It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism

Congress approval ratings are at record lows, and both Democrats and Republicans are disgusted by the governments inability to get anything done. In their New York Times bestseller, Its Even Worse Than It Looks, Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein present a grim picture of how personal pettiness has led the United States to the brink of institutional failure. The legislative process has been stuck in a grinding gridlock since 2006 because artificial barriers to compromise are exacerbating pre-existing structural deficiencies in all branches of government. While no “silver bullet” reform can solve everything, the authors argue for specific guidelines to fix Congress functionality and rescue American democracy from the bickering and gridlock of recent decades.

With substantial new material that addresses the overwhelming media and public response to the books arguments, explores how President Obama and the new Congress might work together more efficiently in the crucial years to come, and previews the fundamental issues that they will confront over the next four years, Its Even Worse Than It Looks is essential reading for everyone concerned with the precarious state of our country.