Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent

May 29

Past Event 

Full Video:

This is the archived recording from our webcast, "Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent."

E.J. Dionne, Jr. and Thomas E. Mann

Summary

Who are we as a nation?  And what is it that’s tearing us apart?

E.J. Dionne’s new book, Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent (Bloomsbury USA, 2012), argues that from the very beginning, our country has been characterized by a deep but healthy tension between our love of individual liberty and our devotion to community. Yet we seem to have forgotten our own rich history of balance, one reason for our poisoned political atmosphere. Calling Dionne’s book “brilliant” in a recent Newsweek column, Paul Begala noted: “Dionne argues that we must honor the tensions between two strains of the American Dream: the rugged individualists who respect those who make it on their own; and the communitarians who revere the Americans who help their neighbors, fight our fires, and wage our wars. Both are central to the American character.”

On May 29, Brookings hosted a discussion with Dionne about the lost balance between individualism and community, its corrosive implications for the political environment and policymaking, and how to seek a path forward from our current impasse and our fears of decline. Brookings Senior Fellow Tom Mann provided introductory remarks and led a conversation with Dionne.  Following the program, Dionne took audience questions.

The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent

By E.J. Dionne
One of America’s most respected and well-known political analysts weighs in on what is tearing us apart—the ascendency of individualism and the diminishment of community—just in time for the election.
Our Divided Political Heart will be the must-read book of the 2012 election campaign. Offering an incisive analysis of how hyper-individualism is poisoning the nation’s political atmosphere, E. J. Dionne Jr. argues that Americans can’t agree on who we are because we can’t agree on who we’ve been, or what it is, philosophically and spiritually, that makes us Americans. Dionne takes on the Tea Party’s distortions of American history and shows that the true American tradition points not to radical individualism, but to a balance between our love of individualism and our devotion to community.
Dionne offers both a fascinating tour of American history—from the Founding Fathers to Clay and Lincoln and on to the Populists, the Progressives and the New Dealers—and also an analysis of our current politics that shatters conventional wisdom. The true American idea, far from endorsing government inaction or indifference, has always viewed the federal government as an active and constructive partner with the rest of society in promoting prosperity, opportunity, and American greatness.
The ability of the American system to self-correct is its greatest asset and Dionne challenges progressives to embrace the American story. Our fractious but productive past offers us the resources both to rediscover the idea of progress and to put an end to our fears of decline. Our Divided Political Heart will be required reading for all who seek a path out of our current impasse.

Read an excerpt:

Advance praise for Our Divided Political Heart:

“[Dionne’s] extensive knowledge of Washington allows him to ably illustrate our remarkable political history, and he renews our hope that cooler heads can prevail with a renewed balance of individual rights and the needs of the community.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[A] much-needed fact-based review of the Constitution, a realistic portrait of its creators, and a balanced history of the ongoing friction in the American psyche between desires for liberty and commonwealth. The book clarifies much misinformation swirling around controversies about the founding fathers, the validity of originalism, and the traditional and historic roles of government and the free market in U.S. society. Tea Partiers and Occupiers alike may be surprised and enlightened by this lucid analysis, all the more convincing for its sympathetic treatment of both sides of the argument.”—Publishers Weekly

“This is a brilliant book about America’s current political divide. But, more important, it’s an insightful exploration of our nation’s history and our ability to balance individualism with community. That sense of balance has been lost, and this book shows how we can restore a shared appreciation for our historic values."—Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin

“A thrilling book, from one of America’s most universally respected minds. You should buy it.”—Rachel Maddow

“E. J. Dionne sagely reminds us that our country’s main political tradition has always been ordered toward flourishing communities as well as free individuals. Conservatives will find much to disagree with in Dionne’s interpretation of that tradition, but they will also be educated and stimulated.”—Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor of The National Review and author of The Party of Death

“This is E. J. Dionne’s best yet, a mature work pulsating with historical discovery, intellectual energy, and moral rigor. One of our most eminent, most up-to-the-minute reporter-columnists turns out to be as wired into America’s political past as he is to its present. He takes us on a sweeping, surprising journey that vividly illuminates who we are and how we got here, devastatingly debunks what some among us think about who we are and how we got here, and shines a light on the neglected commonalities beneath our seemingly intractable conflicts, revealing some national strengths that, with a bit of wisdom and a bit of luck, just might take us to a better place.”—Hendrik Hertzberg, author of Politics and ¡Obámanos!

“Through all the twists and turns of American history, E. J. Dionne brings his story straight to the point. It delivers a sharp shock of recognition.”—Thomas Frank, author of What’s the Matter with Kansas?