Politics Inc.: America’s Troubled Democracy and How to Fix It

In this well-informed if dry analysis, National security analyst Raidt calls for “a concerted reform effort to right American political culture and to restore the functionality of the nation’s democratic institutions and processes.” A longtime staffer for Sen. John McCain, Raidt laments the loss of “a general reverence for national principles” that used to unite congressional lawmakers, and finds fault with “a mercenary election industry and a stale two-party duopoly.” He details numerous instances, such as the 1998 defeat of a McCain-sponsored bill to regulate the tobacco industry, of political calculations trumping public interest, and raises alarm bells about the geopolitical influence of China and other authoritarian regimes, the ballooning national debt, “online scrolling culture,” income inequality, and the lack of civics education in U.S. schools. His suggestions for reform include limiting campaign contributions in local elections to district residents, a national service program for young Americans, and an online tool that would authenticate information “in real time.” How to enact these changes remains unclear, and Raidt’s assertion that “American leadership is indispensable... if light is to prevail over darkness” will strike many readers as misguided. Still, this is a thorough accounting of the fault lines in American democracy. (Jan.)