Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History

Evil Geniuses, The Unmaking of America, by Kurt Andersen, presents an extended history of the revolutionary changes that have taken place in the United States starting in the 1980\’s. He tracks the shift from a booming post WWII economy to the disastrously unequal and unfair economy of today. This is a book about economics and politics. It is well thought out, well argued, and packed with useful information. It sheds a lot of light on how and when things went wrong, and names some of the key players along the way. It also points toward what changes we need to make in our culture, politics and thinking in order to navigate back to a more just and saner society. A+ on all of that from me. However, oh my God! This man loves his own words! Too many words! Should have been edited down by a third. He is a clever writer, and is so taken with his own cleverness that he becomes self-indulgent and annoying at times. He reads his own work well, and very fast, Even so the book is over 16 hours in length. It contains important ideas and insightful observations, but I would recommend the Cliff Notes version for busy people. If you have lots of time on your hands and lots of patience with men who think they are cute, (a trait I obviously lack) go for it!

First, let\’s be clear about what this book is: It\’s an extremely long OpEd from a very intelligent man on the far left. He craftily peppers in one of his opinions for every four-or-so immutable facts he enumerates. Please don\’t mistake this book for an unbiased historical account. Now, that being said, when I wasnt rolling my eyes at the propaganda, I found this book thorough, clever, and enlightening.

Author\’s arguments for progressive change leading us toward a \”more perfect union\” of freedom, justice, and shared prosperity are well referenced. Political and economic democracy, if to survive without our own Tale of Two Cities\’ Bastille Day violence, requires redistribution of wealth, power, and opportunity. Trump is but an incompetent vessel promoting corporatist greed. The hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 casualities, Trump calls \”warriors,\” are the victims of that greed. The lack of empathy and unwillingness to stop enabling this violence by the GOP will end only by electing Progressive Democratic leadership in local, state, and federal offices. For example: Biden-Harris for POTUS/VP, Amy McGrath, Jamie Harrison, and Katie Porter for US Congress.

Expertly read by Andersen, he delivers a well-constructed analysis of the many small cuts in the U.S. political economy since 1970 that have torn the fabric of American economic solidarity. All boats once rose together, but after the few decided to control the many to gain financial dominance we are here today together at a fork in the road. Andersen offers hope that revolution or constitutional dissolution aren\’t our only possible fates. Read this book and you\’ll receive one possible history of the present that seemed authentic to this reader.

One of the best thorough explanations of how the country became so incompetent and how it has lost its democracy, and by whom. It is a journalistic recounting of what happened when, by whom that is easy to see. I\’ve read several along this line and feel this one is the best. It\’s also always fun and more engaging when you listen to the author reading his own work.

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