John Dean: Mismanagement destroyed US Govt Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 12:16:04 -0500 (CDT) BOOK REVIEWS WELCOME: "Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches" by John W. Dean http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Government-Republican-Destroyed-Legislative/dp/0670018201 http://tinyurl.com/2478pw The former White House counsel faults Republican mismanagement for the current state of the government "John Dean has become one of the most trenchant and respected commentators on the current state of American politics and one of the most outspoken & perceptive critics of the administration of George W. Bush in his New York Times bestsellers: "Conservatives Without Conscience", and "Worse than Watergate". In his eighth book, Dean takes the broadest & deepest view yet of the dysfunctional chaos & institutional damage that the Republican Party & its core conservatives have inflicted on the federal government. He assesses the state of all three branches of government, tracing their decline through presidencies of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II. Unlike most political commentary, which is concerned with policy, Dean looks instead at process - making the case that the 2008 presidential race must confront these fundamental problems as well. Finally, he addresses the question that he is so often asked at his speaking engagements: What, if anything, can and should politically moderate citizens do to combat the extremism, authoritarianism, incompetence, and increasing focus on divisive wedge issues of so many of today's conservative politicians? With the Democrats now in control of both the House and Senate, he stakes for the 2008 presidential election have never been higher. This is a book for anyone who wants to return government to the spirit of the Constitution. Questions for John Dean Amazon.com: Broken Government is a book unabashedly about governmental "process," .. Dean: ...Dating, seduction, and courtship are all types of processes, while the object of one's efforts is a policy decision. The kind of car you drive is a policy decision, but the way you drive it is a process matter. To take the leap to government--the machinery of government is the process, while what we do with that machinery is policy. Most Washington insiders are more interested in process than they are policy because it is truly the name of the game. In making the case that many voters are actually more concerned with government process than policy, something I have intuitively known for a long time, I relied on empirical research which was uncovered by a team of political scientists at the University of Nebraska. In addition, early responses to the book have confirmed that voters are deeply interested in these operations, when they have discovered what the book is about. Amazon.com: You assess the state of each of the three branches of government and conclude that Congress, after the Democrats took over from your former party, the Republicans, at the beginning of this year, is "broken but under repair." Congress's approval ratings have remained even lower than the president's. Do you think they are fixing their broken institution? Dean: Congress has traditionally had the lowest approval ratings of all the branches. In the book I explain why this is the case, along with irony that most voters give their own representatives and senators high approval ratings, claiming it is merely the rest of them they don't approve of. After explaining the repairs that the Democrats have instituted since regaining control of the legislative branch, I explain that it is a Republican tactic to do all within their power to not allow the Democrats to get public credit for making Congress work again." see URL for more and PLEASE share your perspectives on what John Dean says, here: How should all persons of good faith/party/independence REPAIR the broken US government, in the Nation's Service? OR will it simply be BUSINESS for lobbyists, as usual? How could GOOD MANAGEMENT benefit you, your family? What changes _would you make _when how if you were the next UNITARY President? .. or Member of Congress? >>> PUT another way: What is it about the Republican party's performance in the last 7 years that you like? 3rd question: SAME POINTS re: Pre-emptive war? 4th question: ditto, Financial prudence? 5th question: ditto, Tax policy? 6th question: ditto, National debt 7th question: ditto, Universal Health Care 8th question: ditto, lying to the people 9th question: corruption & fraud plus spending hundreds of billions or trillions without current taxes to pay for wars 10th question: how do Bush/McCain/GOP/you define our mission and _VICTORY_ in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran? 11th question: When McCain loses, will those who voted for him have thrown their vote away? 12th question - What references for discussion wouldprovided factual refutations? My phone (Harold) remains 713-529-2333 aka Zee Source CherokeeScholar @ comcast.net 13 >>> WHO WOULD ANYONE HERE VOTE for now, WHO IS a candidate for USA President ... ...if you now were qualified to vote now? - 14 AND who would you want for VICE President, why? Are you willing to say? (What added info do you need?) 15 Who would you NOT vote for and why? 16 Who would be yet BETTER candidates? 17. Why has Habeas Corpus/renditions/unitary executive NOT been corrected, Constitutionally? 18. What other BOOKS may help address these issues, educate us re challenges including Global Warming? 19. How do each party need to change? 20. What third parties or election PROCESSES might work better - how, when? -Details please. Bonus question: What JOURNALISTS deliver the most complete, accurate INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM? ... Illustrations welcome here: I am listening :) ------------------------------------