Dana Milbank

A well-written account of the Republican descent into Trumpism. It amounts to a recounting of the party throughout my entire adult life and helped me to understand where some of my attitude makes come from.

The book posits a critical moment around the speakership of Newt Gingrich when the Republicans tilted bad and never looked back. While the book makes a convincing argument here, it missed the opportunity to tell a bigger story about conservative political violence and anti-democratic show more activity as a traditional ingredient in The US on a much longer timeline.

The Democratic Party appears here as a passive recipient of Republican abuses and I often wanted to hear more about what they were doing in response, or how they may have contributed to some of the issues described.

There is also an assumption throughout that pre-Gingrich bipartisanship was a good and that government functioned much better and was on a positive trajectory when that was the case. This may be true, but the assumption is unearned. When discussing the Republican trend toward white supremacy, for example, it is important to make a firm argument that bipartisanship was NOT white supremacist - an almost impossible position to defend the farther back you go. show less

The Destructionists by Dana Milbank is an in-depth look at the step-by-step attack on democracy by the Republican party, with extensive notes for those who always scream "fake news." Nothing fake here, people, except the faux-patriotism of the right wingnuts.

It is amazing to read this and realize just how many of the vile things the right has done has become normalized by the sheer frequency with which they lie and destroy. There are quotes here (documented) that will make those who don't show more remember the events very well shudder. The number of times these people scream about others allegedly doing what they themselves are in fact doing. The hypocrisy on display in today's GOP started with Gingrich. I'm not talking about the usual selective arguments both parties used to use to try to sway voters. I mean out and out lies, which they know are lies, that serve no purpose beyond gaining/maintaining power and destroying democracy.

Everyone needs to read this. Those not drinking the Kool-Aid will get angry. Those who have sipped the Kool-Aid hopefully will see how they have been and are being played. And those who guzzle the Kool-Aid will at least be presented with evidence about just how vile they are.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Author and columnist Dana Milbank reports on what he witnessed while covering the current US Congress beginning in January, 2023.

Given the state of political affairs in the United States why would I want to read this book? Why do that to myself? Well, I enjoy Dana Millbank’s writing and wanted to read more it.

This is one of the scariest books I have ever read. Here is the chaos, the lies, the conspiracy theories, the "constant cultural and political warfare”, the attacks on our show more freedoms, the hooligans, “the sheer volume of crazy” that is Congress today.

Well written and documented, with some biting wit, it is a good thing this is a true account because if it were fiction, I don’t think I would find it believable. It is a horror story gone awry.

This is a book that everyone should read or listen to. The problem with it is that the people who should, won’t. show less

Fascinating look at the shenanigans the Republican party has been engaging in the House. It would be hilarious, if the stakes were not so high. Never before have such a bunch of self serving, egotistical, and just plain stupid people been elected. Milbank does a wonderful job of describing, in detail, the exploits of all the neer-do-wells. Gaetz, Greene, Santos, Boebert, Comer, Johnson, and McCarthy. It's a shame that so many good representatives have resigned or chosen not to run again show more because of these fools.
Fantastic book. Excellent writing. Easy to fact check. If only the MAGA people could actually read a book, and not just get their information from right wing sites, they might wake up.
Before it's too late to save our country! show less