• It's Even Worse Than It Looks

  • How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism
  • By: Thomas E. Mann, Norman J. Ornstein
  • Narrated by: William Hughes
  • Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (386 ratings)

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It's Even Worse Than It Looks

By: Thomas E. Mann, Norman J. Ornstein
Narrated by: William Hughes
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Publisher's summary

Acrimony and hyperpartisanship have seeped into every part of the political process. Congress is deadlocked, and its approval ratings are at record lows. America’s two main political parties have given up their traditions of compromise, endangering our very system of constitutional democracy. And one of these parties has taken on the role of insurgent outlier; the Republicans have become ideologically extreme, scornful of compromise, and ardently opposed to the established social and economic policy regime.

Here, congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein identify two overriding problems that have led Congress—and the United States—to the brink of institutional collapse. The first is the serious mismatch between our political parties, which have become as vehemently adversarial as parliamentary parties, with a governance system that, unlike a parliamentary democracy, makes it extremely difficult for majorities to act. Second, while both parties participate in tribal warfare, both sides are not equally culpable. The political system faces what the authors call "asymmetric polarization", with the Republican Party implacably refusing to allow anything that might help the Democrats politically, no matter the cost.

With dysfunction rooted in long-term political trends, a coarsened political culture, and a new partisan media, the authors conclude that there is no silver bullet that can solve everything. But they offer a panoply of useful ideas and reforms, endorsing some solutions, like greater public participation and institutional restructuring of the House and Senate, while debunking others, like independent or third-party candidates. Above all, they call on the media as well as the public at large to focus on the true causes of dysfunction rather than just throwing the bums out every election cycle. Until voters learn to act strategically to reward problem solving and punish obstruction, American democracy will remain in serious danger.

©2012 Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The phrase 'essential reading' does not begin to get at the importance of this passionate warning by two of our very best political scientists about our nation’s capacity to govern itself. Mann and Ornstein sweep aside the timid conventional wisdom to inform Americans that our problems are even worse than we think they are. It is absolutely vital that this book's findings and message enter the consciousness and consciences of journalists, politicians, and citizens who care about the future of our republic." (E.J. Dionne, National Book Award nominee)
"It is encouraging to see two longtime Washington wise men—Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, sensible, nonpartisan scholars and impeccably credentialed authors of good advice that no one ever follows—come out with a full-blown polemic against the Republicans who have steered Congress off a cliff." ( The New York Times)
"Reading this book is a little like quaffing a double espresso on an empty stomach—it’s a jolt. For this reader it was a welcome jolt…. Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein have been Washington fixtures for three decades. They are two of the brightest, best informed, and most scholarly students of our politics…. [As] Mann and Ornstein document so vividly, at a time when only good government could help us rediscover our footing as a nation, our Grand Old Party defines itself as the party of anti-government. This is why the title of this book is so good: our situation really is even worse than it looks." ( The Washington Post)

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Even the well-informed will learn something here

Mann and Ornstein have done the country a great service with this book. I follow politics relatively closely and there were some eye-openers for me in this thoughtful and well-written book. While it is not a surprise that both Mann and Ornstein (a liberal and conservative) share a common view about just how seriously dysfunctional the federal government is, what is a surprise is that they place most of the blame squarely on the extremism in the Republican party. They note that Republican extremism is not directed toward advancing their policies so much as toward advancing personal interest of their leaders or the political (not ideological) interests of their party. Multiple examples of how Republicans in the Senate have used the filibuster and other parliamentary tools to delay votes on bills or on appointments - taking up huge amounts of valuable time that should be spent on the important business of the country - that ultimately passed with votes along the lines of 95-2. What could the point of this be? Only to make the government and the majority party look ineffective. Shame on the Republicans.

Mann and Ornstein offer a variety of ideas to address the problems.They look for ideas that have been tried around the world but they have been in this business for a long time and have a clear-eyed view of what is likely to fly in the U.S. and what probably won't. They propose a range of ideas that can at least begin to counter the Republican's "gum up the works" efforts.

