Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent

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About Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle For The

About the Author E.J. Dionne, Jr., is a columnist for The Washington Post, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and professor at Georgetown University. E.J. is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Why the Right Went Wrong. Product Description Our Divided Political Heart will be the must-read book of the 2012 election campaign. Offering an incisive analysis of how hyper-individualism is poisoning the nation's political atmosphere, E. J. Dionne Jr. argues that Americans can't agree on who we are because we can't agree on who we've been, or what it is, philosophically and spiritually, that makes us Americans. Dionne takes on the Tea Party's distortions of American history and shows that the true American tradition points not to radical individualism, but to a balance between our love of individualism and our devotion to community.Dionne offers both a fascinating tour of American history-from the Founding Fathers to Clay and Lincoln and on to the Populists, the Progressives and the New Dealers-and also an analysis of our current politics that shatters conventional wisdom. The true American idea, far from endorsing government inaction or indifference, has always viewed the federal government as an active and constructive partner with the rest of society in promoting prosperity, opportunity, and American greatness.The ability of the American system to self-correct is its greatest asset and Dionne challenges progressives to embrace the American story. Our fractious but productive past offers us the resources both to rediscover the idea of progress and to put an end to our fears of decline. Our Divided Political Heart will be required reading for all who seek a path out of our current impasse. Review “I just finished reading a book ... it's fascinating. It's called OUR DIVIDED POLITICAL HEART by E.J. Dionne, who I think is one of our most thoughtful public philosophers. And it's the best book he's written in 20 years, in my opinion, since he wrote a book called Why Americans Hate Politics. I highly recommend it.” ―President Bill Clinton“A fast-paced, historically rigorous explanation of how inaccurate readings of our nation's formation and development reinforce our imbalanced, factually impoverished public debate. Dionne bolsters the intellectual, constitutional and moral foundations on which this stronger, more just America can be rebuilt.” ―The Nation“A well-mannered, thoughtful attempt to restore civic grace and productive political conversation.” ―Boston Globe“[A]n earnest effort to reach across the political divide….Dionne takes his readers on a richly researched tour of history to restore the broken consensus about who we are and what America stands for. His case is strong enough, serious enough and grounded enough to challenge those on the other side of the divide to offer a counterargument as rigorously argued as this one.” ―Washington Post“Engrossing.” ―David Brooks, New York Times“As he has so often, E.J. Dionne has written a brilliant new book, and it places our current division in political and cultural context.” ―Paul Begala, Newsweek“[A] mash-up course in philosophy and graduate-level American history, written in an avuncular style with choice nuggets of deadpan wit.” ―Minneapolis Star Tribune“[I]t would be hard to find a more civil, well-reasoned or hope-filled book about the current polarized state of the country. By all means, read this book.” ―America magazine“[A] comprehensive, well documented tour through our history.” ―Daily Kos“[Dionne's] extensive knowledge of Washington allows him to ably illustrate our remarkable political history, and he renews our hope that cooler heads can prevail with a renewed balance of individual rights and the needs of the community.” ―Kirkus Reviews“[A] much-needed fact-based review of the Constitution, a realistic portrait of its creators, and a balanced history of the ongoing friction in the American psyche between desires for liberty and comm