Shameless: Republicans’ Deliberate Dysfunction and the Battle to Preserve Democracy

YouTuber and MSNBC contributor Cohen debuts with a snarky if slightly hackneyed critique of the GOP. Making worn-out arguments about Republican hypocrisy (i.e., they pushed through Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court after denying Merrick Garland a hearing), Cohen mostly preaches to the choir. He touts himself as being “at the forefront of a burgeoning and crucial independent media ecosystem” but states that he needs expert guidance to get “to the heart of this Republican Party’s dysfunction.” The micro-targeted cross-section of party luminaries he sought out for their expertise—Pete Buttigieg, Marc Elias, Al Franken, Mehdi Hasan, Dan Pfeiffer, Jen Psaki, Jamie Raskin, and Heather Cox Richardson—seem tailored to appeal to Democratic Party superfans (“No one, however, does it more effectively than Pete Buttigieg,” Cohen gushes in a chapter praising Democrats who make Fox News appearances). Those fans will undoubtedly find a lot to like—Cohen’s dive into GOP history goes surprisingly deep (topics include the Republican embrace of the racist Southern Strategy and Newt Gingrich’s tenure as speaker of the House) and his humor occasionally has some bite (the word fact is defined in a footnote as “an antiquated notion that once mattered”). Only Democratic diehards need apply. (Aug.)