Dead Center
How Political Polarization Divided America and What We Can Do About It
by Jason Altmire
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Pub Date Oct 03 2017 | Archive Date Sep 30 2017
Description
Rarely has America been so bitterly divided. Partisans now view those with differing opinions as the enemy. Cable news programs inflame passions rather than inform viewers. Social media provides the most irrational partisans a venue to spew their hatred and bias. Town hall meetings, once the staple of representative democracy, have degenerated into choreographed shouting matches. Money flows into campaigns at unprecedented rates. Centrists are nearly extinct in Congress, where compromise has become a dirty word. All the while, ordinary Americans feel disenfranchised, watching in disgust as our political process has been hijacked by ideological extremists.
A former three-term member of Congress, Jason Altmire is uniquely qualified to offer solutions to the polarization that has paralyzed Washington. A respected political moderate known for working with both sides of the aisle, Altmire during his time in office was recognized as having the most centrist voting record in the entire House of Representatives.
Fast-paced and easily-readable, Dead Center moves beyond the tired rhetoric that so often dominates our political discourse. Featuring a cast of characters including Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi, Dead Center contains riveting anecdotes from Altmire’s time in office, giving readers an inside view of what it is like to be a centrist in a divided Congress. Altmire draws upon his first-hand experience in the corridors of power to evaluate the root causes of polarization and offer novel solutions to break the gridlock and restore to Washington a spirit of cooperation nonexistent today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jason Altmire served three terms in the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013. He was a bipartisan centrist known for working with both sides of the aisle, which led to an extraordinary record of legislative success. He had 29 of his legislative initiatives signed into law, went five and a half years without missing a single vote, and introduced a bipartisan bill that gained the most cosponsors of any congressional bill in American history. During his time in office, the nonpartisan National Journal calculated Altmire's voting record to be at the exact midpoint of the House -- the Dead Center -- giving him the most centrist voting record in Congress. He has been profiled by numerous national publications and has appeared on a wide variety of television news programs. He has spent his professional career in the healthcare industry, having earned a Master's degree in Health Administration from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University. He lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Advance Praise
"Jason Altmire has written an insightful book on how Washington has become more polarized and dysfunctional over the last decade. He highlights the reasons why centrists in both parties have disappeared and why compromise is regarded as a four-letter word by factions on both the left and the right. Whether you're a political junkie or someone who just wants to know how and why our political system has changed in recent years, you should read this book." --Bob Cusack, Editor in Chief at The Hill newspaper
“Congressman Jason Altmire was one of the most thoughtful, pragmatic voices in the House when he served so it’s not surprising that he’s tackling the subject of rampant polarization with refreshing candor and independent insights in his first book. Most importantly, he offers solutions to help break the excessive partisanship that has poisoned our country’s politics. This book couldn’t have come at a better time.” --Josh Kraushaar, Politics Editor at National Journal
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781620067550 |
| PRICE | $9.99 (USD) |
Links
Featured Reviews
Kyle E, Reviewer
This is an important book for our current political climate. It is quite difficult to argue with how severely our country is being divided by partisan politics, yet, that seems to be all that we seem to discuss on any given day. This divide led to an especially divided and nasty election in 2016, leaving many voters torn between two candidates they traditionally never would have considered to vote for in the past. By interjecting personal experiences of trying to operate as a centrist, the author provides the audience insight into the belly of the beast, as it were. Without getting too formal or condescending, former Representative Altmire is able to give a civics lesson and a tell-all look at American politics simultaneously.
Educator 253159
The first half of this book was boring for me - it was pretty much the author's story of how he came into politics, and not what I had expected from the book. However, the second half delivered. A lot of it was not new - if you keep up with any sort of politics, then you know a lot of it. But it's the insider information, with quotes from prominent political leaders, that really takes your breath away. Seeing how the Obama administration passed the ACA through what can only be described as Mafia-style techniques on the congressmen really explains a lot about why that mess went through. I think it has good intentions, but will probably not change anything. Our stage is set, and the drama must unfold.
Montzalee W, Reviewer
Dead Center: How Political Polarization Divided America and What We Can Do About It
by Jason Altmire
I requested this book from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
Politics is a very difficult to talk about and to read. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to write about but Mr Altmire does it admirably. He does it without accusations, blaming sides, talking down, getting too political, or bogging the reader with little details. This is the history of how this country, in the recent history, has come to be so divided. It makes a lot of sense if I like it or not. He goes on to describe so many things I would never have thought of. I guess that is why he is who he is and I am not into politics. It takes someone that knows about the workings of the government and the people to understand.
The book also makes a point that most people would rather have a candidate that is not in the center of there party. They like the far right or far left. Then this is discussed as to how this leads to further divide. Why don't we like the center? Wouldn't the center be better, work harder, get things done?
This is a common sense, no nonsense, open, non-judgemental book that I enjoyed. Yes, a political book I enjoyed! I did read it in parts, I can't read any political book all at once, LOL
If only we could get the President and Congress to read it too!
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