The Cure for Our Broken Political Process

Description:

Record numbers of Americans fear that our political process is broken—for good reason. Our nation faces unprecedented challenges, yet our politicians spend most of their energy attacking one another. All the while, no one in public life has offered a practical way to neutralize the bitter partisanship that paralyzes Washington.

The Cure for Our Broken Political Process fills that void. The authors show exactly how concerned citizens can get politicians from all camps to negotiate genuine solutions to the most vexing issues. Sol Erdman and Lawrence Susskind base their case on their thirty years of experience in resolving political conflict.

The Cure begins with hard evidence that our country could work out practical solutions to nearly every major issue that now divides us, solutions that all sides could support. Why, then, don’t our politicians seek out those solutions? The authors debunk all the accepted explanations and then uncover the real reason. By telling the story of a concerned citizen who runs for Congress, the book shows that two basic features of our elections virtually compel politicians to bicker endlessly over major problems. So, as long as our elections work as they do today, our lawmakers will keep on fighting, leaving the critical issues unresolved.

The authors then spell out how to redesign elections so that politicians would win only if they produced useful results—only if they negotiated practical solutions to pressing problems. The book concludes with a step-by-step plan proving that ordinary citizens have the power to bring about these changes. To anyone who fears that our country’s future is in peril, The Cure offers a realistic path to a political process they can genuinely believe in.

Reviews/Endorsements:

"Calling for practicality and an end to no-compromise politics, authors Sol Erdman and Lawrence Susskind . . . offer a level-headed solution. The Cure for Our Broken Political Process is well worth the read and highly intriguing."
-- Midwest Book Review, June 2009

"Just about everyone agrees that the American system of government isn’t working well, and that many problems unnecessarily turn into crises before we can muster the will to act. In this daring book, Sol Erdman and Lawrence Susskind carefully dissect the problems with our system and propose a novel way to turn it around. Stretch your mind and read this book."
-- Larry J. Sabato, author of A More Perfect Constitution and director of the Center for Politics, University of Virginia

"A great book, brilliantly written, presenting an intriguing idea that when tested could have great benefits. This is the kind of government we might aspire to in the years ahead."
-- Amory Houghton Jr., member of Congress (R-NY) from 1987-2005, former CEO of Corning Glass Works, and chairman of the Republican Main Street Partnership

"Erdman and Susskind lay out a solution that has the potential to benefit every one of us. Personally Accountable Representation is as right for American citizens as it is radical for members of Congress who cozy up to special interests. Every thoughtful voting American who despairs about a political system hobbled by many ills should read The Cure for Our Broken Political Process."
-- Roger W. Stephenson, Executive Vice President for Programs at Clean Air-Cool Planet

Related Books:

• The Mythology of American Politics: A Critical Response to Fundamental Questions
• Counting Every Vote: The Most Contentious Elections in American History