An Uncivil War

In An Uncivil War, the Washington Post's Greg Sargent sounds an urgent alarm about the deeper roots of our democratic backsliding—and how we can begin to turn things around between now and 2020.

American democracy is facing a crisis as fraught as we've seen in decades. Donald Trump's presidency has raised the specter of authoritarian rule. Extreme polarization and the scorched-earth war between the parties drags on with no end in sight. The recent Kavanaugh confirmation hearings are only the latest example of this, and of the GOP's continued ability to steamroll the Democrats and their supporters.

At the heart of this dangerous moment is a paradox: It took a figure as uniquely menacing as Trump to rivet the nation's attention on the fragility of our democracy. Yet the causes of our dysfunction are long-running—they predate Trump, helped facilitate his rise, and, distressingly, will outlast his presidency.

In An Uncivil War, Sargent reveals why...