Democracy in One Book or Less Quotes

“Voting is a fundamental right.”
― David Litt, Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think

“If the [Supreme] Court's job is to interpret the Constitution, then by definition, it must be open to interpretation.”
― David Litt, Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think

“Allow more people to vote, and more people who support voting rights will get elected. The more successfully we defend our republic, the easier our republic becomes to defend. There are ideas that benefit from years or even decades of nitpicky polish. Fixing our country's foundation is not one of them.”
― David Litt, Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think

“Fixing our democracy is the equivalent of repairing a crack in your home's foundation. It's expensive and time consuming. It doesn't boost your curb appeal. But it's the only way to make every other alteration last.”
― David Litt, Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think

“But what if instead, we paired a majority-vote Senate with steps to strengthen our democracy, rebuild accountability, and reestablish the consent of the governed? Imagine the filibuster’s demise followed immediately by statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico, automatic voter registration throughout America, tougher disclosure laws for political donors, a public campaign finance system, and more.”
― David Litt, Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think

“Senator Ted Cruz put a “blanket hold” on Obama’s nominations to the State Department—every single one—to protest the Iran nuclear deal. “Of all the cloture motions ever filed or reconsidered on district court nominations,” writes former Senate staffer Bill Dauster, “97 percent were on President Obama’s nominees.”
― David Litt, Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think

“Where McConnell’s predecessors had filibustered some things, McConnell and his party filibustered everything. The new Republican Party was allergic not to a bill or to an issue, but to an entire presidency.”
― David Litt, Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think

“Political reporters frequently refer to the Senate as “polarized,” implying both parties sprinted from the middle toward their respective extremes. In fact, that’s not the case. In 2008, when Marty left the upper chamber, Democrats were standing on their twenty, one yard closer to the center than they had been three decades prior. Republican senators, however, had barreled toward their own end zone: they had moved from the twenty-two-yard line to the eleven.* The divide between Democrats and Republicans was greater than ever, all because of one party’s rightward lurch.”
― David Litt, Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think

“The unanimous consent agreement—a touchy-feely declaration of legislative togetherness—provided a counterweight to the filibuster’s egotistical extremes. In fact, with the official rules so resistant to change, Senators began turning to UC agreements not just to prevent filibusters, but to accomplish almost anything. Today the Senate has a formal rule book. But unlike in the House, that rule book is frequently ignored by unanimous consent.”
― David Litt, Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think

“The unanimous consent agreement—a touchy-feely declaration of legislative togetherness—provided a counterweight to the filibuster’s egotistical extremes. In fact, with the official rules so resistant to change, Senators began turning to UC agreements not just to prevent filibusters, but to accomplish almost anything. Today the Senate has a formal rule book. But unlike in the House, that rule book is frequently”
― David Litt, Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think