Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It

by Ari Berman

A riveting account of the decades-long effort by reactionary white conservatives to undermine democracy and entrench their power—and the movement to stop them.

The mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, represented an extreme form of the central danger facing American democracy a blatant disregard for the will of the majority. But this crisis didn’t begin or end with Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Through voter suppression, election subversion, gerrymandering, dark money, the takeover of the courts, and the whitewashing of history, reactionary white conservatives have strategically entrenched power in the face of a massive demographic and political shift. Ari Berman charts these efforts with sweeping historical research and incisive on-the-ground reporting, chronicling how a wide range of antidemocratic tactics interact with profound structural inequalities in institutions like the Electoral College, the Senate, and the Supreme Court to threaten the survival of representative government in America.

“The will of the people,” wrote Thomas Jefferson in 1801, “is the only legitimate foundation of any government.” But that foundation is crumbling. Some counter-majoritarian measures were deliberately built into the Constitution, which was designed in part to benefit a small propertied upper class, but they have metastasized to a degree that the Founding Fathers could never have anticipated, undermining the very notion of “a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Chilling and revelatory, Minority Rule exposes the long history of the conflict between white supremacy and multiracial democracy that has reached a fever pitch today—while also telling the inspiring story of resistance to these regressive efforts.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Government, American History, Law

386 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 23, 2024

About the author

Ari Berman is a senior contributing writer for The Nation magazine and a Reporting Fellow at The Nation Institute. Business Insider named Berman one of the “50 most influential political pundits” in the US. He’s written extensively about American politics, civil rights, and the intersection of money and politics. His stories have also appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Politico and The Guardian, and he is a frequent guest and political commentator on MSNBC, NPR and C-Span. He’s lectured extensively around the country, including at the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court.

His new book, Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America , was published in August 2015 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux and in paperback by Picador. It was named one of the best books of 2015 by the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, the Boston Globe and Kirkus Reviews. Give Us the Ballot was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction and a nominee for the American Library Association’s Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. Writing in the Washington Post, Congressman John Lewis called the book “a must read” and “a primer for every American.”

Berman’s first book, Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics , was published in October 2010 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and political science.

Reviews

[Tim Null · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/9/24 update: "[Thurgood] Marshall challenged the oft-repeated platitudes about [our national] founders. 'To the contrary,' he said bluntly, 'the government [the founders] devised was defective from the start, requiring several amendments, a civil war, and momentous social transformation to attain [our current] system of constitutional government [with] its respect for the individual freedoms and human rights [that] we hold as fundamental today.'" (See page 55.)

Personally, I believe we will never truly be the nation we pretend to be until we rid ourselves of the Electoral College, pass the Equal Rights Amendment, and elect a woman president. Let’s start with the election of Kamala Harris on November 5th.

###

Throughout the history of the United States, there has been a continuous struggle between those seeking a democracy that is truly representative and those seeking a Russian-style oligarchy. For example, during Trump's presidency, there were continuous attacks on both education and voting rights. Sadly, those attacks continue to this day. Democracy continues to be on the ballot. Hopefully, on November 5, 2024, the forces supporting oligarchy will be soundly defeated. 🗳

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ari Berman does an outstanding job of chronicling the history of minority rule. The issues of minority rule are systemic and have roots in pre-civil war politics. These folks have been at this for a very long time. They are very good at stoking discontent and very bad at actual governing for the majority of the population. The issue is the system of government that allows unpopular policy to be implemented and upheld in the US justice system. The representation is skewed. Two senators per state, electoral college vs popular vote, voter suppression, dark money, the list goes on... These 4 quotes distill the book pretty well:

"The term “silent majority” became a memorable shorthand to describe aggrieved white Americans."

"entrench and hold on to power, a shrinking conservative white minority is relentlessly exploiting the undemocratic features of America’s political institutions while doubling down on a wide variety of antidemocratic tactics, such as voter suppression, election subversion, dark money, legislative power grabs, immigration restrictions, census manipulation, and the whitewashing of history."

"For the first time in US history, five of six conservative justices on the Supreme Court have been appointed by Republican presidents who initially lost the popular vote and confirmed by senators representing a minority of Americans. The signature project of those justices has been to nullify the civil rights–era laws..."

"2040, roughly 70 percent of Americans will live in fifteen states with thirty senators, while the other 30 percent, who are whiter, older, and more rural than the country as a whole, will elect seventy senators. The structure of the Senate only magnifies the body’s unrepresentativeness: due to the filibuster, which is not in the Constitution, forty-one Republican senators representing just 21 percent of the population have been able to block bills supported by huge majorities of Americans on issues like gun control, abortion, and voting rights."

