Download or read book Last Best Hope written by George Packer and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2021-06-15 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of The New York Times's 100 notable books of 2021 "[George Packer's] account of America’s decline into destructive tribalism is always illuminating and often dazzling." —William Galston, The Washington Post Acclaimed National Book Award-winning author George Packer diagnoses America’s descent into a failed state, and envisions a path toward overcoming our injustices, paralyses, and divides In the year 2020, Americans suffered one rude blow after another to their health, livelihoods, and collective self-esteem. A ruthless pandemic, an inept and malign government response, polarizing protests, and an election marred by conspiracy theories left many citizens in despair about their country and its democratic experiment. With pitiless precision, the year exposed the nation’s underlying conditions—discredited elites, weakened institutions, blatant inequalities—and how difficult they are to remedy. In Last Best Hope, George Packer traces the shocks back to their sources. He explores the four narratives that now dominate American life: Free America, which imagines a nation of separate individuals and serves the interests of corporations and the wealthy; Smart America, the world view of Silicon Valley and the professional elite; Real America, the white Christian nationalism of the heartland; and Just America, which sees citizens as members of identity groups that inflict or suffer oppression. In lively and biting prose, Packer shows that none of these narratives can sustain a democracy. To point a more hopeful way forward, he looks for a common American identity and finds it in the passion for equality—the “hidden code”—that Americans of diverse persuasions have held for centuries. Today, we are challenged again to fight for equality and renew what Alexis de Tocqueville called “the art” of self-government. In its strong voice and trenchant analysis, Last Best Hope is an essential contribution to the literature of national renewal.
Download or read book How America Lost Its Mind written by Thomas E. Patterson and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2019-10-03 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Americans are losing touch with reality. On virtually every issue, from climate change to immigration, tens of millions of Americans have opinions and beliefs wildly at odds with fact, rendering them unable to think sensibly about politics. In How America Lost Its Mind, Thomas E. Patterson explains the rise of a world of “alternative facts” and the slow-motion cultural and political calamity unfolding around us. We don’t have to search far for the forces that are misleading us and tearing us apart: politicians for whom division is a strategy; talk show hosts who have made an industry of outrage; news outlets that wield conflict as a marketing tool; and partisan organizations and foreign agents who spew disinformation to advance a cause, make a buck, or simply amuse themselves. The consequences are severe. How America Lost Its Mind maps a political landscape convulsed with distrust, gridlock, brinksmanship, petty feuding, and deceptive messaging. As dire as this picture is, and as unlikely as immediate relief might be, Patterson sees a way forward and underscores its urgency. A call to action, his book encourages us to wrest institutional power from ideologues and disruptors and entrust it to sensible citizens and leaders, to restore our commitment to mutual tolerance and restraint, to cleanse the Internet of fake news and disinformation, and to demand a steady supply of trustworthy and relevant information from our news sources. As philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote decades ago, the rise of demagogues is abetted by “people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.” In How America Lost Its Mind, Thomas E. Patterson makes a passionate case for fully and fiercely engaging on the side of truth and mutual respect in our present arms race between fact and fake, unity and division, civility and incivility.
Download or read book Turmoil in American Public Policy written by Leslie R. Alm and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2010-04-15 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the intricacies of the science-policy linkage that pervades environmental policymaking in a democracy. These are the key questions that this primary textbook for courses on American public policymaking and environmental policymaking addresses and attempts to answer. Turmoil in American Public Policy: Science, Democracy, and the Environment first lays out the basics of the policymaking process in the United States in relation to the substantive issues of environmental policymaking. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, the authors highlight the views and experiences of scientists, especially natural scientists, in their interactions with policymakers and their efforts to harness the findings of their science to rational public policy. The proper role of science and scientists in relation to environmental policymaking hinges on fundamental questions at the intersection of political philosophy and scientific epistemology. How can the experimental nature of the scientific method and the probabilistic expression of scientific results be squared with the normative language of legislation and regulation? If scientists undertake to square the circle by hardening the tentative truths of their scientific models into positive truths to underpin public policy, at what point may they be judged to have exceeded the proper limits of scientific knowledge, relinquished their role as impartial experts, and become partisan advocates demanding too much say in a democratic setting? Providing students—and secondarily policymakers, scientists, and citizen activists—a theoretical and practical knowledge of the means availed by modern American democracy for resolving this tension is the object of this progressively structured textbook.
