Trash or Treasure: How Democracies Die by Levitsky and Ziblat

How Democracies Die is two political theorist's attempt to make a bit of money. It is probably a very interesting book to skim, but you shouldn't buy it. 

The book starts out with a bit of scaremongering, Is our democracy in danger? Evidently, Levitsky and Ziblat have spent a lifetime studying failing democracies. In their infinite wisdom, they tell us democracy can bee killed off in one of two ways: a) by people with guns, or b) by politicians being politicians. They then proceed to give some anecdotal examples. 

Trouble is, I don't buy the central claim. I don''t believe democracy is in a bad way in this country or around the world. Indeed, looking at empirical data, not anecdotal examples, democracy seems to be doing just fine. According to the people over at The Polity Project, which rates countries on a -10 to 10 scale based on how democratic they are, things are looking brighter than ever. 

If the authors, disagree, they should at least hint at such disagreement at the beginning of their book. Instead they give us a capsular biography of Hugo Chavez and sketches of Pinochet, Mussolini, and Hitler's climbs up the greasy pole. 

And by the way, according to the authors, Chavez was a complete surprise. No one knew he was going to be such a terrible little shit, and no one knew democracy in Venezuela was dead until 2017. Whatever. 

The rest of the beginning is filled with trite pieces of wisdom:

• When politicians abdicate leadership and responsibility, democracy is in a bad way.
• Political parties act as the gatekeepers of democracy, keeping the politically heterodox from threatening democracy. 
• Our democracy depends on two unwritten norms: mutual toleration and forbearance. 

In short, nothing new. At least with Trumpocracy you get the impression that Frum talked to some of the people in the White House, did some legwork. Not the case, I'm afraid, with this book. 

Verdict: Trash
Read Instead: Anything Else

I want to address the second point made above. Yes, political parties are gatekeepers, but they are not monolithic entities. They are coalitions. Trump's brand of politics has been with us in the Republican Party for a very long time. It's not my cup of tea--I am, after all a repentant Free Trading, Democracy Exporting globalist. But I can live with it. I am willing to take some of the points they make. I think they are valid concerns. 

Democrats want to say we failed as a party. Sorry, Democrats, you don't get to say that. If the Republican Party genuinely failed, a new party will arise from the ashes. Quit being sore losers.

The proper course of action is to oppose Trump on policy, not to attack his legitimacy. People, frankly, find the idea of the Russian somehow deciding the election as asinine.

If the Russian's measly $1.25 million a month ad buy decided the election, sign me up for lessons.