The Genius of America: How the Constitution Saved Our Country--and Why It Can Again - Softcover

Lane, Eric; Oreskes, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1596914912 ISBN 13: 9781596914919

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2008

Synopsis

Due to a combination of heightened frustration, moves to skirt the constitutional process, and a widespread disconnect between the people and their constitutional "conscience," Lane and Oreskes warn us our longstanding Democracy is at risk. Together, they examine the Constitution's history relative to this current crisis, from its framing to its centuries-long success, including during some of the country's most turbulent and contentious times, and challenge us to let this great document work as it was designed-valuing political process over product. They hold our leaders accountable, calling on them to stop fanning the flames of division and to respect their institutional roles. In the final assessment, The Genius of America asks us to lean on the framers and their experience to secure our country's wellbeing.

About this title

About the Author:

Eric Lane is a professor of law at Hofstra University School of Law, senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, and the author of several texts on government. He has served as director of the New York State Commission on Constitutional Revision, as director of the New York City Charter Revision Commission, and as counsel to the New York State Senate Democrats. Michael Oreskes is the executive editor of the International Herald Tribune. He has served as deputy managing editor, Washington bureau chief, metropolitan editor, and national political correspondent for the New York Times.

Review:

"Though the personal stories of the founding fathers have become hot properties, the institutions the framers created--the executive, the judiciary and especially the congress--enjoy none of that popularity. Lane and Oreskes seek to change that by reminding us of how essential the Constitution is to our nationhood and why it's important for the country to rekindle the Constitutional conscience as we face the challenges of the twenty-first century." --Cokie Roberts, ABC News and NPR, author Founding Mothers
 
“Our Constitution properly understood and applied could restore the nation’s equilibrium between the instinct for individualism and the need for vital sense of community. It might also have avoided the tragedy of Iraq by prompting Congress to use its power under Article 1 to declare or not declare war, as well as to end it. Lane and Oreskes summon us to restore our Constitution’s efficacy by our reconnecting with its history and its intelligence. They do it brilliantly.”—Governor Mario Cuomo
 
“We the Readers have a treat in store: a close look inside the secret meeting that struggled, convulsed and produced America’s political Scripture.  Mike Oreskes and Eric Lane explore the collective genius that created our ‘constitutional conscience’ and show how the genuine political genius of Madison enables today’s majority to rule without ruining the rights of the minority.”—William Safire, New York Times columnist
  
“With vivid narrative and perceptive analysis, The Genius of America reminds us of the Constitution’s amazing resilience and adaptability.  Lane and Oreskes bring to life the era of the Framers and the critical moments in our history that tested their vision, and make a powerful case that the troubled state of contemporary American politics can be rectified within the structure of a constitutional system predicated more on the pursuit of self-interest than the spread of republican virtue. Every American would benefit from reading this book—starting with the president and vice president and the members and leaders of Congress."—Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, Co-authors of The Broken Branch:  How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1596914912
• ISBN 13: 9781596914919
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304