Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy

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Product Details
Price
$26.95  $25.06
Publisher
Liveright Publishing Corporation
Publish Date
Pages
336
Dimensions
6.1 X 9.1 X 1.3 inches | 1.19 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781631497773

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About the Author
Adam Jentleson is the executive director of Battle Born Collective and a former deputy chief of staff to Senator Harry Reid. A columnist for GQ and frequent political commentator on MSNBC, he lives in Takoma Park, Maryland.
Reviews
Adam Jentleson saw firsthand how the upper chamber has become a broken, anti-democratic body stifling our democracy. From the filibuster to campaign finance, Kill Switch tells the story of how senators turned their institution into an engine of rampant obstruction and dysfunction.--Julian E. Zelizer, author of Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party
With a grasp of history combined with his insider experience and knowledge, Adam Jentleson has written a clear, concise, and compelling book on the history and evolution of the filibuster, and the rise of its abuse and misuse by Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans. Our system cannot operate without a functional Senate. Jentleson gives us the reasons why and a path forward.--Norman J. Ornstein, coauthor of It's Even Worse Than It Looks and One Nation After Trump
Informative and timely... A startling read that will provoke tough questions about governance, this is highly recommended to all interested in government reform.--Library Journal, starred review
Engrossing... Jentleson skillfully clarifies many arcane legislative procedures and brings a wide range of historical episodes to vivid life. Readers will be galvanized to make the issue of Senate reform a priority.--Publishers Weekly, starred review
Adam Jentleson is a creature of the Senate and no one understands it better than he does. This iconic American institution has been severely damaged by feckless Republican senators who kowtow to every erratic action of Donald Trump. Jentleson understands restoring the Senate to the Framer's vision as an exceptionally strong deliberative body is essential to restoring our democracy.--Harry Reid, former U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader
Kill Switch is a damning account of how a tool honed to maintain white supremacy has come to cost us all. After reading Jentleson's book, you'll understand why President Obama called the filibuster a Jim Crow relic, and you'll want to join the movement to end it, for the sake of our economy, our democracy, and our planet.--Heather McGhee, author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
The Senate is now profoundly rigged, with rules that make it easy to pass tax cuts for the rich and to pack the courts for the powerful, but allow the minority party to block bills to assist ordinary families. The Senate is now the graveyard for bills to improve health care, housing, education, worker rights, or to tackle issues like criminal justice, immigration, gun safety, or climate chaos. The biggest culprit of this corrupted, paralyzed Senate is the filibuster, which was born out of the determination of white, wealthy, privileged interests to block civil rights for minority Americans. If you want to understand the Senate's descent, and its potential path back to relevance, and how vital that path is to restoring a government 'of, by, and for the people, ' then this book is essential reading.--Senator Jeff Merkley
The Senate is the epicenter of American political dysfunction: the place where ideas with broad support are sent to die while those backed by plutocrats and extremists are set into law. In this analytically rich yet highly readable insider account, Adam Jentleson shows why today's undemocratic Senate is an affront to the Framers' vision--and how we can fix it.--Jacob Hacker, best-selling coauthor of Let Them Eat Tweets and Winner-Take-All Politics
Kill Switch is a damning account of how a tool honed to maintain white supremacy has come to cost us all. After reading Jentleson's book, you'll understand why President Obama called the filibuster a Jim Crow relic, and you'll want to join the movement to end it, for the sake of our economy, our democracy, and our planet.--Heather McGhee, author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together