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The book is the most relevant I’ve read regarding the causes of the political dysfunction in our government in recent years. Woodard believes this has resulted from two extreme poles pulling against one another with little middle ground left for compromise. He places greater blame for this on the extreme right, which is manifested in the uncompromising tea party, but also notes the unrealistic and often unworkable policies of the extreme left, which seeks a far larger role for government in the management of society.
Woodard uses a new political geographic breakdown of the United States to help explain his thesis. These regions (Yankeedom, New Netherland, Deep South, Left Coast, etc.) are defined by their cultural history, ethnicity and religious backgrounds of those who originally settled them. The ethos each demographic brought to its region is reflected in the current political views of most people who live there. The author demonstrates that, unlike many other western nations, the United States is not ethnically, religiously, or racially homogeneous. He shows which regions cling to a strong individualist tradition and those that emphasize group welfare, but also value individual achievement. The extremes of individualist and group welfare mindsets both lead to untenable forms of government: laissez-faire or centralized control in extreme forms. He uses examples of both types that have failed. The extreme small government envisioned by libertarians can too easily lead to domination of a very small elite class of the rich and powerful, as occurred during the Gilded Age and is seen by many today in the so-called “one percent”. Woodard cites the tyranny and repression that characterized the most centralized governments, such as Stalin’s Soviet Union.
The author says that there are two major alliances; the northern alliance (Yankeedom, New Netherland, and the Left Coast) and the Deep South coalition, which also takes in Greater Appalachia and the Far West, with strong libertarian populations. The author says that the “Dixie bloc” is more vulnerable than the northern alliance, whose regions have a higher degree of cohesion. Woodard says that neither alliance by itself can maintain control of the government or win elections without winning over at least some of the other regions, which contain crucial swing states. In order to do that, it is necessary to alter its philosophy to accommodate those of these swing regions. He finds the Democrats more likely to be able to do this than the current Republican party, which has fallen under the domination of an uncompromising tea party.
Woodard lays out a program that could sustain such a coalition, one that combines a free market tempered with fairness that prevents abuse by those who succeed. He says that societies that go too far in the direction of laissez-faire soon become dominated by a small number of wealthy interests and cease to be free. He sees government as the regulator, or referee, whose role it is to maintain a balance between freedom and fairness through controls that prevent extremes.
He supports this view by pointing out that, despite very vocal minorities at both extremes, the country has consistently rejected both of them throughout its history. He finds consistency in this, despite the balkanized nature of the population. He contends that most Americans do not believe that government can solve all problems and should focus on those it can solve. Similarly, decades of polling show that few Americans want a Gilded Age-style laissez-faire government.
- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (March 14, 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0143110004
- ISBN-13: 978-0143110002
- Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 5.4 x 7.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 47 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#148,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #545 in Political Philosophy (Books)
- #305 in Democracy (Books)
- #1282 in History & Theory of Politics
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