Synopses & Reviews
Forty years ago the Watergate scandal deeply wounded Americans’ faith in government. Since then, good-government reformers and big-government opponents have been on a shared mission to make everything transparent. The problem is that too much light is scaring Congressmen away from making the tough choices necessary to govern in the national interest. It’s no secret that the backrooms are where things get done and where politicians can collaborate without reprisal. In
City of Rivals, Grumet boldly presents a new way forward in his first book, a must-read for all who care about our country’s future.
America is once again gripped by fear that we are falling behind and fast. Unlike the Soviet threat that shook our nation a half century ago, the menace today is homegrown. On issues of national importance, the two parties in Congress appear incapable of working together. Whether the threat is competition from China, crumbling infrastructure, or rising debt, Washington’s legitimacy to govern and capacity to solve problems are in doubt.
The Bipartisan Policy Center’s president, Jason Grumet, tackles this issue head-on by challenging the conventional diagnosis of the current gridlock. Rather than lamenting our differences, Grumet offers practical steps to govern a polarized nation, and he explores the unintended consequences of past reform movements.
Review
“In this valuable and judicious book, Jason Grumet explores the root cause of our political dysfunction, which is that the culture of collaboration that was once the foundation for American democracy has been denigrated and eroded. Fortunately, he’s an optimist, and his book describes a virtuous cycle that could restore, step by step, our government’s ability to solve problems.”
—Walter Isaacson, award-winning author and president and CEO of the Aspen Institute
“This is one book that was so hot that it had to be held until after Labor Day. You need to pick up the fun and insightful read of Jason Grumet’s City of Rivals. As one half of a bipartisan couple, I know partisan politics pretty well and Grumet’s skillful handling and master of the subject matter in City of Rivals highlights the hope for bipartisan solutions.”
—James Carville
“Kudos to City of Rivals for embracing constructive partisanship. Jason Grumet understands that the secret of American politics is the ability to advocate with passion and grace. This book captures the essence of America Strength. Let the best ideas win.”
—Mary Matalin
“When it comes to exploring potential solutions for today’s historic levels of congressional dysfunction, Jason Grumet brings a unique and compelling vantage point as founder and leader of the only Washington ‘think tank’ that actively promotes bipartisanship to address America’s most monumental challenges. City of Rivals offers a fascinating perspective on the origins of the current, crippling hyper-partisanship, and provocative recommendations for fostering the kind of cross-party collaboration that is essential to enabling Congress to produce results once again.”
--Senator Olympia Snowe
“Jason Grumet’s provocative book shows how conventional wisdom can steer us in the wrong direction and how reformers acting with the best of intentions have unintentionally paved the way to our present dysfunction. But his timely, important, and refreshingly optimistic book also maps a way forward with a compelling defense of ‘principled compromise’ among party leaders who regard each other as worthy rivals rather than bitter enemies.”
—Larry Kramer, president of William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and former dean of Stanford Law School
"City of Rivals traces how the elements that make the BPC so effective are being driven out of the federal government. America’s leaders today don’t know each other well enough and they don’t trust one another deeply enough to harness the sort of collaboration we need to succeed as a nation…City of Rivals boldly explores how many well intentioned and popular efforts to make government work better are doing just the opposite." -Senator Tom Daschle, from the Foreword
"The unconventional insights offered...provide a practical and optimistic vision of how to get America back on track. It is good reading for anyone who wants to understand what's gone wrong in the nation's capital--and required reading for anyone who wants to do something about it." -Senator Bob Dole, from the Foreword
Synopsis
An essential book that operates as a diagnosis of Congress's failures and a blueprint for its, and Americas, future, from the president of The Bipartisan Council. The first truly bipartisan book about the partisan gridlock that has paralyzed our government and how the answer lies in channelling and harnessing the partisanship, not spinning in its mud. Unlike so many "Washington is Broken" books, it offers a real way forward.
Synopsis
As with the start of the space race fifty-five years ago, America is once again falling behind and fast. What’s worse, the hurdles we face today, the rise of China and India, the impact of digital technology, the expanding global economy, coincide with plummeting faith in Washington’s capacity to govern. On issues of national importance the two parties in Congress have become incapable of working together, with the latest Congress receiving the lowest approval rating in history.
The Bipartisan Policy Center’s president, Jason Grumet, tackles this issue head- by mostly focusing on the paralysis in Washington, how to fix it, and how to move forward. Washington used to be a town defined by community; now it’s more like a convention hotel. We’ve suffocated what is the key element of good policymaking: personal relationships. Also, since Watergate, Washington has resolved to make everything transparent. The problem is that too much light is scaring Congressmen away from operating the way they need to: it’s no secret that the backrooms are where things get done and where politicians can compromise without reprisal. Grumet boldly presents a new way forward in first book, a must-read for all who care about our government’s--and our country's--future.
About the Author
Jason Grumet is the founder and president of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) which promotes bipartisan solutions to the country’s public policy challenges. From 2001-2011 Grumet directed the National Commission on Energy Policy. A frequent witness at Congressional hearings, he regularly appears in print and electronic media. He has a BA from Brown University and his J.D. from Harvard University.