Thank you NYU Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Mr. Book just finished Corporatocracy: How To Protect Democracy From Dark Money And Corrupt Politicians, by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy.
Part 1 of the book is about corporate power and now it not only destroys our political system but also presents the threat for another January 6-like attempt to destroy the government.
The chapter on how corporate interests enabled the Nazis to rise to power in Germany was one of the strengths of the book. It provides a good historical parallel to how corporate interests can turn a country into an authoritarian state.
Most Americans are unaware that the prohibition against slavery in the Thirteenth Amendment contains an exception: “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” The book explains how corporations have done a good job exploiting that loophole in order to get free labor. As one commentator wrote, “Arrest rates responded more to fluctuations in the demand for labor than in the crime rate.” The chapter covering this topic was the most appalling in the book. And while the practice is not as bad as it was in the past, the problem remains to this day.
Part 2 of the book is on how America’s voting system, in general is in jeopardy. Most of that discussion is modern day problems, but it also historical precedents, such as the Watergate scandal (which as the book points out was far more than just a break-in and cover-up).
The chapter entitled The Big Lie was one of the best chapters in the book. It was, of course, about Trump’s lies regarding the 2020 election.
Part 3 of the book is on solutions to the problems.
The chapter on the disqualification clause of the 14th Amendment was also another one of the best chapters in the book. The book thoroughly reviewed the cases of Madison Cawthorn and Trump and was even updated enough to include the Supreme Court’s infamous decision in the latter. The Supreme Court has closed the door to this remedy, but actually following what purports to be “the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby” is still an excellent way to handle things.
Mr. Book gave this book an A+, which also means the book is inducted into my Hall of Fame. Amazon, Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A+ equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at this blog, NetGalley and Goodreads. It will also be posted at Amazon, as soon as the book is released to the public on November 5.
