Politics. https://ekreader.site Sun, 20 Jul 2025 03:04:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/ekreader.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cropped-IMG_3198.webp?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Politics. https://ekreader.site 32 32 149504276 Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America… https://ekreader.site/41886-2/ Fri, 23 Feb 2018 03:33:10 +0000 http://www.ekkarn.com/?p=41886 If You Want to Understand the Roots of Our Current Political Situation – Read this Book! Over the last few weeks I am finding it more and more difficult to post. Again I haven’t stopped reading, listening or exercising just that when I sit down to write a post, I... Continue reading

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If You Want to Understand the Roots of Our Current Political Situation – Read this Book!

Over the last few weeks I am finding it more and more difficult to post. Again I haven’t stopped reading, listening or exercising just that when I sit down to write a post, I get distracted and pick up a book or good do something else. Anyway I just finished book 9 of 2017. The following read though is for book 7. Hopefully, if I can get myself focused and motivated reviews for book  8 Parting Shot by Linwood Barclay and book 9 Descent by Tim Johnston, will follow shortly.

Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America by Nancy MacLean. 

This is the story of the Radical Rights campaign  to steal our democracy. The blueprint for the campaign was laid out but conservative economist James Buchanan.  Buchanan merged states rights thinking with free-market principles and laid the groundwork for the “makers”and “takers” philosophy of today’s Republican party. The campaign  has been funded by Charles Koch and is bearing fruit beyond his wildest dreams. The Radical Right has goals like establishing and assuring minority rule, the elimination of both the government safety nets i.e. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and programs and agencies that protect our health and safety. They seem like current GOP goals to me. And I am scared for my country! 
Throughout the last year we have seen time after time the majority of Americans opposing what the GOP was trying to do. We watched them try to destroy The Affordable Care act. Then we watched them pass a Tax Bill designed to make the richer richer. Anyway if you want to read about how we got to where we are today read this book. 
From author Greg Grandin author of Fordlandia a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

“How did we get to where we are today? How did corporations come to possess rights? How did democracy come to be defined as selfish individualism? Or money as free speech? Nancy Maclean’s Democracy in Chains provides the answers. It is essential reading in order to understand the ideas billionaires use to justify their control over our political institutions. I can’t imagine a more timely or urgent book.” 

Bottom Line

I found this book scary and very enlightening. The book is well written, easy to read and well documented. So once again if you want to read how we got to the point where our country has become an oligarchy with the 1 percent running the country.So check it out. The author of Democracy in Chains, Nancy MacLean is The William H Chafe Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University.

Links for Further Explorations

Democracy in Chains – Duke University
Goodreads
Penquin Random House

 

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