Saving Democracy
Kevin O'Leary
Saving Democracy presents a bold yet practical plan for reinventing American democracy for the twenty-first century. The book diagnoses contemporary political ills as symptoms of corruption in our large republic and develops a new understanding of representative democracy. Building on the ideas of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, Saving Democracy shows how it is possible to combine the traditional town hall and the Internet to fashion a new theory of representative government that empowers citizens and bridges the enormous gap that now exists between the political elite and the average voter.
Under the author's plan, in each of the nation's 435 congressional districts a local assembly of 100 citizens, selected by lot, would meet to discuss the major domestic and international issues. The role of this assembly would be deliberative and advisory and its views would constitute a second, more sophisticated and informed measure of public opinion than traditional public opinion polls. The next step would be the establishment of the People's House, which would hold actual legislative power.
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About Kevin O'Leary
Reviews for Saving Democracy
David Mayhew
Yale University
"Kevin OLeary has written a wonderful book. His topic is American democracy; his goal is to improve it. And he has some ideas—original, imaginative, and sensible—about how to achieve this ambitious aim. The proposed reforms would make our democracy more participatory, more deliberative, and better equipped to solve large national problems. That is an attractive package, and OLeary presents it with engaging prose and forceful argument. Read this book, and act on it."
Joshua Cohen
Stanford University
"America needs this book. These imaginative yet practicable reforms are designed to bring citizens back to their own politics and inspire them to work together for the common good."
Jane Mansbridge
Harvard University
"A thought-provoking book that will find a home in academic political science collections."
Library Journal "There is nothing wrong with American democracy that a return to majority rule couldnt cure. Kevin OLeary has a bold but realistic vision of how the restoration of real democracy could happen."
Jack Miles
author of God: A Biography
"Saving Democracy is provocative and significant. It does a splendid job of connecting democratic political theory to problems of practical politics. O'Leary makes shrewd and sophisticated use of American political thought and contemporary political science. His unique proposals should spark great discussion."
John J. Pitney, Jr.
Claremont McKenna College
"A provocative look at our current state of political apathy and what can be done about it. These proposals would empower the deliberations of ordinary citizens without surrendering the important features of our Constitution and our representative political system. Anyone who knows the dangers of direct democracy but who still wants to engage citizens in political decision-making should read this book."
Kevin Mattson
Ohio University
"Every so often the fundamentals of American democracy require seriousre-examination. Kevin O'Leary's Saving Democracy is a stimulating and original proposal to make political deliberation far more inclusive and representative than it is today."
James Fallows
The Atlantic Monthly
"The great, ugly truth about American politics today is that, even as we champion democracy abroad, few Americans have any hope of influencing their government at home. A growing number of bold thinkers and activists now insist we can do better, none more constructively than Kevin O'Leary." —Rogers Smith, University of Pennsylvania