by Mike Lofgren
First published 2016
Mike Lofgren coined the term "Deep State" to describe the web of interests that actually runs America. A longtime Republican party insider who spent three decades on Capitol Hill, much of it on the Budget Committee, Lofgren argues that an oligarchy now controls the country. This shadow network spans government, Wall Street, and Silicon Valley, dictating defense decisions and trade policies while ignoring what Americans actually want. Every four years voters cast ballots in what has become an expensive, scripted performance. Meanwhile, the governing classes bow to big donors and cling to failed economic theories. They stay hooked on war while bridges crumble, wages stagnate, and water becomes undrinkable. Lofgren draws on his insider knowledge to map this dismal swamp and show how entrenched interests have captured the system. He paints a portrait of a government that serves itself rather than the people, controlled by forces that track our every digital move and sell influence to the highest bidder.
Genres: american, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: insider-knowledge
336 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books