The Point of No Return: American Democracy at the Crossroads
(Hardback)
Publishing Details
The Point of No Return: American Democracy at the Crossroads
By (Author) Thomas Byrne Edsall
Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press
18th July 2023
United States
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
Political ideologies and movements
973.933
Physical Properties
Hardback
448
Width 156mm, Height 235mm
Description
How Donald Trump laid waste to American politics, culture, and social order
After Donald Trumps rise to power, after the 2020 presidential election, after January 6, is American politics past the point of no return New York Times columnist and political reporter Thomas Byrne Edsall fears that the country may be headed over a cliff, arguing that the election of Donald Trump was the most serious threat to the American political system since the Civil War. In this compelling and illuminating book, Edsall documents how the Trump years ravaged the nations politics, culture, and social order. He explains the demographic shifts that helped make Trumps election possible, and describes the racial and ethnic conflict, culture wars, rural/urban divide, diverging economies of red and blue states, and the transformation of both the Republican and Democratic parties that have left our politics in a state of permanent hostility.
The Point of No Return brings together a series of Edsalls columns, bookended by a new introduction and conclusion, which show how we got to this dangerous point. These dispatches from our new political landscape chronicle the emergence of what Edsall calls the not-so-silent white majority and show how Trump deployed fears about race and immigration to appeal to voters. Edsall examines Trumps construction of an alternate reality, discusses why we dont always vote according to our own self-interest, and explores the Democrats calibrated response. Considering the 2020 election and its violent aftermath, Edsall looks at the Capitol insurrection and warns that American democracy is under siege. The forces behind Trumps election, and the stop the steal true believers, have pushed the nation to the brink.
Reviews
"Wonky yet accessible, this is a valuable guide to Americas political landscape." * Publishers Weekly *
Author Bio
Thomas Byrne Edsall has written a weekly opinion column for the New York Times since 2011. Before joining the Times, he covered national politics for the Washington Post. He is the author of Chain Reaction: The Impact of Race, Rights, and Taxes on American Politics (with Mary D. Edsall), a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction; The New Politics of Inequality; Building Red America; and The Age of Austerity. He teaches at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