Download or read book Necessary Trouble written by Sarah Jaffe and published by Bold Type Books. This book was released on 2016-08-23 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Necessary Trouble is the definitive book on the movements that are poised to permanently remake American politics. We are witnessing a moment of unprecedented political turmoil and social activism. Over the last few years, we've seen the growth of the Tea Party, a twenty-first-century black freedom struggle with BlackLivesMatter, Occupy Wall Street, and the grassroots networks supporting presidential candidates in defiance of the traditional party elites. Sarah Jaffe leads readers into the heart of these movements, explaining what has made ordinary Americans become activists. As Jaffe argues, the financial crisis in 2008 was the spark, the moment that crystallized that something was wrong. For years, Jaffe crisscrossed the country, asking people what they were angry about, and what they were doing to take power back. She attended a people's assembly in a church gymnasium in Ferguson, Missouri; walked a picket line at an Atlanta Burger King; rode a bus from New York to Ohio with student organizers; and went door-to-door in Queens days after Hurricane Sandy. From the successful fight for a 15 minimum wage in Seattle and New York to the halting of Shell's Arctic drilling program, Americans are discovering the effectiveness of making good, necessary trouble. Regardless of political alignment, they are boldly challenging who wields power in this country.
Download or read book The Age of Acrimony written by Jon Grinspan and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2021-04-27 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A penetrating, character-filled history “in the manner of David McCullough” (WSJ), revealing the deep roots of our tormented present-day politics. Democracy was broken. Or that was what many Americans believed in the decades after the Civil War. Shaken by economic and technological disruption, they sought safety in aggressive, tribal partisanship. The results were the loudest, closest, most violent elections in U.S. history, driven by vibrant campaigns that drew our highest-ever voter turnouts. At the century's end, reformers finally restrained this wild system, trading away participation for civility in the process. They built a calmer, cleaner democracy, but also a more distant one. Americans' voting rates crashed and never fully recovered. This is the origin story of the “normal” politics of the 20th century. Only by exploring where that civility and restraint came from can we understand what is happening to our democracy today. The Age of Acrimony charts the rise and fall of 19th-century America's unruly politics through the lives of a remarkable father-daughter dynasty. The radical congressman William “Pig Iron” Kelley and his fiery, Progressive daughter Florence Kelley led lives packed with drama, intimately tied to their nation's politics. Through their friendships and feuds, campaigns and crusades, Will and Florie trace the narrative of a democracy in crisis. In telling the tale of what it cost to cool our republic, historian Jon Grinspan reveals our divisive political system's enduring capacity to reinvent itself.
Download or read book America in Turmoil written by John DeQ. Briggs and published by Bublish, Inc.. This book was released on 2023-08-31 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Briggs’s intellectual integrity, reliance on data, and refusal to rely upon received wisdom sets his columns apart, and his insightful, engaging prose clarifies complex ideas without simplifying them." —BookLife “[Briggs] takes readers on engaging digressions into various topics, from streaming programs and movies to book reviews, economics, and national service, all with the aim of providing valuable insights to help readers think critically about the country’s most pressing issues.” —Readers’ Favorite “America in Turmoil represents a valuable addition to the popular discourse on recent American history, politics and economics.” —Seattle Book Review “A nuanced treatment of key issues affecting America, written from the perspective of a conservative (in the original meaning of that label), John DeQ. Briggs’ America in Turmoil stakes out cogent and strong views on important topics.” —IndieReader “Required reading for policymakers on both sides of the political divide.” —Mark Halperin, American journalist, and publisher of Wide World of News “Refreshingly sensible and original, John Briggs focuses on fixing problems, not fixing blame.” —Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico (D) “A masterful explanation capturing the zeitgeist of pandemic upheaval with captivating cultural resources.” —William F. Weld, former governor of Massachusetts (R) America in Turmoil presents a thought-provoking collection of essays by John DeQ. Briggs, a Washington lawyer and a founding editor of The Chesapeake Observer. This diverse compilation of essays, originally published as individual columns, delves into pivotal events spanning late 2019 through the tumultuous years of 2020-22. From the murder of George Floyd and the transformation of the BLM movement to the aftermath of the 2022 elections, Briggs offers a pragmatic examination of events with a focus on practical solutions rather than partisanship. His fair assessment of issues, along with readable digressions into economics, streaming programs, and more, offers a balanced view despite his New England Republican perspective. Addressing topics like inflation, immigration, cancel culture, and Afghanistan, America in Turmoil challenges readers on all sides of the political spectrum to think critically about the nation's most pressing issues. Briggs’ perspective fosters a much-needed dialogue, encouraging lawmakers and citizens alike to focus on solutions rather than assigning blame. With a fair and practical lens, this collection guides readers toward understanding and addressing the complex challenges facing the United States.
