The Party Is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got S hafted: Lofgren, Mike: 9780670026265: Amazon.com: Books

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The Party Is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got S hafted Hardcover – August 2, 2012

by Mike Lofgren (Author)

4.4 569 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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Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Viking
Publication date

August 2, 2012
Dimensions

6 x 1 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0670026263
ISBN-13

978-0670026265
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Customer reviews

569 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book insightful and well-researched. They describe it as an enjoyable, well-written read that provides a clear picture of the state of politics. The writing style is concise, easy to understand, and written with authority. Readers appreciate the revealing content and consider the book trustworthy and honest. However, opinions differ on the political analysis - some find it excellent and thorough, while others feel it lacks depth.

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Insight Readability Writing quality Presentation Revealing content Credibility Political analysis Value for money

140 customers mention "Insight"125 positive15 negative

Customers find the book insightful and well-researched. They appreciate the facts and figures presented in it. The book provides a valuable overview for anyone trying to understand the big picture. Readers describe the author as an incisive political analyst who presents strong evidence.

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

"...He is an independent, and if you are an intelligent, thinking Republican (as opposed to one who just parrots the various conflicting party lines*),..." 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

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

119 customers mention "Readability"109 positive10 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and well-written. They describe it as an intelligent, documented history of current events. The book is considered one of the most important books of our times and a good jeremiad about the state of politics.

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

"...Its one of the best neutral books on the 2 parties, which are not that much different in the way they perform, only in the way they talk while the..." Read more

"...But this book is never boring; in fact, it is a gripping read and a page-turner...." Read more

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

55 customers mention "Writing quality"50 positive5 negative

Customers find the book's writing clear and easy to understand. They appreciate the author's candid and straightforward approach. The book is described as revealing and discouraging, with an honest and truthful portrayal of the issues.

"...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..." 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

"...3 decades of up-close experience in government into a book written with flair what gives much to think about. A highly enjoyable read." 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

23 customers mention "Presentation"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's presentation insightful and informative. They appreciate the author's clear and concise explanations of his ideas. The book provides a cogent picture of how we got to where we are today. Readers also mention that the author offers an honest inside view of what has gone wrong in our country.

"Mike Lorgren offers an honest inside view of what has gone wrong in our Congress...." Read more

"...The result is an insightful book that analyzes and presents a cogent picture of how we get to where we are...." Read more

"...I appreciate the books realistic presentation of the current state of affairs." Read more

"...reading this book, and liked it all the more because it articulated what I observe so well." Read more

10 customers mention "Revealing content"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content revealing, shocking, and exciting. They say it's an eye-opener that is timely and right on target with current events. Readers describe it as a cautionary tale that needs to be widely disseminated and taken.

"...His is a cautionary tale that needs to be widely disseminated and taken very seriously...." Read more

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

"Page after page of inconvenient truths, backed up with clear facts...." Read more

"...Log green manages to make this an exciting and relevant read that will challenge you" Read more

6 customers mention "Credibility"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book credible and honest. They say it serves as a strong indictment of the right-wing takeover of the Republican party. The book is at its strongest when going over the history and current state of the Republican party.

"...The book is at its strongest when going over the history and current state of the Republican party...." Read more

"...but this book was possibly the best and most honest book I've read that explains how things have evolved (degenerated)..." Read more

"...facts as I would like to see but there are enough to make it a trustworthy book." Read more

"...written, it pulls no punches to either party, but serves as a pretty strong indictment of the right-wing take-over of the party...." Read more

24 customers mention "Political analysis"15 positive9 negative

Customers have different views on the political analysis. Some find it an excellent and masterful concept of American government dysfunction, with a measured survey of how it really works without party rhetoric. They appreciate the details and explanations of congressional and corporate shenanigans. Others describe it as a must-read on political stupidity, saying the Congress is peopled by selfish and grasping people.

"...He also does a good job of exposing the Democrats for what they are , and are not too...." Read more

"...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

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

7 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive3 negative

Customers have differing views on the value for money. Some find it worthwhile, while others say it spends too much money fighting unnecessary and illegal wars. They also mention that money has distorted the political system.

"...'s assessments, premises and conclusions are well thought out and reasonable...." Read more

"...thesis, when it comes down to it, is that money has utterly compromised our political system...." Read more

"...This book was worth the money. It was informative and a ray of hope that perhaps it will take two more generations to get out of this mess...." Read more

"...It spends way too much money fighting unnecessary and illegal wars--money that we should be spending on teachers and roads...." Read more

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Brian OMalley
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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D. hamilton
if you are not brainwashed party loyalist, and can think logically at all, this is very informative.
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
written by a 30 year veteran aid to Republican congressmen, who was so disgusted in the way the republicans turned to the rabid foaming at the mouth radicals that he quit. He also does a good job of exposing the Democrats for what they are , and are not too. Its one of the best neutral books on the 2 parties, which are not that much different in the way they perform, only in the way they talk while the cameras are on.

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Jacqueline Kiffe
The Must-Read Book of the Year
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book after seeing Mike Lofgren in an extended television interview. Like him, I am a lifelong Republican (50+ years) who is now an independent, because it seems to me my party has gone crazy. I don't mean that I would just show up and vote Republican, but that I was fully committed to participation, including donations, until my own party impoverished me and went stark, raving mad. I tried to be a Democrat, but could not stomach it, because they were either supine in the face of outrage or they extended it for their own purposes.

I learned a tremendous amount from this book that was both shocking and distressing, and I am someone who keeps up with political matters. That is more difficult than it used to be, since there are few real reporters any more and the "news" is indistinguishable from "infotainment." (Television stations, after all, are part of giant corporations which like things just the way they are, with corporations firmly in control.) But this book is never boring; in fact, it is a gripping read and a page-turner.

Ignore the scoundrels who have implied that he is really a Democrat pretending to be a former Republican; Lofgren's record is clear, and he is not even now a Democrat. (In fact, he points out where the Democrats have gone even further than Bush on some things since he left office.) He is an independent, and if you are an intelligent, thinking Republican (as opposed to one who just parrots the various conflicting party lines*), you will find both relief and comfort reading this book. It is one of the rare books that is destined to be useful for a long, long time, not just this year.

*After huge amounts of taxpayer money were handed over to Wall Street, it was argued that the government had no right to stop them from handing out hundreds of millions in bonuses, since those were "contractually obligated," which was not actually quite true. The exact same pundits referred to teachers and firemen as bloodsucking parasites for wanting their pensions, which were also contractual obligations, and more than that, were something taken out of their paychecks for decades. The mouthpieces rely on the masses of supporters to simply parrot their positions -- which just happen to always favor the wealthy, despite their own claims of "understanding" the common man -- rather than to think about whether or not they are logical or consistent.

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
One of the the best non-partisan essay on the contemporary crisis of the American ...
Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
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
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
Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2016
Verified Purchase
Great

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Thomas
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
Best book on American politics.

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Allen Morgan
Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2016
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Informative

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