The Chronic Crisis of American Democracy : The Way Is Shut

This book argues that American democracy is in crisis. The economic system is slowly subjecting Americans of nearly all income levels and backgrounds to enormous amounts of stress. The United States lacks the state capacity required to alleviate this stress, and politicians increasingly find that if they promise to solve economic problems, they are likely to disappoint voters. Instead, they encourage voters to blame each other. The crisis cannot be solved, the economy cannot be set right, and democracy cannot be saved. But American democracy cannot be killed, either. Americans can’t imagine any compelling alternative political systems. And so, American democracy continues on, in a deeply unsatisfying way. Americans invent ever-more elaborate coping mechanisms in a desperate bid to go on. But it becomes increasingly clear that the way is shut. The American political system was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. Benjamin Studebaker received his PhD in Politics and International Studies from the University of Cambridge, UK Contents List of Tables 1 The Unsolvable Problem Introduction The Competitive Global Economy and Its Consequences The Workers The Professionals The Employers The Trouble with Reforms The Trouble with Revolution The Resistance to Giving Up References 2 False Hope The Left’s False Start The Left as a Hope Industry The Right’s Rabbit Hole The Right’s Obsession with Culture The Center’s Quest for Better Gatekeeping The Inadequacies of Joe Biden References 3 Chronic Crisis Two Types of Fearmongering, One Theory of Crisis Problems with Koselleck’s Theory The Chronic Legitimacy Crisis: An Alternative Model Perfect Legitimacy Full Legitimacy Minimal Legitimacy Liminal Legitimacy Chronic Crises Occur When We Get Stuck in Minimal Legitimacy Why Purification Reforms Are Confused with Authoritarianism Fear of Authoritarian Reforms Makes Gridlock Worse, Encouraging Localism References 4 Dream Eating Democracy Liberty Equality Group Equity Representation Obstacles to Restoring Legitimacy by Dream Eating References 5 No Escape The Path to Despair Striving, Settling, and Sinking Politics Without Politics Faith Family Fandoms Futurism The American Subaltern The Guys in the Hot Air Balloons References 6 What If This Book Is Wrong? Political Prospects for Would-Be Reformers Intermediary Steps Economic Endgames Alternatives to Democracy The Paths of the Dead Epilogue References Index