Why We’re Polarized – Ezra Klein

Author Klein is editor-at-large and cofounder of VOX, the “explanatory” news organization. For those not familiar with that term, it means current news stories presented within their broader context. Klein uses that contextual approach to explain why we as a nation are so politically polarized and what we might do to mitigate it.

The first half of the book tells the story of how and why American politics polarized around identity in the twentieth century and what that polarization did to the political process. The second half is about the feedback loops that continue driving our political system toward destruction.

Mr. Klein describes the middle of the twentieth century as a time when the two parties were not identifiable as liberal and conservative but simply Democrats and Republicans. He shows that many Democrats at that time were much more conservative when it came to national governance than Republicans generally, and similarly that there were many Republicans more liberal than Democrats generally as well. That made compromise possible. The editorials at the time complained that there was simply no difference in the parties.

As the author explains, that all changed in the middle ‘60s, first with the 1964 nomination of Barry Goldwater for president by the Republicans; he declared he would, and then did, run a strongly ideological campaign focused on conservative principles. That was followed after Johnson won re-election with civil rights legislation initiated by a Democratic President; those two events forever created an ideological divide between the parties. Once conservative and liberal identities were established in the parties the two have been moving ever further apart ideologically since.

The author does a good job of describing how these political identities have polarized how we see the world in general as well as each other. He traces the feedback loops between polarized political identities and polarized political institutions that are driving our system of governance toward crisis. In the last chapter of the book he offers some suggestions about how we might mitigate the damage and change the trajectory of this politicly destructive path, like:  doing away with the Electoral College; establishing ranked choice voting for members of Congress; ending the Senate filibuster rule; giving Washington DC and Puerto Rico representation in Congress; reforming the Supreme Court to eliminate political bias.

I strongly recommend the book for anyone who wants a better understanding of how we got to where we are. The optimist in me wants to believe that our younger generations will be wiser and more willing to compromise for rational national governance and the economic prosperity of our republic. Sadly though, my realist side came away wondering if we as a nation have the will to do what it takes to save our democracy.

The Green New Deal – Jeremy Rifkin

The author defines the concept of the proposed Green New Deal in fairly specific terms. He makes the case that whether politicians like it or not market forces are already making it happen, though not fast enough. He calls this epoch “The Third industrial Revolution” and says it will fundamentally change humanity.

Rifkin says that while it has become a political lightning rod the business community is also already moving to implement the Green New Deal in ways that will change the very foundation of the global economy. He claims that key sectors of business and industry are rapidly decoupling from fossil fuels in favor of ever-cheaper solar and wind energies. That will lead to trillions of dollars of fossil fuel assets being stranded and the collapse of the fossil fuel civilization. He forecasts that will likely occur roughly in the 2028 timeframe.

While I am suspicious of his optimistic timetable, the author has 25 years of experience in advising both the European Union and the Republic of China on transitioning away from fossil fuels. According to Rifkin the European Union has actually been implementing an EU-wide transition away from carbon based energy for more than a decade; their initiative is called the Green Deal, and was endorsed and authorized by all 28 member nations. Similarly, the Republic of China has been implementing its own transition as a key element of the 2012 and all future 5 year plans. China’s initiative is called an “ecological civilization”. The EU and China are engaged in cooperative efforts with each other and are well ahead of the United States in transitioning to a post-carbon era.

In the latter part of the book Rifkin outlines what the character of the third industrial revolution will look like, how much it might cost, and how it can be funded. He makes the point that this transition will fundamental change communications technologies, energy, transportation, as well as how residential and commercial buildings are constructed for energy efficiency.

The author envisions transition to a post-carbon era within the coming 20 years. I understand his enthusiasm, logic, and sense of urgency. I do think though that the funding specifically will be more of a challenge than he seems to think. I recommend his book as a source for promotion of further rational discussion.

The Nation City – Why Mayors are now Running the World – Rahm Emanuel

As the name implies the author makes the case that nation states have generally failed to meet the needs of citizens, and that cities under good mayoral leadership are filling the void. He uses Chicago during his two terms as one example.

In the first chapter the author discusses his education initiatives, how when he became mayor Chicago had the shortest school day and year of any large city in the country, with the result being some of the poorest student and school performance as well. He discusses in some detail how Chicago dramatically improved its education system and student performance. This part of the book is worth the time even if you read no other chapter.

