An Uncivil War, Greg Sargent

An Uncivil War:  Taking back our democracy in an age of Trumpian disinformation and thunderdome politics by Greg Sargent was recommended in a magazine.  I have read a few of Sargent's columns in the post, so it seemed like a good book to pick up.

Started: 7/14/2019
Completed: 8/3/2019
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By:  A magazine, but I cannot remember which one

Review:

Sargent argues that Americans' perception of the political landscape and its threats to democracy fall into two broad categories.  "Voter suppression and extreme gerrymandering--perpetrated mostly by Republicans--are hideously undemocratic practices, while voter fraud is largely a fiction."  Clear from Republican attempts to prosecute those who vote inappropriately, voter fraud is exceedingly rare.  This was laid bare in Kansas when an entire portion of the government was dedicated to eliminating voter fraud and could only find a handful of cases to pursue over the recent history (20 years?) of voting in Kansas.  On the other hand, the Supreme Court recognized that gerrymandering was happening, but determined that it was not a problem for the courts:  "[T]he fact that such gerrymandering is ‘incompatible with democratic principles’ ... does not mean that the solution lies with the federal judiciary. We conclude that partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts" (Baltimore Sun, June 27, 2019).

While it is hard to argue that Sargent is even handed, he does give credit where it is due:  "We should also acknowledge that a good number of Republican election officials...take their public duty to oversee election very seriously and want those to run smoothly and inclusively for all voters."

As far as Trump goes, Sargent pulls no punches (as one might expect from the title):  "[taunts and abuse of reporters] got worse once Trump was elected, given that such attacks on the media--when waged by the president himself--amount to a direct effort to weaken the role of the institution that is supposed to hold elected officials like him accountable."

This book is not a book bred solely from anger.  It seems like there is more frustration, a touch of fear, and an effort to calm and provide perspective.  Sargent makes the case it is not only possible to go to far, but that it is a concern for our democracy that the Democratic party might do that.  He provides some suggestions for where the line might be.  It is very hard for me to see the line through the shock, anger, and outright sense of hurt at how the scorched earth policy of the right has gone so far.