Download or read book Presidents Populism and the Crisis of Democracy written by William G. Howell and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2020-07-14 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To counter the threat America faces, two political scientists offer “clear constitutional solutions that break sharply with the conventional wisdom” (Steven Levitsky, New York Times–bestselling coauthor of How Democracies Die). Has American democracy’s long, ambitious run come to an end? Possibly yes. As William G. Howell and Terry M. Moe argue in this trenchant new analysis of modern politics, the United States faces a historic crisis that threatens our system of self-government—and if democracy is to be saved, the causes of the crisis must be understood and defused. The most visible cause is Donald Trump, who has used his presidency to attack the nation’s institutions and violate its democratic norms. Yet Trump is but a symptom of causes that run much deeper: social forces like globalization, automation, and immigration that for decades have generated economic harms and cultural anxieties that our government has been wholly ineffective at addressing. Millions of Americans have grown angry and disaffected, and populist appeals have found a receptive audience. These were the drivers of Trump’s dangerous presidency, and they’re still there for other populists to weaponize. What can be done? The disruptive forces of modernity cannot be stopped. The solution lies, instead, in having a government that can deal with them—which calls for aggressive new policies, but also for institutional reforms that enhance its capacity for effective action. The path to progress is filled with political obstacles, including an increasingly populist, anti-government Republican Party. It is hard to be optimistic. But if the challenge is to be met, we need reforms of the presidency itself—reforms that harness the promise of presidential power for effective government, but firmly protect against that power being put to anti-democratic ends.
Download or read book Strategic Vision written by Zbigniew Brzezinski and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2012-01-24 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eminent scholar Zbigniew Brzezinski's New York Times bestselling blueprint for American foreign policy strategy in the twenty-first century The world today faces a crisis of power, caused by the dramatic shift in its center of gravity from the West to the East, by the dynamic political awakening of people worldwide, and by the deterioration of America's performance both domestically and internationally. As a result, America's position as a world superpower is far from secure. In Strategic Vision, former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski argues that America can and should be actively engaged in navigating this period of crisis and provides a strategic blueprint for America to revitalize its global status and promote a peaceful twenty-first century. As Brzezinski eloquently shows, without an America that is economically vital, socially appealing, responsibly powerful, and capable of sustaining an intelligent foreign engagement, the geopolitical prospects for the West could become increasingly grave.
Download or read book America in Crisis written by Perry Miller and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Turmoil and Triumph written by George P. Shultz and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-08-31 with total page 1123 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: George Schultz recounts his years working for the Reagan administration, including foreign policy and the power struggle between the State Department and the National Security Council, in this candid reflection on his years as Secretary of State. Turmoil and Triumph isn’t just a memoir—though it is that, too—it’s a thrilling retrospective on the eight tumultuous years that Schultz worked as secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan. Under Schultz’s strong leadership, America braved a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union, increasingly damaging waves of terrorism abroad, scandals such as the Iran-Contra crisis, and eventually the end of the decades-long Cold War. With the strong convictions and startling candor for which Schultz is known, this personal account takes readers into the heart of the Reagan administration, revealing the behind-the-scenes talks and churning tensions that informed a transitional decade that many Americans now look back on as one of the country’s most exalted.
Download or read book Financial Turmoil in Europe and the United States written by George Soros and published by Public Affairs. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Addresses the need for the United States to restructure the banking and financial system, anticipates the globalization of the crisis, and calls for international action.
