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The Party Is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got Shafted Paperback – August 27, 2013

by Mike Lofgren (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 569 ratings
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The New York Times bestselling exposé of what passes for business as usual in Washington today

There was a time, not so very long ago, when perfectly rational people ran the Republican Party. So how did the party of Lincoln become the party of lunatics? That is what this book aims to answer. Fear not, the Dems come in for their share of tough talk— they are zombies, a party of the living dead.

Mike Lofgren came to Washington in the early eighties—those halcyon, post–Nixonian glory days—for what he imagined would be a short stint on Capitol Hill. He has witnessed quite a few low points in his twenty-eight years on the Hill—but none quite so pitiful as the antics of the current crop of legislators whom we appear to have elected.

Based on the explosive article Lofgren wrote when he resigned in disgust after the debt ceiling crisis, The Party Is Over is a funny and impassioned exposé of everything that is wrong with Washington. Obama and his tired cohorts are no angels but they have nothing on the Republicans, whose wily strategists are bankrupting the country one craven vote at a time. Be prepared for some fireworks.
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  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    August 27, 2013
  4. Dimensions
    7.76 x 5.08 x 0.58 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0143124218
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0143124214
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Lofgren’s ideas are trenchant and far-reaching. . . . With the feel of a long-repressed confession and the authority of an insider’s testimony, like the anti-war views of a decorated infantry officer . . . he writes about how the Republican party took advantage of a profoundly ignorant electorate, an easily conned and distracted media, and a cowed Democratic Party to press the ideological struggle in spite of the deep unpopularity of many of its positions.”

—George Packer, The New Yorker


“A fast-moving, hard-hitting, dryly witty book-length account of the radicalization of the Republican party, the failures of Democratic rivals and the appalling consequences for the country at large. Like the essay that inspired it, The Party Is Over is forceful, convincing and seductive.”

—The Washington Post


“Expect demand for this inside view of Washington, D.C., by a staffer who spent a quarter-century on Capitol Hill before publishing a screed on “America’s broken political system” at truthout.org. Lofgren criticizes Democrats . . . but his long service to GOP office-holders inevitably makes his critique of that party more detailed and fascinating. . . . A pungent, penetrating insider polemic.”

—Mary Carroll, Booklist (starred review)


“A scrupulously bipartisan diagnosis of the sick state of American politics and governance . . . Lofgren devotes close attention to budget issues rarely accorded so much detail in garden-variety op-ed warfare. Sustaining his original thesis well beyond Internet-browsing attention span, Lofgren has crafted an angry but clear-sighted argument that may not sit well at family reunions or dinner parties, but deserves attention.”

—Publishers Weekly


“A well-argued call for more sanity in American politics.”—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Mike Lofgren spent twenty-eight years in Congress, the last sixteen as a senior analyst on the House and Senate Budget committees. He holds two degrees in history and received a Fulbright scholarship. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Publishing Group; 7/28/13 edition (August 27, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0143124218
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0143124214
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.76 x 5.08 x 0.58 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 569 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
569 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book insightful and informative, providing an objective view of recent events. They describe it as a great, refreshing read with clear writing that is easy to understand. Readers appreciate the author's humor, wit, and nice turn of phrase. Opinions differ on the pacing - some find it shocking and distressing, while others consider it depressing and not encouraging.

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InsightReadabilityWriting qualityHumorPacingFunctionalityCorruption
95 customers mention "Insight"85 positive10 negative

Customers find the book insightful and informative. It provides a reasonable, objective view of recent events. The author is an incisive political analyst who states his case clearly. The analysis is factual rather than partisan, and the book concludes with a well-reasoned set of answers.

"...Lofgren is a real historian and has filled his book with terrific insights and analyses...." Read more

"...Taking no prisoners, he writes with authority and, unlike so many of the authors churning out books on Washington, he includes footnotes, something..." Read more

"...Mr. Lofgren is an incisive political analyst and he states his case clearly and cogently...." Read more

"...While he is well informed and has plenty of documentation for his argument, his perspective is not groundbreaking or original...." Read more

88 customers mention "Readability"88 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and engaging. They describe it as well-written, refreshing, and intelligent. Readers praise it as one of the best non-fiction books in years.

