{"id":1454,"date":"2021-12-23T16:27:25","date_gmt":"2021-12-23T21:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/dome\/?p=1454"},"modified":"2021-12-23T16:27:25","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T21:27:25","slug":"book-review-fighting-political-gridlock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/dome\/2021\/12\/23\/book-review-fighting-political-gridlock\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Fighting Political Gridlock"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Fighting<\/em> Political Gridlock<\/i><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

by David J. Toscano<\/span><\/p>\n

University of Virgina Press<\/a><\/span>, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

ISBN: 9780813946467 (hardcover)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Over the last few days, I had the chance to read David J. Toscano\u2019s<\/span><\/a> excellent new book Fighting Political Gridlock: How States\u00a0Shape Our Nation and Our Lives<\/i>.\u00a0 <\/span>From the dust jacket: <\/span><\/p>\n

In this profoundly polarized era, the nation has been transfixed on the politics of Washington and its seemingly impenetrable gridlock.\u00a0 <\/span>Many of the decisions that truly affect people\u2019s lives, however, are being made not on the federal level but in the states.\u00a0 <\/span>Faced with Washington\u2019s political standoff, state governments are taking action on numerous vital issues, often with greater impact on citizens and their communities than from any decision made in D.C. Despite this, few Americans really understand their state governments or the issues they address.\u00a0 <\/span>In Fighting Political Gridlock<\/i>, David Toscano reveals how the states are working around the impasse in Washington and how state policies are increasingly shaping society.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many people are fed up with the seemingly hopeless nature of the federal government<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span>There is a lack of cooperation not just on important issues like immigration, the environment, and tax law\u2014but also existential threats to the Republic like the deadly January 6th<\/span><\/a> attack on the Congress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The state governments, however, are filling the void by functioning as they were intended.\u00a0 <\/span>This was especially true when faced by the global pandemic and a Trump White House that both undermined the government\u2019s response<\/span><\/a> to Covid-19 and at times actively worked against the efforts of the states<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Still, many people don\u2019t realize how important state governments are to their day-to-day lives.\u00a0 <\/span>Part of the problem is many people do not understand the difference between state and federal government. When I worked for the Massachusetts Senate I would often field telephone calls demanding that my boss, \u201cthe Congresswoman,\u201d do something about military spending or nuclear weapons.\u00a0 <\/span>I would patiently explain that our office could work on many issues, but those were exclusively the job of the federal government.\u00a0 <\/span>I am willing to bet a similar scenario plays out daily in every state capitol in the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This book is a terrific primer on how state governments work and respond to challenges.\u00a0 <\/span>In Chapter 5, \u201cPlayers on the Stage\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>David describes the roles of various state actors such as the governor and legislators.\u00a0 <\/span>David points out that legislatures often do the heavy lifting in state government and can be the dominant government institution\u2014leading to the Virginia saying that, \u201cGovernors come and go, but the legislature is forever.\u201d<\/span><\/a> \u00a0 <\/span>He also discusses the growing power of the state attorneys general to affect state and national policy, and the special interests that are ever more involved in drafting legislation.<\/span><\/p>\n

David also emphasizes that every state is different\u2014due both to the state\u2019s history and physical characteristics such as natural resources, and how the state has decided to govern itself.\u00a0 <\/span>David discusses the first part in Chapter 4, \u201cThe Cards You Are Dealt,\u201d and the later in Chapter 3, \u201cState Constitutions Matter.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>I find state constitutional law fascinating\u2014 states started enacting constitutions in 1776, and the early state constitutions were the model for the U.S. Constitution.\u00a0 <\/span>The Massachusetts Constitution<\/span><\/a>, written in 1780 by John Adams, remains the oldest in-force constitution in the world.\u00a0 <\/span>The most recent state constitution, Rhode Island\u2019s<\/span><\/a>, was drafted in 1986.\u00a0 <\/span>Alabama adopted its sixth constitution<\/span><\/a> in 1901 and at 388,882 words it is the longest and most amended constitution on the planet.\u00a0 <\/span>How the state organizes itself, splits power creating \u201cchecks & balances,\u201d and which rights are protected all affect how the state addresses policy challenges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout Fighting Political Gridlock,<\/i> David comes back to a recurring mantra, \u201cstates matter!\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Often he makes his argument in the context of the pandemic, which has allowed some governors\u2014from both parties\u2014to show real leadership.\u00a0 <\/span>He goes on to discuss in detail how states have chosen to take on the challenges of: education policy ( Chapter 7), criminal justice (Chapter 8), economic development (Chapter 9), health care policy (Chapter10), culture war issues\u2014such as abortion, guns, and immigration (Chapter 11), and climate change (Chapter 13).\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The most compelling chapter may be the conclusion, \u201cReimagining Civic Engagement.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>He begins the chapter with the timeless Lincoln quotation from his First Inaugural Address:<\/span><\/p>\n

We are not enemies, but friends.\u00a0 <\/span>We must not be enemies.\u00a0 <\/span>Though passion may have strained, it must not break the bonds of our affection.\u00a0 <\/span>The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched as surely as they may be, by the better angels of our nature.<\/span><\/p>\n

David discusses the decline of civility in our political discourse.\u00a0 <\/span>Just as we need cooperation, office holders are no longer just talking past each other but actively yelling at each other<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span>He writes,<\/span><\/p>\n

Many observers believe that some of the nation\u2019s answers will be found in civic engagement, though there are disputes about the actual meaning of the term.\u00a0 <\/span>But one thing appears clear: some of the greatest opportunities we have for rejuvenation will involve governments closest to the people.\u00a0 <\/span>The answers are more likely to be found in our localities and our states than at the federal level.\u00a0 <\/span>And a key leadership challenge of our time involves lighting the spark and fueling the flame of productive engagement with the representatives who serve us at those levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

He persuasively argues that civil engagement can be repaired with the following:<\/span><\/p>\n