Facts and Fury: An Unapologetic Primer on How the GOP Has Destroyed American Democracy

Democratic Party activist Kuhn debuts with a well-researched if caustic and overlong indictment of the GOP. Contending that “the vulnerable state of our democracy is not the result of one administration... but rather a decades-long siege by the GOP,” Kuhn sketches the history of McCarthyism and the John Birch Society, and explains how Barry Goldwater’s 1964 presidential campaign brought “conservative extremism” into the Republican mainstream, setting the stage for the anti-government policies of Ronald Reagan. Kuhn also delves into the influence of corporate interests on electoral institutions, the alliance between right-wing evangelicalism and the GOP, and the various ways Republicans seek to “slow [government] down, throw sand in its gears, shrink it, and eventually get it small enough to drown it in a bathtub.” Though Kuhn marshals plenty of data and litters the book with witticisms, he minimizes Democratic missteps and sometimes overreaches in his eagerness to blame conservative ideology for America’s ills: “What makes Americans any more naturally susceptible to being fat and unhealthy than, say, Canadians? The answer: nothing. The only difference is that our government regulation is not only lax but goes unenforced.” This exuberant polemic will strain the patience of even those who agree with its findings. (May)