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17 people found this helpful

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About What You Expected

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

As a moderately involved political individual, I could have written the book. For me, no real revelations about conservative strategy, motives, etc. For a conservatives to write this book along with others expressing similar ideas about the current group of conservatives like David Fromm is quite revealing. I have almost zero confidence in any of the suggestions at the end of the book being adopted, worthy and necessary as the are. The money now makes the rules and the rich have it. If I were younger I'd head for Canada! The middle class will be gone in twenty years and the vast majority of society will mirror India.

Nice try by Mann and Ornstein. The observations are spot on.

What other book might you compare It's Even Worse Than It Looks to and why?

Passage of Power by Robert CaroThe legislative comparrisions are striking. Since the ' 60s, things are so vastly different. Politicians talked back then, now just talking past one another. Deal making was possible then.....not really so much now. Kennedy got nothing done legislatively, then Johnson steps in, takes feeling for Kennedy and passes most of Kennedy's programs. Could that happen today.......doubt it!

What three words best describe William Hughes’s voice?

Excellent

Could you see It's Even Worse Than It Looks being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

It kind of is......It's on Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Sat Nite Live and Bill Maher all the time.

Any additional comments?

It makes me sad that even conservatives are even saying this stuff. It validates my pessimistic feelings toward US and it's future.

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14 people found this helpful

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Left Wing Socialis Will Love It

This book wasn???t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This book is the left wing version of what I was saying in my review of The Amateur. Rather than taking a long hard look at substantive issues facing our community, its main contribution is to make ad hominem attacks on the Republican Party. The book provides good source information for an academic study of left wing authoritarianism using the methods and procedures developed by Professor Altemeyer in his book The Authoritarians about right wing authoritarianism to develop questions that measure the degree of excess submission to left wing authorities, the degree of excess in aggressiveness on behalf of those authorities, and the degree of excess in conventionalism.

Would you ever listen to anything by Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein again?

no

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

good delivery by the reader

What character would you cut from It's Even Worse Than It Looks?

none

Any additional comments?

no

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11 people found this helpful

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A No-Nonsense Look at our Current Political Crisis

If you REALLY care about this country, regardless of party affiliation you should get this book. Filibusters and secret "holds" are being put on perfectly decent Senate legislation just to gum up the works by both parties. It is all for partisan or personal gain and has already caused a downgrade of the U.S. credit rating for the first time in history.
It's not all doom and gloom. The authors offer some powerful ideas to get us out of this mess including ways to get MORE of us to vote, not less. Required reading for anyone who puts country before party as they should.

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Timely and Great Content

Where does It's Even Worse Than It Looks rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was very good to hear a book written by a bipartisan pair. It kept my attention and I wanted to continue listening until each chapter was complete.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that is was timely - I had seen the authors on a talk show and saw the topic as one that was current. It scared me to think that it was worse that it looked. They seemed to be people who, at one time, were from either side of the aisle and now were on the same side of the issue. That is truly what drew me to the book. How did we get here? How can we see our way out of the mess? Or really - CAN we see our way out.

Which character – as performed by William Hughes – was your favorite?

?

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

That the GOP has fractured and is having a hard time recognizing their own party at times. It is interesting that the Speaker has been unable to get things done because the "Young Guns" have tied his hands; so many things being done contrarily are done for the sole purpose of keeping President Obama a one term President not for the good of a country.

Any additional comments?

This was an excellent book.

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Great if you’re a Democrat; otherwise a waste.

I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican but have voted for both on numerous occasions. I am simply an American that is looking for constructive ways for the two parties to find common ground, work together, and move us forward as a country. Since calling people racist is all the rage these days, I would like to point out that I am also a minority so that you won’t dismiss what I’m saying as “racial code speak”.