Berman is very smart, thorough, and convincing. He's also a good writer.

4.5 Stars

Listened to the audiobook. Gary Tiedemann was very good

[Paul Deaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A decent history of American politics in the post-Obama era has yet to be written. One can’t rely upon any of the conservative principals to author one, because they have been drinking at the well of minority rule for too long. A Trump autobiography? He didn’t even write The Art of the Deal.

Enter Ari Berman’s new book, Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People–and the Fight to Resist It, published in April. It provides a well-researched and relatable history of an issue that has been at the heart of modern conservatism since Pat Buchanan worked in the Nixon White House.

In a 1995 National Press Club address, Buchanan, then a presidential candidate, said, “If present trends hold, white Americans will be a minority by 2050.” This underlying fear mongering became endemic to Republican politics and drove the ascendancy of the 45th president. Irrational fears the United States would transform from a First World Power to Third World status drove conservative voters to the ballot box.

In my reading of books about the rise of Donald Trump as president, Berman is the first author to tell a clear, coherent, and relatable story of that time. Minority rule is at the heart of current Republican policy and behavior and Berman lays it all out for the reader.

While the 1965 Voting Rights Act broadened access to the ballot, conservative white folks were aghast and feared they would become a racial and political minority. During the Johnson administration, an emphasis on immigration of whites was transformed to a broader band of global populations. Enter Trump to both fan the racist, anti-immigrant flames, and get elected as a supposed fire fighter for the fires he started.

Berman outlines the constitutional and legal structure that enables minority rule in the United States. The conduct of the U.S. Census, having two U.S. Senators per state regardless of population, the growth of the filibuster, the electoral college, and drawing political districts in a way that disenfranchises non-white voters, all play a part in enabling minority rule, according to Berman.

While it may sound easy to keep the U.S. Census above politics, it was politicized during the 2020 census by the administration. Having two U.S. Senators, combined with the filibuster enables senators representing a minority of the population to set policy and block majority-favored laws they don’t like. Political gerrymandering, especially in states like Wisconsin and Michigan entrenched minority rule and blocked attempts for political districts to represent the people in the state. There is no magic bullet to fix any of these issues. Entrenched, minority rule makes it more difficult.

In Minority Rule, Berman outlines the role of The Heritage Foundation’s sister organization, Heritage Action, in our politics. Heritage Action is a 501(c)4 nonprofit conservative policy advocacy organization founded in 2010. The Heritage Foundation was restricted from advocating policy, so they created this offshoot, which has become one of the most powerful political lobbying groups in the nation. Iowa is one of the states where these dark money groups have been active.

Ari Berman gets a thumbs up for this book, and I recommend you read it yourself. Minority rule is endemic to the problems of politics in 2024. Berman helps us get a grip on it. He also provides hope the electorate can address the problem and embolden democracy going forward. He presents evidence such a movement has already started.

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank the publishers for providing me with a pre-publication review copy of this book. This deep account offers a comprehensive examination of the decades-long effort by reactionary white conservatives to undermine democracy and entrench their power, alongside the inspiring movement to counter these regressive efforts.

Berman's meticulous research and incisive reporting paint a chilling yet revelatory picture of the central danger facing American democracy today. From voter suppression and election subversion to gerrymandering and dark money, Minority Rule sheds light on the multifaceted tactics employed by reactionary forces to strategically consolidate power in the face of demographic and political shifts.

The book's impressive historical research provide invaluable insights into the intersection of antidemocratic tactics with structural inequalities in institutions such as the Electoral College, the Senate, and the Supreme Court. Berman's narrative skillfully navigates through complex issues, offering readers a deeper understanding of the challenges facing representative government in America.

Minority Rule serves as a timely reminder of the enduring conflict between white supremacy and multiracial democracy, reaching a fever pitch in contemporary society. Berman's narrative is both enlightening and inspiring, offering readers a glimpse into the resilience and courage of those who resist regressive efforts and fight for a more just and equitable future.

While this ended up being not necessarily my preferred topic in politics, I cannot deny its exceptional quality and relevance. The book's well-researched content and compelling narrative make it an essential read for anyone deeply interested in American politics and the preservation of democratic principles.

I wholeheartedly recommend Minority Rule to readers seeking a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the challenges facing American democracy today. Berman's thought-provoking analysis and compelling storytelling make this book a valuable addition to the discourse on political reform and social justice.

