LAST CHANCE TO SAVE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

A political strategist outlines his plan to revitalize the American democratic system.

As a community organizer, the former leader of one of California’s largest unions, and the founder of the Immigration Law Office of Los Angeles, McVarish is no stranger to government. However, during his unsuccessful 2018 congressional Democratic primary campaign, he discovered “how naive I was about American politics.” Campaigns were successful not because they had the best ideas or community support, he found, but because they had ties to big donors. Although the author blames Democratic Party leadership for its complicity in this system, the first half of his book focuses on how Republicans, who make up a minority of the electorate, have consistently outperformed Democrats for a decade. Their success, he asserts, comes from deploying four “Weapons Against Democracy”: dark money, gerrymandering, voter suppression, and diversionary propaganda. The author warns that the GOP will continue to use these tactics in future elections and that Democrats risk losing key seats as soon as 2022, if they don’t adapt. The book’s second half encourages Democratic leaders to “Prioritize Protecting Democracy” through 12 detailed proposals, which include statehood for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, filibuster reform, revitalization of unions, and court reform that limits conservatives’ disproportionate power. The book brims with useful charts, graphs, and oversized illustrations, which, combined with the author’s assertive writing style, make for an engaging read. Although McVarish has a flair for dramatic doomsday predictions, he tempers such moments with solid research and ample footnotes. His personal experiences as a political insider add further appeal. The book’s greatest strength may lie in its 10 appendices, which offer tips on how to create change at the community level, a primer on the basics of grassroots organization, and practical advice for meeting with Democratic candidates running for office. On nearly every page, one gets a sense of McVarish’s love of democracy and his earnest desire to shift power from elites to the electorate.

An impassioned and well-reasoned case for political reform.