by Tom Daschle
First published 2017
Trent Lott and Tom Daschle led opposing parties in the Senate from the 1990s through the early 2000s. They witnessed the Reagan tax cuts, Clinton's impeachment proceedings, the September 11 attacks, and the Iraq War. Despite representing different ideologies, they maintained friendship across party lines. Now they collaborate to diagnose the forces that have paralyzed American governance. The authors identify specific culprits: nonstop campaigning, massive financial influence, and round-the-clock media coverage. They trace how these elements destroyed the culture of compromise that once enabled legislation. Lott and Daschle propose concrete solutions to restore functionality to Congress. They call for renewed commitment to constitutional principles and the lost art of bipartisan negotiation. The book draws on their personal experiences in leadership and references historical precedents. Both senators argue that American democracy can recover from its current dysfunction, but only through deliberate effort to rebuild trust and working relationships across the political divide.
Genres: political-science, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-friends, political-commentary
Setting: United States
Period: 1990s, 2000s
304 pages · Paperback · Bloomsbury Press