Book Review: HOW AMERICA WORKS . . . AND WHY IT DOESN'T

HOW AMERICA WORKS . . . AND WHY IT DOESN’T: A BRIEF GUIDE TO THE U.S. POLITICAL SYSTEM by William Cooper (Ad Lib Publishers, July 2024) Paperback, 224 pages. ISBN # 9781802472066 

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

Twenty-first-century America isn’t working the way it’s supposed to. This book explains why.

Americans in the twenty-first century are becoming increasingly untethered from both reality and the essential principles and traditions that have shaped the nation’s historic success. A big part of why America isn’t working is because far too many Americans neither know nor care how it’s supposed to work.

Cooper explains key aspects of recent US political history to give the background to recent, dangerous developments, including how political groups have reshaped since the 1964 Civil Rights Act; the rise of Newt Gingrich and the Tea Party; the profound impact of the internet and social media; and the threats posed to the electoral system by the growth of extreme polarization and growing irrationality.

Cooper shows how these recent developments have their roots in the deeper past, with the establishment of the political system in the first place and all the knocks and tweaks to it along the way. He also reveals how, as a result of increasing politicisation, the US Supreme Court is now exacerbating polarization instead of acting as an effective check on executive power.

My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     If you worry about why the grand democratic experiment in the United States doesn't seem to be working very well any more, and are concerned about the direction our country will go in the next four years, reading this well-written summation of how it should work and why it doesn't will not help you sleep better at night. For me, knowing that there are concerned analysts like William Cooper doing their best to draw attention to these matters and help educate the public gives me a glimmer of optimism that flaws can be corrected. 

Of the many points that Cooper brings up, the fact that many Americans don't understand or care how the U.S. government is supposed to work is the most alarming and reveals a big flaw in our educational system. 

Part of the solution is to allow for a strong third or fourth party to create more balance and force more bipartisan efforts at legislation. As it is now, one party works against the other and nothing major gets accomplished. As William Cooper states it "The fewer tribes there are, the worse tribalism gets. And in American the two political tribes battle each other - and only each other - every single day. This myopic rivalry amplifies bias, distorts the political debate, warps the marketplace of ideas, shunts policy platforms, fuels outrage, and stifles compromise and negotiation. A deeply backward approach now dominates American politics: hating the other side even more than you like your own." 

He continues: "A more diverse set of political parties would soften this divide. It would invigorate mainstream political discourse with additional points of view, as today many important ideas don't make it onto the platforms of either side. The introduction of new ideas and coalitions would reduce rigid partisanship, help to calm bias and tribalism, and provide incentives for politicians to respect empirical reality and not just appease the incoherent batch of constituencies they hold together with a shoestring."

Cooper's analysis makes clear that we also need to create open primaries, utilize independents to map out congressional districts to avoid gerrymandering, and abolish the electoral college and elect our President based on the popular vote. 

More from Cooper: "One reason why so many Americans shun civics is simple: because they can. The nation's long-sustained material prosperity and geopolitical tranquility allow them to focus on other things like sports, celebrity scandal, and their own personal circumstances. To the extent that they consider it at all, many Americans take for granted that the political system will function effectively. They shouldn't. History has never been kind to political apathy and ignorance."

So, what can we do if we care about this? Share this book with friends. At minimum, I plan to make my elected representatives in the state of Pennsylvania aware of this and suggest that they read it.