This book was well organized, relevant, well documented, and interesting—as one would expect from an author who is an articulate observer of political life. Here are some things that impressed one reader:
Culture changes: “About 60 percent of Americans under age thirty-five live without a spouse or partner.” “…older Americans have been radicalized.” Fox is culpable, and the Sinclair Broadcast group with 193 stations in 100 markets reaches 40% of the TV market. “Facebook and YouTube are the most important conduits for alt-Right and pro-Trump disinformation.” The Trump campaign was the biggest advertiser on Facebook in the summer of 2019.
Trump’s movement is “radically masculinist and misogynist.” The cultural change for less-educated white men follows because “professions have been thrown open to women,” and “the ancient domestic division of labor has been upended. Men and women are more likely than ever to live apart.”
Trump won the election through the Electoral College, but not the popular vote. The author points out that “by 2040, 70 percent of the American population will live in fifteen states. Thirty percent of the population will live in thirty-five states.” That 30 percent will be disproportionately white, nonurban and older than fifty. This will influence the balance of power in the Senate, as well as the Electoral College. Republicans have artfully gerrymandered some districts, further influencing legislation. “In 2016, only seventy-two seats in the House were considered ‘competitive,’” with primaries often going to ideological extremes of the parties. The Supreme Court bowed out of interfering with gerrymandering.
The two parties have different priorities, e.g. health care, higher education, the difference in population brought about by increased immigration, Social Security. “Former liberals and progressives have veered sharply leftward, especially on issues of race, gender, and immigration.” Some of these positions, like Medicare for illegal aliens, can offend large numbers of Americans who are not for Trump. Political correctness and rule by the “elite” are sore points for Trump supporters. Some people are for Trump simply because they resent the way he is demonized. Frum notes the Parties use issues to fund raise off one another!
The author lists a series of suggestions to make politics fairer, with insightful explanations as to why they would help:
Publish tax returns for all candidates
Nuke the filibuster (Since the Republicans control more states/Senate seats, it is increasingly unlikely the Democrats could muster 60 percent for much of anything, and thus the metropolitan majority of voters will lose! Plus it is sadly easier for big donors to influence Senators from less populous states.)
Statehood for the District of Columbia
Adopt a Modern Voting Rights Act
Deter Gerrymandering
Depoliticize Law Enforcement (Department of Justice)
“…the Republican brand has cratered among every group but rural voters, white evangelicals, and white Catholics.” “The Trump campaign plan for 2020 is all culture war, all the time.” Leave the country open to Russian interference, suppress minority, youth and poorer votes, and raise and spend dark campaign funds. “Lie without remorse. Always be polarizing. Speak only to your base. Never admit error. Grab every buck. Conceal every record.”
Frum warns that democracy disappears not because people don’t like democracy, but “democracy disappears because people grow tired of unemployment and insecurity, and choose “to sacrifice liberty in the hope of getting something to eat.”
“He ends the book with a call against revenge. “You do not beat Trump until you have restored an America that has room for all its people. The resentments that produced Trump will not be assuaged by contempt for the resentful.”
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"David Frum Deserves Scorn," but only from Trump's demented followers...
"David Frum Deserves Scorn," said one of Trump's many demented followers in a recent example of low-tech Washington social media also known as graffiti. Hey David, if that's not a sign that you're on the right track, I don't know what is.In "Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy," Frum details in plain language how we got here, the damage the Trump Administration has done to our system of government, and what we can do about it. With almost savant-like attention to detail, Frum provides a clear picture of why so many Americans would vote to place a middle-aged reality star into the most powerful position in the world, despite numerous high-profile demonstrations of sexism, racism, homophobia, and a general lack of concern for anyone but himself. Frum also explains the inner workings of the political process in the U.S., and the weaknesses which allowed for such a thing to happen.As a Reagan-era neoconservative himself, Frum questions the very foundations of American democracy, even as he watches his own party in a state of entropy, veering from their focus on the principles of good economic policy, to pandering to Southern racists, starting questionable wars in the Middle East, and ultimately to its present state as a rudderless ship being captained by a man whose Twitter rants and incomprehensible press conference proclamations boggle the mind.If what you seek is someone who will perform a forensic examination of just how screwed we are, look no further than David Frum's "Trumpocalypse."
Top reviews from other countries
Dennis Lindoff
A book that everyone should read regardless of one’s political stand in the US
Reviewed in Canada on August 14, 2020
M Clark
The best written indictment of the Trump presidency available
Reviewed in Germany on March 14, 2021Thomas P.
Man, I miss conservative voices like David Frum’s
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2021
Dean M.
An Important Book for An Important Moment.
Reviewed in Australia on August 17, 2020