Download or read book Turmoil in America written by Hal Marcovitz and published by Referencepoint Press. This book was released on 2021-08 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Few elections in American history have featured the divisive politics and caustic rhetoric that dominated the 2020 election for the American presidency. Throughout the year, Americans saw the incumbent president impeached, heard allegations that the election was rigged and, finally, witnessed an assault on the US Capitol by demonstrators angered by the outcome of the election. Turmoil in America: The 2020 Election will examine these issues and explore how one of the country's most significant democratic institutions endured the challenges posed by the 2020 presidential campaign.
Download or read book Fight written by John Della Volpe and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2022-01-18 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From John Della Volpe, the director of polling at the Harvard Institute of Politics, Fight is an exploration of Gen Z, the issues that matter most to them, and how they will shape the future. 9/11. The war on terror. Hurricane Katrina. The 2008 financial crisis. The housing crisis. The opioid epidemic. Mass school shootings. Global warming. The Trump presidency. COVID-19. Since they were born, Generation Z (also known as "zoomers")—those born from the late 1990s to early 2000s—have been faced with an onslaught of turmoil, destruction and instability unprecedented in modern history. And it shows: they are more stressed, anxious, and depressed than previous generations, a phenomenon John Della Volpe has documented heavily through decades of meeting with groups of young Americans across the country. But Gen Z has not buckled under this tremendous weight. On the contrary, they have organized around issues from gun control to racial and environmental justice to economic equity, becoming more politically engaged than their elders, and showing a unique willingness to disrupt the status quo. In Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Passion and Fear to Save America, Della Volpe draws on his vast experience to show the largest forces shaping zoomers' lives, the issues they care most about, and how they are—despite older Americans' efforts to label Gen Z as overly sensitive, lazy, and entitled—rising to the unprecedented challenges of their time to take control of their country and our future.
Download or read book The Soul of America written by Jon Meacham and published by Random House. This book was released on 2018-05-08 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. ONE OF OPRAH’S “BOOKS THAT HELP ME THROUGH” • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The Christian Science Monitor • Southern Living Our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the “better angels of our nature” have repeatedly won the day. Painting surprising portraits of Lincoln and other presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson, and illuminating the courage of such influential citizen activists as Martin Luther King, Jr., early suffragettes Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt, civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and John Lewis, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Army-McCarthy hearings lawyer Joseph N. Welch, Meacham brings vividly to life turning points in American history. He writes about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the birth of the Lost Cause; the backlash against immigrants in the First World War and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s; the fight for women’s rights; the demagoguery of Huey Long and Father Coughlin and the isolationist work of America First in the years before World War II; the anti-Communist witch-hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy; and Lyndon Johnson’s crusade against Jim Crow. Each of these dramatic hours in our national life have been shaped by the contest to lead the country to look forward rather than back, to assert hope over fear—a struggle that continues even now. While the American story has not always—or even often—been heroic, we have been sustained by a belief in progress even in the gloomiest of times. In this inspiring book, Meacham reassures us, “The good news is that we have come through such darkness before”—as, time and again, Lincoln’s better angels have found a way to prevail. Praise for The Soul of America “Brilliant, fascinating, timely . . . With compelling narratives of past eras of strife and disenchantment, Meacham offers wisdom for our own time.”—Walter Isaacson “Gripping and inspiring, The Soul of America is Jon Meacham’s declaration of his faith in America.”—Newsday “Meacham gives readers a long-term perspective on American history and a reason to believe the soul of America is ultimately one of kindness and caring, not rancor and paranoia.”—USA Today
Download or read book America 2020 written by John Jeffrey Stanton and published by . This book was released on 2020-02-28 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America 2020-A Nation in Turmoil- is a collection of observations on the US State of the Union in 2020. As I have written elsewhere, there is a critical need for the American people to interact with each other in a civil and civic fashion. There simply must be a return to the ideals embodied in the US Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. As Norbert Wiener once remarked, "In a very real sense, we are shipwrecked passengers on a doomed planet. Yet, even in a shipwreck, human decencies and human values do not necessarily vanish, and we must make the most of them. We shall go down, but let it be in a manner to which we may look forward as worthy of our dignity."
Download or read book The New American Crisis written by Greg Ruggiero and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gathers pamphlets, interviews, and commissioned essays that reflect postmodern opinions on protest, economics, Mexican politics, Saddam Hussein, the war on drugs, and the invasion of small nations for economic benefits
Download or read book America in Crisis written by Mitchel Levitas and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Ridge Press book.