By Jim Heffernan
This is a new book that just came out in September. It’s from a popular mystery writer and I think this is his first non-fiction political book. I found it very well written and intriguing. The author traces our current mess to 15 “tripwire” events that have damaged our democracy.
The 261 page book includes 15 chapters about the individual “tripwires”, 7 scattered chapters that examine the big picture left by the impact of the tripwires, and, best of all, a final 31 page chapter outlining ways to repair our democracy so that it serves all of us instead of just the elite 10%.
Below is a list of the 15 tripwires:
Tripwire #1: Bush v. Gore
Tripwire #2: The Bush Tax Cuts
Tripwire #3: The Accidental Accession of John Roberts as Chief Justice
Tripwire #4: America’s Subprime Mortgages Come Due
Tripwire #5: Donald Trump Demands Barack Obama’s Birth Certificate
Tripwire #6: The Roberts Court Licenses Voter Suppression
Tripwire #7: Marco Rubio Sabotages His Own Immigration Reform Bill
Tripwire #8: Trump Seizes the Republican Nomination
Tripwire #9: Hillary Clinton’s Fateful Missteps
Tripwire #10: The Roberts Court Immunizes Republican Gerrymandering
Tripwire #11: Republicans Suppress Investigation of Trump’s Russia Connection
Tripwire #12: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Declines to Step Down
Tripwire #13: McConnell Flinches from Convicting Trump
Tripwire #14: Biden Seeks Reelection
Tripwire #15: The Roberts Court Establishes Presidential Autocracy
Two ideas from the final chapter particularly fascinated me.
I always thought the Constitution awarded Supreme Court justices office for life. It doesn’t. We could limit appointments to 18 years and we would have a court that moved with the times. Clarence Thomas would have lost his seat 17 years ago.
Another needed reform would be returning to a “common good capitalism”. When I began my “civilian” career in 1972, corporations operated on “common good capitalism”. They operated on the principle that they had an obligation to their share holders, an obligation to their employees, and an obligation to their community. This is the system that made for prosperity that was shared by all. It was dominant until about 1975.
Around 1975, it began to be replaced by “share-holder capitalism.” “Share-holder capitalism” asks that corporations operate solely for the maximum profit of share holders. This is the system that has seen wealth accumulate in the hands of the top 10% and has hurt everyone else.
Here’s an excerpt from page 176 that best explains what happened in the 2024 election,
“If one had to boil down why the Democratic Party failed in 2024 to a single perception, it might be this: Democrats care more about liberal social causes than the economic challenges facing ordinary Americans. That’s why so many voters were understandably unmoved by electoral appeals rooted in a defense of democracy. A lot of Americans who are on the short end of the stick have lost hope in our system. In their day-to-day lives, as compared to the cost of groceries or housing or childcare, democracy has become an abstraction.”
Here’s an excerpt from page 173 that outlines what we need to do.
“We can’t depend on social institutions to reclaim our democracy: Witness the surrender of major law firms, universities, and media conglomerates. We can’t wait for the Democrats to lead us. We can’t expect the Supreme Court or Congress to meet their constitutional obligations. But nothing can stop us from calling on ourselves.”
The book is available at Cloud and Leaf Bookstore, Manzanita and Tillamook County Library (electronic versions, no print yet)
As always, discussion welcome at codger817@gmail.com
