David’s Reviews > The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics > Status Update

"Bridging the wonk gap" tries to describe how GOP candidates and lawmakers might get back toward substantive policy positions, after highlighting how far they've strayed from those ideals with marketing staff and messaging. Alas, the most recent election won't convince any of them they need to do anything differently as voters rewarded the "post policy" party with the presidency. 😢

"Governing by near death experience" covers R's shutdowns and threatened shutdowns of the federal government. Brutal.

"Life and death in the culture wars." Abortion and gun restrictions the big subjects here.

This chapter does a good job of illustrating its thesis, "the cruelty is the point."

So many clueless moves. No research, no consumed briefings, no knowledge of anything that has gone before; just decide something based on what might make for a good photo? Hard to say what the real motivations were but that makes as much sense as any other explanation.

Now Guantanamo and terrorism get the treatment.

Climate change denial stories in the chapter about a middle finger to the world (in reference to the GOP's lack of seriousness on dealing with climate change generally and the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement specifically).

"Even if it worked, I would oppose it." A quote from presidential candidate Ben Carson about the ACA, and an apt title for this chapter of GOP efforts to undermine any and all attempts at improving health care legislation in the Obama and Trump (1st term) years.