"The Party Is Over is excellent. Mike Lofgren is a real historian and has filled his book with terrific insights and analyses...." Read more

"...And, overall, this is a well-written book about the subject...." Read more

"...The book is very well written, trenchant, astute and even funny at times as it documents in detail the political dementia of the right-wing lunatic..." Read more

"...A highly enjoyable read." Read more

50 customers mention "Writing quality"46 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the book's writing quality. They find it concise, easy to read, and articulate their observations well. The author states his case clearly and cogently, making it easy to understand. The book is well-thought-out and provides clear explanations. It also does a good job of defining obscure words.

"...The book is very well written, trenchant, astute and even funny at times as it documents in detail the political dementia of the right-wing lunatic..." Read more

"...Mr. Lofgren is an incisive political analyst and he states his case clearly and cogently...." Read more

"...This man uses very direct, easily accessible language and concepts and names names with a sharp wit which I feel stems from his deep sense of honor..." Read more

"...We would do well to take heed.The work is carefully footnoted throughout and with the Kindle edition you can follow links to a variety..." Read more

7 customers mention "Humor"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor and wit. They find the language clear and powerful, with nice turns of phrase.

"...This book is superb, both funny and wise with genuine concern about the our country and its place in history." Read more

"...The book is very well written, trenchant, astute and even funny at times as it documents in detail the political dementia of the right-wing lunatic..." Read more

"...of writing in his career and this book shows him to be a master of the nice turn of phrase...." Read more

"...This man has humor, wit, seemingly morals and principles too, he's actually a Republican I could respect and of course, he walked away from what his..." Read more

8 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the book's pacing. Some find it shocking and distressing, revealing the frustration many feel. Others find it depressing and not very encouraging.

"...I learned a tremendous amount from this book that was both shocking and distressing, and I am someone who keeps up with political matters...." Read more

"...Those chapters were not very encouraging, as the fixes he mentions (which are all logical and sensible ideas) would never happen in a million years..." Read more

"Definitely a revealing and disconcerting read ! It's amazing that we are able to survive our own government...." Read more

"...Timely, and alarming." Read more

6 customers mention "Functionality"2 positive4 negative

Customers have differing views on the system's functionality. Some say it works well for politicians and their puppeteers, while others feel it is broken and non-functional.

"This merely reinforces the idea that our system is broken, non-functional and partisan in the extreem...." Read more

"...As stated - it does this quite well...." Read more

"A rather trite overview of how the U.S. has a government system that no longer works...." Read more

"...describes in his book "The Party Is Over" the United States is dysfunctional, corrupt and masquerading as a democracy...." Read more

5 customers mention "Corruption"0 positive5 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the corruption and dysfunction in the book. They say it's shocking how much dishonesty is going on.

"...It's all here. The whole sordid mess of corruption, stupidity and political buffoonery is laid out by Mike Lofgren as someone who spent many years..." Read more

"...right, its media complicity, its anti-liberal fixation, and its continued dishonesty -- and all this from a Republican staffer!..." Read more

"...in his book "The Party Is Over" the United States is dysfunctional, corrupt and masquerading as a democracy...." Read more

"...It's shocking how much dysfunction is going on. E've all got to stand up & say "STOP"!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Brian OMalley
5.0 out of 5 stars A revealing look at modern politics from an insider
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2012
Verified Purchase
The Party Is Over is excellent. Mike Lofgren is a real historian and has filled his book with terrific insights and analyses. Nowhere is there a better assessment of the fundamental axiom of Republican politics than on page 35, "that relentless attack is its own Teflon." I suspect this book will itself be relentlessly attacked and Lofgren vilified as an apostate. But Lofgren is a genuine conservative in its traditional definition as respectful of tradition and cautious.

His analysis of "paleoconservatives" on page 23 is on point, "Scratch many a paleoconservative and you will find a neo-Confederate at heart." The Republican Southern Strategy of 1968 has born the bitter fruit of turning the clock back to secessionism. While a few, like Texas Governor Rick Perry, have treasonously advocated open secessionism, the contemporary version is secession by withdrawing financially from our nation either by endless tax cuts for the rich to hollow out our infrastructure and institutions or by corporate outsourcing.

