The Decline and Fall of the American Republic"Audacious . . . offers a fierce critique of democracy's most dangerous adversary: the abuse of democratic power by democratically elected chief executives." (Benjamin R. Barber, New York Times bestselling author of Jihad vs. McWorld ) Bruce Ackerman shows how the institutional dynamics of the last half-century have transformed the American presidency into a potential platform for political extremism and lawlessness. Watergate, Iran-Contra, and the War on Terror are only symptoms of deeper pathologies. Ackerman points to a series of developments that have previously been treated independently of one another?from the rise of presidential primaries, to the role of pollsters and media gurus, to the centralization of power in White House czars, to the politicization of the military, to the manipulation of constitutional doctrine to justify presidential power-grabs. He shows how these different transformations can interact to generate profound constitutional crises in the twenty-first century?and then proposes a series of reforms that will minimize, if not eliminate, the risks going forward. "The questions [Ackerman] raises regarding the threat of the American Executive to the republic are daunting. This fascinating book does an admirable job of laying them out." — The Rumpus "Ackerman worries that the office of the presidency will continue to grow in political influence in the coming years, opening possibilities for abuse of power if not outright despotism." — Boston Globe "A serious attention-getter." —Joyce Appleby, author of The Relentless Revolution "Those who care about the future of our nation should pay careful heed to Ackerman's warning, as well as to his prescriptions for avoiding a constitutional disaster." —Geoffrey R. Stone, author of Perilous Times |
Contents
The Politicized Military | |
Three Crises | |
Executive Constitutionalism | |
Enlightening Politics | |
Restoring the Rule of | |
Living Dangerously | |
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activists administration Adrian Vermeule advisor agencies American appointments asserting Attorney authority Barack Obama Bruce Ackerman bureaucracy campaign candidates chairman challenge civilian control Clinton commander in chief confront Congress congressional constitutional create crisis dangerous DDay decision Deliberation Day democratic Department effort election emergency executive branch extremist federal future George H. W. Bush George W Goldwater-Nichols initiative institutional Internet Iraq issues Jay Bybee John Yoo Joint Chiefs Justice lawyers leaders Legal Counsel legitimacy McChrystal's military MoveOn National Security numbers Office of Legal officer corps OLC's opinion party Pentagon percent politicized polls position presidential power presidential signing primary problem professional Reagan reform rely Republican require response role Roosevelt scenario separation of powers serve signing statements statute statutory supra Supreme Court terrorist torture memos transformation twenty-first century unilateral veto vote voters war on terror White House Counsel White House staff