cover image We Are Indivisible: A Blueprint for Democracy After Trump

We Are Indivisible: A Blueprint for Democracy After Trump

Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin. One Signal, $27 (368p) ISBN 978-1-9821-2997-2

Greenberg and Levin, cofounders of the Indivisible project, discuss the origins of the grassroots progressive movement they started in 2016 and propose strategies for breaking congressional gridlock and voting President Trump out of office in this snappy guide. The authors blame structural factors (gerrymandered voting districts; unequal Senate representation) and the Republican Party’s “reactionary” faction of “white nationalists, Christian fundamentalists, and corporate interests” for undermining America’s democratic institutions and creating an endless cycle in which the congressional majority is punished in the next election for its failure to get anything done. The solution, according to Greenberg and Levin, is to harness “massive civic engagement” to build a unified progressive coalition that can bring liberals to power in the executive and legislative branches. Through the stories of Indivisible’s successes (helping to save the Affordable Care Act) and failures (not convincing Democrats to fight for a new Dream Act), the authors provide 19 lessons for influencing the 2020 elections. Their ultimate goal is to pass legislation that will “democratize” Congress, the courts, the voting process, and the media by adding new Supreme Court justices and breaking up Facebook and Google, for instance. Greenberg and Levin’s snarky sense of humor won’t persuade conservatives and centrists, but progressives will appreciate the book’s concrete political solutions. This purposeful handbook delivers its message with aplomb. [em](Nov.) [/em]