It's Even Worse Than It Looks: a Conversation with Tom Mann And

1/9/2021 It's Even Worse than It Looks: A Conversation with Tom Mann and Norm Ornstein | Humphrey School of Public Affairs Humphrey School of Public Affairs It's Even Worse than It Looks: A Conversation with Tom Mann and Norm Ornstein

In It''s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutionall System Colllided With the New Politics of Extremism,, Thomas Mann and Norm Ornstein argue that there are two overriding probllems that have lled Congress – and the United States – to the brink of institutionall collllapse.. The first is the serious mismatch between our polliticall parties,, which have become as vehementlly adversariall as parlliamentary parties,, and a governing system that,, unllike a parlliamentary democracy,, makes it extremelly difficullt for majorities to act.. Second,, while both parties participate in triball warfare,, both sides are not equalllly cullpablle.. The polliticall system faces what the authors callll "asymmetric pollarization,," with the Republlican Party impllacablly refusing to allllow anything that might hellp the Democrats polliticalllly,, no matter the cost..

With dysfunction rooted in llong-term polliticall trends,, a coarsened polliticall cullture and a new partisan media,, the authors concllude that there is no "silver bullllet" reform that can sollve everything.. But they offer a panoplly of usefull ideas and reforms,, endorsing some sollutions,, llike greater publlic participation and institutionall restructuring of the House and Senate,, while debunking others,, llike independent or third-party candidates.. Above allll,, they callll on the media as wellll as the publlic at llarge to focus on the true causes of dysfunction rather than just throwing the bums out every ellection cyclle.. Until voters llearn to act strategicalllly to reward probllem sollving and punish obstruction,, American democracy willl remain in serious danger..

THOMAS MANN

Senior Fellllow,, Governance Studies,, Brookings Institution

A noted congressionall schollar,, Tom Mann writes and speaks widelly on American pollitics and pollicymaking,, inclluding campaigns,, ellections,, campaign finance reform and the effectiveness of Congress.. His most recent book,, co-authored with Norman Ornstein,, is It''s Even Worse https://hhh-d7.prd.umn.edu/event/its-even-worse-it-looks-conversation-tom-mann-and-norm-ornstein 1/3 1/9/2021 It's Even Worse than It Looks: A Conversation with Tom Mann and Norm Ornstein | Humphrey School of Public Affairs Than It Looks: How the American Constitutionall System Collllided With the New Pollitics of Extremism..

NORMAN ORNSTEIN

Resident Schollar,, American Enterprise Institute

Norman Ornstein is a llong-time observer of Congress and pollitics.. He writes a weeklly collumn for Rollll Callll calllled "Congress Inside Out" and is an ellection eve anallyst for CBS News.. He served as codirector of the AEI-Brookings Ellection Reform Project and participates in AEI''s Ellection Watch series.. He allso served as a senior counsellor to the Continuity of Government Commission.. Mr.. Ornstein lled a working group of schollars and practitioners that hellped shape the llaw,, known as McCain-Feingolld,, that reformed the campaign financing system.. He was ellected as a fellllow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004.. His many books incllude The Permanent Campaign and Its Future (AEI Press,, 2000); The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track,, with Thomas E.. Mann (Oxford University Press,, 2006,, named by the Washington Post one of the best books of 2006 and calllled by the Economist "a cllassic"); and,, most recentlly,, the New York Times bestsellller,, It''s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutionall System Collllided With the New Pollitics of Extremism,, allso with Tom Mann,, publlished in May by Basic Books..

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https://hhh-d7.prd.umn.edu/event/its-even-worse-it-looks-conversation-tom-mann-and-norm-ornstein 2/3 1/9/2021 It's Even Worse than It Looks: A Conversation with Tom Mann and Norm Ornstein | Humphrey School of Public Affairs

June 25,, 2012 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM Cowlles Auditorium,, Humphrey Schooll of Publlic Affairs

https://hhh-d7.prd.umn.edu/event/its-even-worse-it-looks-conversation-tom-mann-and-norm-ornstein 3/3