First You Fail, Then I Fail
Most Americans think government is broken, but the prospects for reform are bleak—no matter which party is in control.
The Economist this week hosted an episode of its “Checks and Balance” podcaston what’s needed for America to break out of this doom loop. The format was unique, at least for the Economist: executive editor Charlotte Howard interviewed her father (me), and then discussed the interview with U.S. editor John Prideaux and Washington columnist James Bennet. For the record, this was not my idea and Charlotte reluctantly was pushed into it by her colleagues. I wish we did it all the time.
Fixing what’s broken doesn’t happen because the political dynamic is aimed at beating the other side—not making government work better. MAGA Republicans excite their base by swinging a wrecking ball at big government—not presenting a vision of how it will work better the day after DOGE. Democrats supposedly stand for good government, but instead do the bidding of interest groups that paralyze government and make it unmanageable— including public unions and groups that use lawsuits for public power and private gain.
Through history, political insiders predictably detach government from the needs of the people (the book to read is Inside Job by economist Mark Zupan). Today in America, both parties thrive on polarization, and do well by taking turns in power: First you fail, then I fail.
Here is where I think America stands: The current political parties spend much of their energy entrenching the polarization—witness the gerrymandering. America grows ever weaker as public paralysis feeds culture wars.
America needs a new governing vision. This vision must attract public support broad enough to dislodge the political status quo—as, say, the Progressive movement dislodged the operating philosophy of laissez-faire.
My proposal is summarized in my new book Saving Can-Do: How to revive the spirit of America. In this short book (100 pages), I propose a simpler operating framework built on the solid foundation of individual responsibility and values—to transition away from the red tape state, and let Americans use common sense on the spot. Our freedom to do what’s right comes with an automatic protection—accountability when people do things wrong. Government will function again when officials are empowered to use their judgment, and can be accountable for whether they’re serving the public good—not for mindless legal compliance.
For decades now, Americans have felt little risk in outsourcing democracy to the insiders. I hope you will consider whether it’s time for you and your friends to help drive a new vision. Please think about the plan sketched out in Saving Can-Do. Maybe you will have other ideas.
Necessary and good reforms are likely to happen only when Americans assume ownership again for our weakened democracy.
– Philip
Publicity since our last newsletter includes:
Reviews
Bloomberg columnist Clive Crook writes that Saving Can-Do is “very good: short, to the point and suddenly in tune with the times.”
Linda Miller, president of the Program Integrity Alliance, writes that the book “offers a hopeful antidote. [Howard] insists that America’s dysfunction is not inevitable, it is a choice. The same spirit that built bridges, landed on the moon, and eradicated polio can also reform government, if only we allow judgment to replace bureaucracy.”
Writing for The Constitutionalist, David Lewis Schaefer writes that “Saving Can-Do...merits applause for the author’s thoughtful commitment to bringing out much-needed governmental reforms.”
Law & Liberty's Mark Pulliam disagrees with my “evident disillusionment” with President Trump and argues that “Saving Can-Do would have been more useful as a blueprint for shaping Trump’s second-term agenda.”
Podcasts and videos
I discussed Saving Can-Do with George Will and Philip Wallach at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. You can watch the event here.
James Strock interviewed me about the book on his “Serve to Lead” podcast.
I talked with Andrew Keen about the problem of too many lawyers on his “Keen on America” podcast.
Edwin Eisendrath interviewed me for Lincoln Square's “It’s the Democracy, Stupid” podcast.
Discussion and endorsements
For her column in The New York Sun, Lenore Skenazy interviewed me about how the rise of the regulatory state replaced common sense, and how that has affected children’s play.
Will Marshall, president of the Progressive Policy Institute, cites our work in his piece for The Hill: “Wanna be radical? Make the government work.”
In Forbes, George Washington University professor Susan Dudley writes that Saving Can-Do “offers a philosophical and practical appeal to restore individual agency in daily life.”
Roger Berkowitz, academic director of The Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, cites Saving Can-Do for the argument that we need “a renewal of the striving spirit that allows individual citizens to work to solve political and social problems free from an overwhelming bureaucracy.”