The central theme of the book, however, is how cities rather than the federal government have become the center of innovation, public trust and effective governance. The author calls attention not only to Chicago but to what other mayors across the country and around the world are doing to improve the lives of their constituents. He shares examples of how mayors are dealing with urban development issues, the climate challenge, and pollution mitigation and clean up. He dwells some on how cities are creating positive and healthy environments for residents to live, work, and play. Green spaces, water front and riverwalk projects, as well as environmentally friendly economic and commercial development are all critical parts of that equation.

Emanuel proves through multiple examples how local government makes significant change for the better. Using evidence from cities large and small with Republican and Democratic mayors he demonstrates how cities are filling the vacuum left by a dysfunctional federal government. He argues that cities are the most ancient political institutions, dating back thousands of years, and they have reemerged as the nation-states of our time. He says that is specifically because mayors are held more accountable to their own constituents than any other elected officials.

I have not been a particular fan of Rahm Emanuel, so I was initially skeptical of his story. However upon my own investigation, most of what he say appears to actually be true. I whole heartedly recommend his book.

What Would the Founders Do? – Richard Brookhiser

The author poses a series of contemporary political questions and then attempts to discern how the founding fathers might have responded. This book was published in 2006, before the Trump era so it does not address the current impeachment or general political crisis we are facing. It does however address a number of subjects that have become much more hyper-partisan under the Trump Administration – free press, religion, abortion, immigration, free trade, etc.

The author covers a wide range of issues such as God and man, money and business, war and peace, education, race and identity, as well as other political challenges. He attempts to describe the world in which the founders lived, what their experiences were, how that played into forming their worldview, and how they might approach the issues we face. He does a good job of describing their lives within the historical context of the times. He discusses how that influenced the issues, structure, and language of the Constitution.

I endorse the book as a good and thought provoking read. It represents a clear description of the hopes, fears, conflicts, and compromises the founders wrestled with in their daily lives and the drafting of a constitutional document. It makes very clear they feared exactly the kind of political conflict and the potential for a president who might abuse the power of his office we are dealing with. Of course they could not imagine the kind of coordinated media manipulation and misinformation campaign that is possible, and in deed being exploited, by our president and other unscrupulous politicians today.

AI Super-Powers – China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order – Kai-Fu Lee

The author is a world class authority on artificial intelligence (AI) with substantial professional training and experience in both the United States and China. He argues that unprecedented developments in AI will bring about dramatic changes in the world’s social order. And he says that is going to happen much faster than many believe.

The author defines the United States and China as the world’s 21st century AI super-powers. He identifies the four main building blocks that these countries posses that make them AI super-powers:  abundant data, tenacious entrepreneurs, well-trained AI scientists, and a supportive policy environment. In his view no other countries are currently, or in the foreseeable future, likely to be able to challenge their technological power in AI leadership. Therefore, he says China and America have great responsibility for the societal disruption that is coming with their significant power in driving an AI revolution. 

The author makes the case that the AI revolution is fundamentally different from any previous technological developments during the industrial age, including the steam engine and electrification. He predicts it will cause previously unknown levels of disruption of the economic and social fabric of society throughout the world. His estimate is that within the next decade or so 40% to 50% of current jobs in the US could be replaced by AI systems, which if unplanned for and/or improperly managed will likely destabilize society in general. According to the author, AI adaptation is coming in 4 waves: internet AI; business AI; perception AI; and autonomous AI, all of which he describes in detail. He also discusses the relative strengths of the US and China in each of these areas.

The author offers his view of how governments, businesses, and people should respond to these changes to protect society as a whole. Whether you are conservative or liberal, economist or technologist, blue collar or white collar you should read this book or another volume on the subject of AI so you have some idea of what may face us soon.

A Warning – Anonymous

The author claims to be a senior official in the Trump White House. She/he writes a first person account of experiences in the Administration and quotes liberally from similar experiences shared by others.

I will not try to characterize the book. You just need to read it and draw your own conclusions. There is probably nothing in it though that those of us who follow the insanity that is the Trump Administration wouldn’t expect. If true, it does give a “nuts and bolts” day to day glimpse into the crazy lives of officials and aides trying to manage Trump and hold the executive branch of the government together.

