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The Resource The impostors : how Republicans quit governing and seized American politics, Steve Benen

The impostors : how Republicans quit governing and seized American politics, Steve Benen

Creator
Author
Summary
In this thoroughly researched book, Benen, blogger and award-winning producer of the Rachel Maddow Show, makes a solid case that in recent years, Republicans have repeatedly upended their once-cherished beliefs in order to focus on more power-oriented political and ideological goals. The author clearly demonstrates how Republicans have consistently reversed positions in order to score points against the Democrats, whether on trade, taxes, guns, immigration, or deficits. Regarding deficits, "since Watergate. every Democratic president has left office with a deficit smaller than when he started, and every Republican president has left office with a deficit larger than when he arrived." Furthermore, even when Republicans agreed with Democrats, at least in principle, as in the case of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, their votes often failed to reflect bipartisanship. Despite 130 congressional hearings over multiple committees, Republicans--who had once supported many of the Affordable Care Act's tenets--claimed Obama had "rammed through" the ACA. A particularly ironic example of willful contrariness was the Ebola crisis of 2014, during which Republicans either accused Obama of being "too hands off" or of being alarmist. Donald Trump. who had yet to declare his candidacy, even called for his resignation. The author ably lays out the many disturbing trends in the Republican political arena, making a convincing case for his argument that the GOP has "quit governing" and now merely focuses on attaining and wielding power or simply negating any progress made by Democrats. A cleareyed argument that "strategy and governing [have] been replaced by instincts and partisan id."
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Edition
First edition.
Extent
374 pages
Contents
  • "Governing by Near-Death Experience": Government Shutdowns and Debt-Ceiling Crises
  • "It's Like These Guys Take Pride in Being Ignorant": The Eternal Campaign
  • Bridging the "Wonk Gap": The Road Ahead
  • "We're Not Great at the Whole Governing Thing": Meet the Post-Policy Party
  • "Manipulate the Numbers and Game the System": Economic Policy
  • "Even If It Worked, I Would Oppose It": Health Care
  • "Extending a Middle Finger to the World": Climate Change and Energy Policy
  • "A Series of Hasty Unplanned, Unexamined Decisions": Foreign Policy
  • "The Cruelty Is the Point": The Collapse of Immigration Policy
  • "We Stand by the Numbers": The Federal Budget
  • Life and Death in the Culture Wars: Gun Control, Civil Rights, Reproductive Rights
Isbn
9780063026483
Instance
Label
The impostors : how Republicans quit governing and seized American politics
Title
The impostors
Title remainder
how Republicans quit governing and seized American politics
Statement of responsibility
Steve Benen
Creator
Author
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
In this thoroughly researched book, Benen, blogger and award-winning producer of the Rachel Maddow Show, makes a solid case that in recent years, Republicans have repeatedly upended their once-cherished beliefs in order to focus on more power-oriented political and ideological goals. The author clearly demonstrates how Republicans have consistently reversed positions in order to score points against the Democrats, whether on trade, taxes, guns, immigration, or deficits. Regarding deficits, "since Watergate. every Democratic president has left office with a deficit smaller than when he started, and every Republican president has left office with a deficit larger than when he arrived." Furthermore, even when Republicans agreed with Democrats, at least in principle, as in the case of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, their votes often failed to reflect bipartisanship. Despite 130 congressional hearings over multiple committees, Republicans--who had once supported many of the Affordable Care Act's tenets--claimed Obama had "rammed through" the ACA. A particularly ironic example of willful contrariness was the Ebola crisis of 2014, during which Republicans either accused Obama of being "too hands off" or of being alarmist. Donald Trump. who had yet to declare his candidacy, even called for his resignation. The author ably lays out the many disturbing trends in the Republican political arena, making a convincing case for his argument that the GOP has "quit governing" and now merely focuses on attaining and wielding power or simply negating any progress made by Democrats. A cleareyed argument that "strategy and governing [have] been replaced by instincts and partisan id."
Tone
Writing style
http://library.link/vocab/ext/novelist/bookUI
10895391
Cataloging source
NjBwBT
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Benen, Steve
Dewey number
324.2734
Index
no index present
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/resourcePreferred
True
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )
  • United States
  • United States
  • Power (Social sciences)
  • POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Political Parties
  • POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Conservatism & Liberalism
  • POLITICAL SCIENCE / Commentary & Opinion
  • Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )
  • Politics and government
  • Power (Social sciences)
  • United States
http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/titleRemainder
how Republicans quit governing and seized American politics
Label
The impostors : how Republicans quit governing and seized American politics, Steve Benen
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 323-374)
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
  • "Governing by Near-Death Experience": Government Shutdowns and Debt-Ceiling Crises
  • "It's Like These Guys Take Pride in Being Ignorant": The Eternal Campaign
  • Bridging the "Wonk Gap": The Road Ahead
  • "We're Not Great at the Whole Governing Thing": Meet the Post-Policy Party
  • "Manipulate the Numbers and Game the System": Economic Policy
  • "Even If It Worked, I Would Oppose It": Health Care
  • "Extending a Middle Finger to the World": Climate Change and Energy Policy
  • "A Series of Hasty Unplanned, Unexamined Decisions": Foreign Policy
  • "The Cruelty Is the Point": The Collapse of Immigration Policy
  • "We Stand by the Numbers": The Federal Budget
  • Life and Death in the Culture Wars: Gun Control, Civil Rights, Reproductive Rights
Control code
on1158315375
Dimensions
24 cm
Edition
First edition.
Extent
374 pages
Isbn
9780063026483
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
(OCoLC)1158315375
Label
The impostors : how Republicans quit governing and seized American politics, Steve Benen
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 323-374)
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
  • "Governing by Near-Death Experience": Government Shutdowns and Debt-Ceiling Crises
  • "It's Like These Guys Take Pride in Being Ignorant": The Eternal Campaign
  • Bridging the "Wonk Gap": The Road Ahead
  • "We're Not Great at the Whole Governing Thing": Meet the Post-Policy Party
  • "Manipulate the Numbers and Game the System": Economic Policy
  • "Even If It Worked, I Would Oppose It": Health Care
  • "Extending a Middle Finger to the World": Climate Change and Energy Policy
  • "A Series of Hasty Unplanned, Unexamined Decisions": Foreign Policy
  • "The Cruelty Is the Point": The Collapse of Immigration Policy
  • "We Stand by the Numbers": The Federal Budget
  • Life and Death in the Culture Wars: Gun Control, Civil Rights, Reproductive Rights
Control code
on1158315375
Dimensions
24 cm
Edition
First edition.
Extent
374 pages
Isbn
9780063026483
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
(OCoLC)1158315375

Subject

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