Beckel and Thomas, political analysts and columnists for USA Today
, examine the problem of political polarization by asking, “Why are you reading this book?” The answer: “Bottom line... you are ticked off at politics.” Rigid partisan beliefs, they think, have become “more than a product of opposing ideologies”—they have created an “environment for the sole purpose of retaining political power, raising money, or making more money... benefit[ing] a few at the expense of many.” Using a mix of arguments and anecdotes, Beckel and Thomas (a liberal and a conservative, respectively) assert that polarization creates conscientious nonvoters and congressional roughhousing and deceit. The book's ultimate purpose is to disarm partisan warfare by encouraging voters and candidates to align themselves with principles that directly benefit the largest possible number of citizens. The lucid political discussion between a conservative and liberal is refreshing, but their proposals are too utopian to realistically be widely embraced. Their proposition that independent thinking can be more effective than an adversarial pack mentality is a step in the right direction, though. (Oct. 9)
