3 stars I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and I was excited to read it, thinking it would give me a greater understanding of the Republican party, and perhaps if I’d been able to finish it, it would have. Alas, I will never know. I’m embarrassed to say, I managed to read the first chapter and then decided I could not read the rest without becoming completely disgusted. I think the part that clinched my opinion was when Drucker listed Trump’s accomplishments. I’d always wondered what his supporters considered his “many” accomplishments, but I think finding out is worse than not knowing. “Incidentally, Trump’s accomplishments in the White House, and commitment to his campaign promises, are an underappreciated facet of the fanatical support he has enjoyed inside the party…” He then goes on to list his accomplishments which only served to transport me back to the past and the anger and frustration I felt with each of his “accomplishments.” The tax code, which favors the rich (like himself). The construction of a wall at the Southern border, a border based on fear-mongering, which sometimes ran through peoples’ properties and divided wildlife passages, and was hotly contested by many who live along the border. Moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, effectively giving the middle finger to every religion not Jewish or Christian. Withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, thereby providing Iran with the opportunity to pursue their nuclear program unimpeded and unobserved. Withdrawing from the Paris climate accords, something that had provided hope to those of us who are extremely concerned about the lack of movement toward developing a solution to the damage we continue to do to the earth. Appointed hundreds of conservatives to the federal judiciary, something which Mitch McConnell’s machinations made possible and which threatens to force us back to a time before equality for women and civil rights. And then there’s Operation Warp Speed, for which I would like to give him credit, except for the fact that he tossed Obama-era pandemic protocols, which could have hampered the initial spread, and did not develop any infrastructure for the distribution of said vaccines. This is not to mention some of the most egregious actions of his administration, including ignoring the potential severity of the disease for fear it would adversely affect his reelection, delegating responsibility to individual states to secure PPE, forcing them to bid against one another to drive up the prices, and allowing his son-in-law, Mr. "The notion of the federal stockpile is that it's supposed to be our stockpile. It's not supposed to be states' stockpiles that they then use," in clear violation of anti-nepotism guidelines, to oversee the distribution of federal resources. Then there was the Covid Relief Fund which Congress specified should be protected from Mr. Trump and his cronies, but which he and his cronies immediately commandeered and raided for their own benefit. I thought this book might help me to understand some of the Republicans in my life, but after reading one chapter, I realize it might be better if I don’t because I want to hold onto what little respect for them that I have left. I’m giving this book three stars because it’s not terribly written, even if the subject matter is repulsive to me and I found it was slightly biased toward the Republican party. It’s better than if it were written by someone opposed to the party, but the positive spin placed on negative actions/beliefs/whatever was too much for me to tolerate. I was expecting more of an expose-style narrative regarding Trump’s influence on the Republican party, but this seemed more like a blueprint for their success in coming elections. It may be well-written, but I cannot read enough to ascertain whether that’s the case. April 2, 2022
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Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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