While there are similar gems throughout the book, I want to outline just a few. On page 44: "Like the biblical literalist, Republicans assert that the Constitution is divinely inspired and inerrant. But also like biblical literalists, they are strangely selective about those portions of their favorite document that they care to heed, and they favor rewriting it when it stands in the way of their political agenda."

On page 149, there is a lyrical thumbnail sketch depicting William Jennings Bryant as a sad parallel to the descent of the Republican Party into anti-intellectualism. William F. Buckley Jr. is nostalgically contrasted with the crudity of rightwing mouthpieces on page 150. And the entire career of columnist George Will is encapsulated in a sentence and a footnote on the following page.

Speaking of footnotes, nowhere in contemporary political commentary is there a more pointed and damning critique of the blindness and herd mentality of current journalism than the footnote on page 153 regarding the portrayal of George W. Bush as a regular guy you want to have a beer with.
Lofgren's assessment of Democrats as enablers for Republicans' dementia is on point. It certainly appears that the Democrats have merely moved into the ruins of policies the Republicans have abandoned as the Republicans have become increasingly extremist.

Finally in his last chapter, Lofgren has solutions that would actually work to bring meaningful change and turn government back to finding solutions to problems as opposed to endlessly drumming hot button issues. This book is superb, both funny and wise with genuine concern about the our country and its place in history.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, if already covered
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2013
Verified Purchase
Party is Over attempts to trace the current evolution of our severely broken political system, from the viewpoint of a recently retired Republican congressional aide. In this, it succeeds admirably. It focuses heavily on the state of the Republican party, and the author freely admits that that is where his particular knowledge lays. As stated - it does this quite well. Of course, the downside is that this is a subject for which there are several other books out there that can be selected about. The fact a subject has been covered, though, doesn't make it a subject unworthy of writing well about. And, overall, this is a well-written book about the subject.

The author's primary thesis, when it comes down to it, is that money has utterly compromised our political system. He points to quite a few examples, focusing his attention and anger particular on the military and the companies surrounding it (though there is plenty of anger left for the perpetrators of the financial crisis).

The book is at its strongest when going over the history and current state of the Republican party. It is at is weakest, however, when going over the state of the Democratic party. Not because his final conclusion (that the Democratic party has been suborned just as much as the Republican party) is faulty, but simply because he spends a chapter getting to that conclusion, focused almost entirely on the past ten or so years. Its clear that he simply doesn't have as great a depth of information on the history and influences of the Democratic party.

Lofgren ends the book with a prescription for how to fix things. Here, as well, the policy prescription is pretty well known and focuses on getting money out of politics. At this point, the prescription becomes fairly loose and not detailed - readers interested in a more in-depth study of what can be done would be encouraged to go read Lessig.

In the end, though, this is a valuable book and a good read. Certainly, the challenges we face are great, but studying the problem and how we got there is not a bad idea at all.
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the the best non-partisan essay on the contemporary crisis of the American ...
Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2017
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One of the the best non-partisan essay on the contemporary crisis of the American democracy and the gradual sclerosis of many of its institutions.
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Thomas Beale
5.0 out of 5 stars Read this to understand why US politics is useless spectacle
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2012
Verified Purchase
See the US reviews for details on content. Everyone on the planet who is interested in the fate of the US, and the world, should understand the deep sickness at the heart of US politics. This is not a generalised critique of American capitalism or immorality, it's a careful analysis primarily of how the Republicans have destroyed democracy in the US, starting with the era of Gingrich, Abramoff, DeLay, Rove, etc. This is a relatively modern phenomenon where the last shreds of decent behaviour, including honesty and compassion have been burned away from the political machine in Washington by people who range from deranged to quite possibly evil. The Democrats have become infected with the corporate ownership disease in a sort of catch-up mode, possibly not having any choice. Result: an utterly dysfunctional system that cannot hope to address the needs of the US middle class - the main tax base, or pay its way in the world.

So although some of us sit and watch the 'debates', read the NYT and other US media, really, we are looking at a useless spectacle. People from outside the US need to understand what's really going on fro two reasons: a) to avoid going the same path elsewhere and b) to be prepared for the shock-waves of the next decades in the US, as it heads down the path of becoming a totalitarian corporatised theocracy.
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shawn falconi
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2016
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Great
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Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars .
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2023
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Best book on American politics.
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Allen Morgan
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2016
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Informative
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