This book assumes that Democrats represent the truth and light and spends the majority of the book using real word examples of misbehavior to demonize Republicans while mostly ignoring the same behavior in Democrats. The book then goes on to explain that Fox news is evil, direct democracy is superior to a representative republic and citizens may have too much liberty for their own good. Sadly, the book never acknowledges the values differences that are the root cause of our highly polarized nation and misses the opportunity to suggest ways to find common ground upon which we can build a stronger America.

If you’re looking for a book to affirm your inner partisan Democrat and offer ways to bring about the 1984 you crave, this is the right book for you. If you’re looking for a book that offers ways to help unite us as a country while preserving your rights, keep looking because this book is NOT it.

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Getting past toxic politics (or not)

The US political system ain't working, and -- guess what -- it's being undone by excessive partisan politics, with a creamy frosting of corruption and hypocrisy on top. Rather than compromise, the current game in Washington DC is to sabotage, delay, obstruct, defund, and undermine the initiatives of the opposing party, to make it seem as though its members are responsible for everything bad. Contributing to this dysfunction are partisan news outlets, which have discovered that a lot of Americans pay more attention when the "news" is presented in as inflammatory a manner as possible.

Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, two long-time Washington observers (from the liberal Brookings Institution and the conservative American Enterprise Institute), put most (but not all) of the blame on the current Republican party, which, in their view, has traded in much of its former moderation for Gingrich-style attack politics and the idea that making federal programs fail is a valid tactic if it hurts the Democrats (even programs once supported by Republicans). Coming from a family that once used to support that party, I don't think this assessment is all that biased. The authors show the ways in which the GOP has seized the tools of vindictive politics, misleading rhetoric, apocalyptic language, manufactured controversy, and constant filibustering create unnecessary gridlock and amped-up anger, even over fairly non-controversial issues. How can we hope to have rational debate in an atmosphere where one side's politicos tacitly encourage tin foil hat beliefs such as that the President isn't actually an American, that climate change is just a myth, and that gun control is really a plot to disarm citizens in preparation for some totalitarian New World Order?

Some Republican readers may be moving their cursors towards the "dislike" button right now, but hang on. I thought the authors were pretty fair about keeping their criticism focused on toxic politics, and not on actual ideological differences between liberals and conservatives.

To me, the latter half of the book, which offered potential solutions, was interesting, even if the solutions didn't seem politically realistic. Rather than jump on board with popular sentiment ("we need a third party!", "term limits!", "throw all the bums out!", "starve the beast!"), the authors point out the problems with these knee-jerk impulses -- for example (they argue), a strong third party wouldn't do much except siphon votes away from one of the two major parties, leaving the other more powerful. Starving the beast, meanwhile, hasn't been shown to make the government smaller, just more in debt. Instead, they explore ways to tweak the system so that political minorities don't hold legislation and public services hostage, the money behind Super PACs is more transparent to the public, individual Congressmen feel more empowered to dissent from their own parties, and public debate is truly debate.

I wouldn't hold my breath, but if both red and blue can agree that playing a giant game of Prisoner's Dilemma with government is bad for both sides, especially when the future problems confronting the US (and therefore much of the world) are massive, there may be hope. A relatively quick read (listen), and makes points worth thinking about.

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A book not bound by false "balance"

I like this which puts the current situation in a historical context. I appreciate the comparison to parlamentary democracy where we seem to have taken the worst of our two party system and imported the worst of parlamentary politics. I do hope we move to reform. Well read. Had trouble setting this aside.

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Wow! A must read!

Anyone who has an interest in politics should read this book, especially those of us who have found ourselves exasperated by US politics in the recent past. This book sheds light on the political process, its disfunction, and the reasons and remedies for that disfunction.

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Great story, even better Narration

Where does It's Even Worse Than It Looks rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among political nonfiction it is one of the best.

Has It's Even Worse Than It Looks turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not at all. It has actually made me want to learn more.

What about William Hughes’s performance did you like?

Just about everything. I have heard him read other books and he is one of the best!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

There was a lot to process, so I found it helpful to break it up in order to think about what I'd been hearing.

Any additional comments?

Enjoyed this very much and plan on a second listen.

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4 people found this helpful