The question everyone asks is “who is the author”. After reading the book my daughter concluded that the writer is probably not a single person but perhaps three, maybe Dan Coats being one. I share her view that it is probably not one person though I won’t speculate on whose stories are being told.

My guess is that the author is a “ghost writer,” probably a political historian who has access to, and the trust of, multiple high level officials currently in and/or having been in the Administration. My assessment is based on both style and substance:  the author writes like an historian; and she/he provides substantial detail of interactions. If the author were a single person in the Administration engaged in all the activities described, I think it would be easy for the White House to figure out which official was a party to all those discussions, meetings, and events.

Can’t wait for the author to reveal herself/himself. She/he claims that will happen before the 2020 election

Open:  The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital –  Kimberly Clausing

The author is Professor of Economics at Reed College. She is one of the nations leading expert on taxation of multinational corporations. In this book she promotes the value of international trade, liberal immigration, and free flow of global capital.

Dr Clausing makes the case that international trade is critically important to the long term health of the US economy in general and good for the American middle class in particular. Similarly she defends the free flow of capital across international boundaries as good for business and labor. At the same time she promotes the national benefit of liberal immigration policy.

While supporting relatively open trade, capital, and immigration strategies she makes clear that US trade terms as well as tax and immigration policy must be re-designed for and adapted to global economic reality. That means providing support for workers displaced by international trade, implementing policies that reduce income inequality, and adopting tax policies that prevent multi-national corporations from hiding income in offshore “tax havens”. She also endorses income protection and retraining programs for workers hurt by international trade.

The author provides the statistical data that supports each of her positions. However, the thing I liked most about this book is that the author offers workable solutions for the myriad challenges facing our nation in this time of increasing globalization. They are common sense, many are imaginative, and all should appeal to both left and right leaning citizens and politicians. Of course it doesn’t hurt that her views are almost identical to my own!!

Firefighting: The Financial Crisis and It’s Lessons – Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Henry Paulson

The authors were the key players in managing the financial crisis of 2008. The book is a historical review of what caused the crisis, how it unfolded, and what was done to hold the global financial community together and contain the damage.

I followed the unfolding financial crisis in 2008 and thought I understood the character of the problem and the basic government effort to managed it. This book demonstrates how utterly ignorant I was of the complexity of the crisis, how long it took to unfold, and the extraordinary and imaginative management it took to contain it. If you think you knew what was going on with the 2008 financial crisis I encourage you to read this book. You will be surprised.

Beyond the Call – Lee Trimble and Jeremy Dronfield

This is a compelling true story of an American World War II hero who laid his life on the line in covert operations to bring his fellow soldiers as well as other men and women home to safety and freedom.

Captain Robert Trimble (father of author Lee Trimble) was a bomber pilot in the European theater. After finishing 35 bombing missions over the Third Reich he was assignment to recover downed bombers in Poland. Though unknown to him at the time of assignment that was a ruse for clandestine efforts to recover American POWs and aircrews.

The story chronicles his experience in that effort, including his saving literally hundreds of people. It exposes the inhumane treatment of American POWs and those of other nations by the Soviets (supposedly our ally). And the ugly politics of appeasing the Red Army is just a bewildering breach of American justice and defense of our soldiers by our own military and political leaders. It left me feeling ashamed of how the leaders of our country behaved at the time.

R.I.P.  G.O.P. – Stanley Greenberg

The author is an internationally known poling advisor as well as Democratic Party political strategist. As the title of his book suggests he predicts that the Republican Party will implode in the 2020 election. He has endless statistical data to backup his views. While it is hard to argue with his data he is certainly not an objective observer. And his wife is Connecticut Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.

The thrust of his argument is that the Republican Party has failed to recognize and/or to accept that America is changing rapidly; there is a “New America”. That New America is increasingly secular, racially diverse, sexually liberated, and immigration friendly. He says that the GOP has fought nontraditional family structures, attacked the social safety net, tried to stop women from being independent, and pitted rural Evangelicals against the younger more liberal and dynamic populations of cities.

Through focus groups of real people and his poling results he tries to show why the GOP is loosing the battle for the hearts and minds of the American public. He is confident that his research shows the 2018 election was not a fluke but represents a fundamental change in the electorate. He says that the GOP cannot hope to win or even survive if it continues to promote intransigent views of family, society, religion, sex, and white supremacy.