The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America

"Displaying the historical perspective for which he is noted, Brownstein begins with a history of the evolving climate for partisanship since the dawn of the modern political era in 1896, presenting a fresh and bold reinterpretation of American politics and the personalities who have shaped it, from Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to Bill Clinton and George W. Bush." "Offering both sweeping analysis and intimate detail drawn from exclusive interviews with top officials and strategists in both parties, The Second Civil War captures the currents that have carried America to today's dangerous impasse, from little understood changes in congressional rules that made it easier for parties to enforce discipline and discourage compromise to the rise of special interest pressure groups to a vastly changed media environment, which has become much more vicious and much less serious."