Chaotic Neutral: How the Democrats Lost Their Soul in the Center

by Ed Burmila

Overview

A recent history of the Democratic Party that identifies its chronic errors—the “pathologies” of the New Democratic mindset—and argues urgently against a return to the status quo

Why did the Democrats initially abandon their principles, and why haven’t they been able to grasp that they need a new strategy in the face of decades of diminishing returns? In Chaotic Neutral, political scientist Ed Burmila breaks it to us, tracing the party’s metamorphosis from bold defender of labor rights, civil rights, and a robust social safety net to a timorous, ideology-free, regulation-averse lifestyle brand.

Chaotic Neutral tracks the evolution (or devolution) of the Democratic Party from the New Deal era to Biden’s status-quo candidacy and the pandemic, when, even in the midst of a national crisis, the Democrats could not manage to pass sweeping progressive legislation. It is a timely analysis and, simultaneously, a timeless one that pinpoints why Dem politicians act like also-rans even when they’re in power.

Burmila doesn’t pull any punches as he describes the Democrats’ brand of futility politics, but he also doesn’t claim that all is futile, instead laying out a potent strategy for how the party might abandon its lesser-of-two-evils strategy and shift back into drive.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645030027
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	09/20/2022
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	655,159
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Ed Burmila has taught and written on American politics for two decades. He holds a PhD in political science, spent ten years as a professor, is a veteran blogger and podcaster, has published original research in several academic journals, and has contributed to popular outlets such as The Nation and the Washington Post. His heart lives in Chicago; the rest of him lives in North Carolina with his wife, Cathy, and two dogs.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Unshakeable If Vague Feeling That Something Is Wrong 1

A Note on Language 25

Chapter 1 Depression Intercession 29

Chapter 2 The Twin Traumas Of '68 and '72 45

Chapter 3 The Wilderness Years: Watergate Babies, Malaise, and a New Liberalism 71

Chapter 4 Insurgent Moderates: The Rise of the New Democrats 97

Chapter 5 It's Bill Clinton's Democratic Party Now 111

Chapter 6 Red Tide: 1994 and the Republican Revolution 131

Chapter 7 The Senseless Habits of Highly Defective People 147

Chapter 8 The Mysterious World Outside Washington, DC 169

Chapter 9 The Bush Years 181

Chapter 10 Obama Cometh 195

Chapter 11 Dr. No 219

Chapter 12 If You're Waiting for a Sign, This Is It 237

Chapter 13 Lessons Learned 255

Chapter 14 The Last Chapter Problem 275

Acknowledgments 303

Notes 305

Index 325

Editorial Reviews

07/11/2022

This irreverent polemic debut alleges that Democrats “give up when they should fight” and have a “broken” view of how politics works. Political scientist Burmila traces the roots of the problem to the breakup of the New Deal coalition between Southern Dixiecrats and Northern liberals amid the push for civil rights legislation in the 1960s, and details how the shift from bread-and-butter economic issues to more elusive demands for racial equality and women’s rights contributed to the declining influence of labor unions and the increasing sway of “moneyed interests” over Democratic politicians. A new breed of pro-market, tough-on-crime, anti-bureaucracy Democrat clamored for change in the 1980s and, with Bill Clinton’s election in 1992, returned the party to the White House and majority control of Congress. But the bet on the electoral dominance of the growing professional middle classes turned into a self-fulfilling race to centrist mediocrity, Burmila argues. He calls for Democrats to remember their roots as a party for the poor, the marginalized, and the working classes, and to recommit to the state’s role in pursuing social justice. Throughout, Burmila combines deep research and sophisticated history lessons with acerbic wit (Donald Trump is “a store-brand dictator, the perfect synthesis of Kim Jong-Il and Don Rickles”). This smart and entertaining screed packs a punch. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Chaotic Neutral is a thorough account of how the Democrats went from America’s only viable party to everybody’s favorite punching bag. Liberals need to read this book and weep.”

—Malcolm Harris, author of Kids These Days

“An incisive and propulsive dissection of what ails the Democratic Party. This book is a rousing argument for much-delayed political change.”

—Rafia Zakaria, author of Against White Feminism

“Urgent, engaging reading for anyone trying to make sense of contemporary US party politics. A fun read for decidedly un-fun times.”

—Olúfemi O. Táíwò, author of Elite Capture

“Chaotic Neutral exposes the rot at the foundation of the current Democratic Party with an immensely readable mixture of political and social history, analysis, and humor. While acknowledging that there are no quick fixes or easy paths forward, Burmila also thankfully highlights the fundamental shifts necessary to reorient, rebuild, and ultimately reconnect the party to the people it purports to represent.”

—Astra Taylor, author of Remake the World

“This irreverent polemic debut alleges that Democrats ‘give up when they should fight’ and have a ‘broken’ view of how politics works… Throughout, Burmila combines deep research and sophisticated history lessons with acerbic wit (Donald Trump is ‘a store-brand dictator, the perfect synthesis of Kim Jong-Il and Don Rickles’). This smart and entertaining screed packs a punch.”—Publishers Weekly

“Burmila writes…with wit and a real talent for making connections throughout history in a way that’s easy for readers to both follow and swallow, bitter though it may be.”—The Progressive Populist

“‘Chaotic Neutral’ provides a well-written history of how we got to this point, and I found Burmila’s tone at times LOL funny. (I highly recommend reading the notes at the bottom of the pages.)”—Real Change

“It is a timely analysis and, simultaneously, a timeless one that pinpoints why Dem politicians act like also-rans even when they’re in power.”—WRAL

“[A] fascinating and timely new book.”—INDY Week

From the Publisher

2022-08-10
What’s the matter with the Democratic Party? Burmila explores a slate of problems, from poor messaging to ideological inconstancy.

“If you have yet to conclude that the Republican Party is a malignancy that needs to be destroyed rather than appeased or reasoned with, this is the wrong book for you.” So writes the author in an opening gambit to a discussion that finds fault—sometimes a touch excessively, but with cause—with what he regards as the appeasing tactics of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, who were both too eager to compromise during their presidencies. A larger problem is that while the Democrats are asking to steer the ship of state, they’re not offering persuasive arguments for why they should be trusted to do the job. The Republicans, courtesy of Newt Gingrich, Mitch McConnell, and their ilk, have developed a “scorched earth approach to politics” that in essence says “shove off” to anyone not a true believer. On the other hand, Obama contorted himself to enlist both left and right in a struggle in which one side had no interest in compromise. His successors at nearly every level of electoral politics, Burmila argues, have yet to seize on successes, however partial, and to improve on half victories like the Affordable Care Act, which, he notes, did not reform health care nearly as much as it could have. What to do? Burmila admits that he is stronger on pinpointing problems than coming up with solutions, but some of his fixes make eminent sense, including finding true remedies for the economic struggles of working people rather than kowtowing to the wealthy elite. Otherwise—and Burmila suggests this is the likelier outcome—the Republicans will win, about which he writes, “On the plus side, you might be dead before some of the worst parts happen. See? There’s always a positive.”

Food for thought for the progressive side of the aisle.

Kirkus Reviews