Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, from Eisenhower to the Tea Party

The chaotic events leading up to Mitt Romney's defeat in the 2012 election indicated how far the Republican Party had rocketed rightward away from the center of public opinion. Republicans in Congress threatened to shut down the government and force a U.S. debt default. Tea Party activists mounted primary challenges against Republican officeholders who appeared to exhibit too much pragmatism or independence. Moderation and compromise were dirty words in the Republican presidential debates. The GOP, it seemed, had suddenly become a party of ideological purity.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 01/04/2012
ISBN: 9780199768400
Pages: 504
Weight: 1.74lbs
Size: 9.52h x 6.45w x 1.50d
Award: L.A. Times Book Prize - Finalist
Award: PROSE - Honorable Mention

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 10/10/2011 pg. 44
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2011
Library Journal 12/01/2011 pg. 136
New York Times Book Review 01/08/2012 pg. 1
New York Times Book Review 01/15/2012 pg. 22
New York Review of Books 05/24/2012 pg. 15
Choice 09/01/2012
NY Times Notable Bks of Year 12/02/2012 pg. 26