How Worse Is It?
Ray E. Hardesty (rhardesty2@earthlink.net), Democrat, 01/25/2008

This is the third in a series of books that John W. Dean has written about the failures of the Republican party to govern over the past 40 years. He has a platform from which to speak. A self-professed “card-carrying Republican” for most of his life, he has also seen at first-hand how government can go badly wrong, having been White House Counsel during the 'imperial' presidency of Richard Nixon. In the intervening years, Dean has become thoroughly disillusioned with the Republican Party, as reflected in his previous book titles: Conservatives Without Conscience and Worse Than Watergate. This is a powerful book, which should be read by every Democrat. In it, Dean’s strong disagreement (to put a polite spin on it) with Republican rule is obvious, but in only a few places does he predict doomsday outcomes that surely will not happen anytime soon (e.g., the ability of the federal government to electronically monitor American citizens without a court order...hmm, it seems that that has already happened--apologies, Mr. Dean). Mostly, he brings an insider’s knowledge of Washington and decades of participation in and study and observation of the workings of government to bear in a scathing indictment of the past and current Republican administrations (along with many other experts he cites and quotes, he labels the current one as probably “the worst Presidential administration in U.S. history.” Sorry, James Buchanan--records are made to be broken.) Dean makes it abundantly clear, with extensive commentary from political and economic experts and authors, that Republican administrations since Nixon have progressively and severely damaged all three branches of our federal government (which of course flows down to state and local jurisdictions). As he describes in detail, the Republicans have consistently tried to destroy the Congress to create an all-powerful, “unitary” executive branch (although, he admits, Congress is now recovering under Democratic leadership--for example, under the Republicans, the congress worked only two days a week (!), which is now back to five under Nancy Pelosi in the House and Harry Reid in the Senate), to expand presidential authority (extension of powers beyond those expressed in the Constitution, in addition to lawbreaking, based on flawed “war powers” theory), and to politicize the federal judiciary by repeated appointments of fundamentalist conservative jurists. It's a long tale of woe. Perhaps the worst news is the failure, as Dean says, of Republicans to exercise the main function of Congress--oversight of the executive branch. He finds little evidence--and much contrary evidence--of such failure during Democratic-controlled Congresses over the past half century, whatever the party of the President. For example, he recalls for us such figures as Democratic Senator William Fulbright, who gave fits to Democratic presidents in the 1960s. He concludes that Democratic politicians are, in general, more inclined to serve the public interest than Republicans--who don’t seem to know or remember what that means. Dean posits some answers, particularly that Americans do understand when 'process' is being abused (at least when it is reported in the media, which is not often enough). As citizens and voters, we do not have the time or the energy to understand the complexities of proposing and passing legislation, nor do most of us have an understanding of the proper roles of the three branches of government (we probably should--the basic definitions are in the U.S. Constitution, which can be purchased online for $10.00, including shipping, and read in a hour). Instead, like Al Gore, Dean relies on the electorate to distinguish between the candidates who are abandoning reason and who are out to serve themselves and their party (i.e., through the Republican agenda) and those who have a semblance of concern for the common welfare--which Dean has become convinced are the Democrats today. His core conclusion: 'Don't vote for any Republican until they can show that they have the ability to govern.'

Impossible to stop reading
A reviewer, into current events and politics, 09/19/2007

This book comes at an important time as we move into this coming presidential election. Mr. Dean has done some very serious research that reaches across a very wide array of what scholars, pundits, politicians and bureaucrats that have only added to his own expert level knowledge of what takes place in Washington. One of the most fascinating aspects of this book is that Dean not only shows us were things are in the political arena these days, but he also shows how we got to this point, and he also shows the possible direction of politics depending on who gets control in 2008. I would not call his book biased. I would call it grounded in reality. I see myself as Republican, slightly to the right of the middle, and what Dean dramatically shows in this book was what I have long suspected, but did not know the details of, behind the NEOCON movement. And that it is more than just the NEOCONS. I have already recommended this book to everyone I know who votes, and have pushed it on those who don’t vote, as a reason to vote. Beyond Dean’s commendable research that went into this book, he is a very, very good writer. The prose is pristine and his points are all clear. The story is compelling and Dean makes it riveting with his skill as a writer. And the one thing that is really clear, John Dean is a really intelligent man.

READ THIS BOOK!
A reviewer, Concerned American, 09/12/2007

John Dean has composed an exceptionally well nuanced and provacative work that exposes the significant flaws that exist within the contemporary conservative movement as well as the inability of the moderates to do a darn thing about it. This book should be read by every citizen in the United States and it is a landmark publication.