It’s Even Worse Than It Looks:
How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism
by Thomas Mann & Norman Ornstein
JK 275 .M27 2012
New Arrivals, 2nd floor
With the Presidential inauguration yesterday, all eyes are on what will be accomplished in the next four years. However, President Obama isn’t the only force in effecting change. This week’s featured title looks to Capitol Hill and the obstacles to come in the future.
Mann and Ornstein, scholars for the Brookings Institution and American Enterprise Institute, respectively, take a hard look at Congress and its problems. The two contend that these problems have pushed the governing body “to the brink of institutional collapse,” as the political parties, with diametrically opposed platforms, have brought this country to a screeching halt. The authors examine the cutthroat maneuvers of Republicans and Democrats for their own party gains, regardless of the impact on the American public. While they don’t offer one magic fix, they do provide a number of potential suggestions to right the ship from its current course.
