad he didn't run for President. He is 100% on the mark all the way through this entire book. Sigh......
July 4, 2013
No better way to ring in Independence Day then finishing this book! Oh Mitch, SO wish you would have run!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews