Abstract
The aim of In Defence of Politicians is to shift the responsibility for Americans’ frustrations with politics from the country's elected officials to the structural constraints of their government. After outlining why he believes that political cynicism threatens American democracy, Stephen Medvic explores the historical context and constant electoral pressures American politicians face in an attempt to explain the origins of this sentiment. He highlights the institutional pressures on elected officials (Chapters 3 and 4) before specifically looking at how these impacted on the 2011 debt ceiling debate (Chapter 5). He then focuses on the personal attributes of politicians, examining the role of ambition and hypocrisy (Chapter 6) and dishonesty (Chapter 7) among political elites. The book concludes with Medvic's proposals for rebuilding trust in American politicians. It culminates in a plea for more active citizen participation so that ordinary Americans can understand better the – at times messy – nature of politics and how it constrains those who work within it.
It may be a hard argument to sell, especially when mistrust of government dominates American political culture, but Medvic logically sets out the steps in his reasoning throughout the book. Though lacking in detail at times, he calls on evidence about the structure of American government and human nature in general to argue credibly that an ‘expectations trap’ exists in US politics: citizens demand that politicians solve complex problems without affording them the tools required to fix them. Using previous research and his case study of the 2011 debt ceiling debate, Medvic highlights the practical incompatibility of the country's style of party politics and constitutional constraints. Nonetheless, he is reluctant to criticise the principles on which American government was built, suggesting instead that its strict checks and balances ‘may be working too well’ (p. 85).
Although much of the book feels like an attempt to educate the reader about the practical pressures and pitfalls of American politics, Medvic openly states that explaining many of the intricacies of the US political system are beyond the book's scope. Therefore, while he blames uninformed citizens for much of the general cynicism towards politicians, claiming that ‘Americans’ tendency to recoil from politics is based largely on ignorance and naivety’ (p. 37), he does not set out to solve this issue directly. Nonetheless, this is a thought-provoking take on the relationship between citizens and political elites and it highlights how unrealistic expectations have affected perceptions of politicians and politics as a whole.