Political Realism: How Hacks, Machines, Big Money, and Back-Room Deals Can Strengthen American Democracy SALE

Title : Political Realism: How Hacks, Machines, Big Money, and Back-Room Deals Can Strengthen American Democracy
Category: Legislative Branch
Brand: Brookings Institution Press
Item Page Download URL : Download in PDF File
Rating : 4.2
Buyer Review : 16

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Why did politics once work? And why don't they work today? Despite decades of reform, government is more dysfunctional than ever, the country is more polarized, and special interests have more power to veto reform. What if idealistic reform itself is a culprit?

In Political Realism, Jonathan Rauch argues that well-meaning efforts to stem corruption and increase participation have stripped political leaders and organizations of the tools they need to forge compromises and make them stick. Fortunately, he argues, much of the damage can be undone by rediscovering political realism. Instead of trying to drive private money away out of politics, how about channeling it to strengthen parties and leaders? Instead of doubling down on direct democracy, how about giving political professionals more influence over candidate nominations? Rauch shows how a new generation of realist thinkers is using time-tested truths about politics and government to build reforms for our time.

Rich with contrarian insights and fresh thinking, Political Realism is an eye-opening challenge to today's conventional wisdom about what ails American government and politics.

Review :
Interesting but will face stiff resistance from self righteous good government types.
Any political professional will nod their head in agreement as they read. Idealism is always the most potent enemy of pragmatism but pragmatism must ultimately prevail for government to succeed. Rauch does an outstanding job of detailing the unintended, but predicted, consequences of the long series of political "reforms" pursued over the past century. The only meaningful point he leaves out is that most of these reforms were in fact efforts to compel government to enact and implement a progressive policy agenda on the assumption that it must be what the people would want and support if only the politicians and special interests would get out of the way. As each reform fell short of producing the desired results (largely because the people were disinterested in or opposed to the progressive agenda) more and more "reforms" have been added. This ongoing process has eroded the functionality of government to the point it can no longer deliver either the always unrealistic...
Sure, read it, but don't be taken in. It's free and worth every penny.
The major position of the author is that achieving any goal in politics is made more difficult by the necessity for legitimacy, transparency, or accountability. Therefore efficient politics depends on deceit, secrecy, and immunity. The goal is power and the continuation of power among the group, and any reference to the good of the citizenry in general is irrelevant. This is as true of politics as of venial corporations, oligarchical governments, and criminal syndicates.

The current controversy over fast-tracking trade agreements demonstrates the point. Of course it is much easier for the executive to get the results he wants if he can work in secret and deny input and agreement to most of the groups and people who will be affected. It is the insiders, not the outsiders, who will get their way. Which, of course, is the main motive for "political realism."

And Jonathan Rauch is completely in favor of this. He thinks it's great.

I think...
Must-read.

Rauch brings into focus a developing school of thought that is questioning the efficacy of modern political reforms, including election changes such as primaries, ever-evolving campaign finance regimes, and legislative procedures such as earmarking. Rauch not only brings together these threads, but bravely adds his name to the list of those questioning not only so-called reforms, but the assumptions that underlie them (one sure to infuriate many: maximizing political participation by average Americans is not actually worthwhile).

Lots to digest in this short read, which certainly won't happen mere hours after I've finished it, but I can say this confidently: this book needs to be read widely in our political and academic communities and seriously considered. I'm glad the man who brought us "Kindly Inquisitors" years back put his mind to our modern political processes and argues just as fearlessly.