Chapter 12: Whatever It Is, I'm Against It Summary and Analysis

The American political system is not only polarized but it is paralyzed. The country will not be able to get past the critical challenges it faces unless the federal government is functioning and willing to take on difficult issues. Although there has always been partisanship, it has never been near the current level that exists today. Partisanship has transformed into animosity and hostility. Whatever one side is for the other side is against. These politicians are at odds with the people they represent who want compromise and progress not stagnation and posturing.

President George H. W. Bush, who was a supporter of Planned Parenthood, was this brand of Republican leader. In the 1960s, there was a migration of southern democrats to the Republican Party due to the civil rights...