Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It - Softcover

Potter, Wendell; Penniman, Nick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1632861119 ISBN 13: 9781632861115

Publisher: Bloomsbury Press, 2017

Synopsis

"A rallying cry to bring government back under the control of the people . . . Their argument is impassioned and accessible." --Library Journal

American democracy has become coin operated. Special interest groups increasingly control every level of government. The necessity of raising huge sums of campaign cash has completely changed the character of politics and policy making, determining what elected representatives stand for and how their time is spent. The marriage of great wealth and intense political influence has rendered our country unable to address our most pressing problems, from runaway government spending to climate change to the wealth gap. It also defines our daily lives: from the cars we drive to the air we breathe to the debt we owe.

In this powerful work of reportage, Wendell Potter and Nick Penniman, two vigilant watchdogs, expose legalized corruption and link it to the kitchen-table issues citizens face every day. Inciting our outrage, the authors then inspire us by introducing us to an army of reformers laying the groundwork for change, ready to be called into action. The battle plan for reform presented is practical, realistic, and concrete. No one--except some lobbyists and major political donors--likes business as usual, and this book aims to help forge a new army of reformers who are compelled by a patriotic duty to fight for a better democracy.

An impassioned, infuriating, yet ultimately hopeful call to arms, Nation on the Take lays bare the reach of moneyed interests and charts a way forward, toward the recovery of America's original promise.

About this title

Review:

Potter and Penniman show that our corrupt political campaign finance system, which is increasingly controlled by billionaires and special interests, is an issue that should concern all Americans. (Bernie Sanders)

There could be no more important or timely book than Nation on the Take. A stirring guide for how we can work together to reclaim our democracy and reunify our country. (Doris Kearns Goodwin)

A timely and inspired book about a uniquely American problem. Potter and Penniman expertly show how the crisis connects with our daily lives and offer a path forward that includes people from all walks of life and all political persuasions. (Arianna Huffington)

A fact-packed handbook for political reform: the nitty-gritty on how billionaires' campaign contributions and corporate cash have captured both political parties and bought policies for the 1 percent; how each of us pays a price in our daily lives for the runaway political money game; and, most important, specific suggestions on how we can reform our broken system and get our democracy back on track. (Hedrick Smith, author of WHO STOLE THE AMERICAN DREAM?)

Eye-opening. (Nicholas Kristof The New York Times)

[A] step-by-step guide for ordinary people to reclaim the political process. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Book Description:

"A rallying cry to bring government back under the control of the people . . . Their argument is impassioned and accessible." --Library Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1632861119
• ISBN 13: 9781632861115
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288