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid read. Made clear for me the link between great replacement theory / the Pat Buchanan ideology and the right wing’s efforts to suppress democracy. The author doesn’t put it so bluntly, but to me the reality is that one side of the political aisle fundamentally sees some people as superior to others. They feel justified in using whatever illiberal means they can to suppress the coalition of non-white, young, and liberal voters who would take this country in a much more progressive direction. Berman also gives a good history of the Constitution and how/why it attempted to suppress the egalitarianism of the Revolution in many ways, something I hope to read more into.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book on an important subject. This author does an excellent job reporting on a very scary happenings in our country without the being hyperbolic or incendiary.

The author presents the facts and allows the reader to draw their own conclusions. I’m glad I read it. One of the better books I’ve read on this subject.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up. Very well researched and timely review of a topic essential to maintaining democracy. I appreciated how the author brought his points across without resorting to inflammatory or over-the-top rhetoric.

[Kerry Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great critique of our current legislative, executive, and judicial systems of governance with special attention paid to our elections.

I found the writing to be engaging and I thought the author threaded the needle in reminding us about history without it either feeling condescending or redundant.

[Lauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. I would have given it 5stars, but in the epilogue the author didn’t get the Flint Water Crisis right. The people of Flint deserve that the details are correct.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ruling of the minority over the majority is baked into American history. While the American ideal of democracy and "one person one vote" is touted as the way our country is supposed to run, it's not what actually happens. Beginning with the founding fathers who were almost all land-owning, slave-owning, white men with a complete distrust of those in the country who weren't like them, actual democracy was thwarted. They cooked the books when it came to representation and deemed themselves the actual voters.
This has been carried on throughout the almost 250 years of our existence in this country. To preserve power, the right has used the boogeymen of rampant immigration, the replacement theory, and crime, They have also attacked the actual vote by closing polling places, limiting voting hours, using draconian methods of voter IDs and gerrymandering, to maintain minority white support-and it works, ie the Supreme Court Justices that Obama wasn't able to nominate.
His epilogue gives readers a little hope -with grassroots movements and concerned citizens being politically involved, things can be changed-but they must be very aware of the problems in order to fix them.
Reading this book made me angry-when the whole history is laid out it seems like an insurmountable problem. Berman did a great job of putting things together and giving readers a potential pathway out.

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I hadn’t been paying attention, the stories in this book would shock me. Even still, I am amazed at the level of organization and momentum a relatively small group of individuals has made against democratic principles throughout American history but even over the past few decades.

It’s understandable that democracy brings with it a certain level of discomfort. A social contract necessitates compromise; some items on a want list will inevitably be sacrificed to uphold the contract. The burden of democracy must be shared by all, which means that everyone should have a voice in how that burden is carried. So to alienate and subjugate individuals and groups of people by stripping them of their rights in order to elevate another group or ideology is the most profane abuse of democracy.

This book tells this story in two parts. The first story is about the egalitarian ideals held by the founding fathers and how they created a better but imperfect system than the one from which they came. The second is about how right-wing groups in recent history have weaponized this system against the people for the sole purpose of maintaining power which they would almost certainly lose otherwise. These right-wing movements, Berman claims, have become more sophisticated over time and will continue to use legal and illegal means to accumulate power.

The book describes in context the unbalanced power of the Senate, Electoral College, and lower house rules including the filibuster, in addition to the weaponization of the courts, the United States Postal Service, the education system, the U.S. census, voting rights, electoral maps, campaign finance laws, and immigration, to name a few.

While Berman writes in some detail about the resistance to these systematic coups, he does not prescribe what we can do to continue resisting and how to strengthen our democratic institutions. Certainly there is the option to learn from and apply methods that have proven to be historically successful, but on the advent of what will be most likely a tumultuous election, the people need to be communicating and organizing around ideas that safeguard democracy. For example, The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 is a new and terrifying playbook that Trump will almost certainly use to consolidate power in the executive branch. What can U.S. voters do to combat it? Berman neither mentions this as a nullification of democracy let alone suggest what we can do to stand against it, other than to vote, an institution, he writes, that is stacked against the "majority".

For this reason, I give this book 4 stars. It is a great current history of the United States political system, but it falls short of advising on how to continue the resistance. Maybe this is to be expected; Our political system is a living organism and prescribing solutions often don't pan out. Even the methods of grassroots organization and the electorate to resist have often serendipitously and spontaneously coalesced. What I can say is that when my children are old enough I will recommend this text to them as a lesson in civics. And this book will hold a place on my shelf for when I need to recall this era in U.S. history and the perils of democracy.

[Cathrine "Capi" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not going to give a summary of the contents, those are easily found elsewhere. What I will discuss is the overwhelming efforts on the part of the minority to change our democracy by underhanded means. Berman gives numerous statistics of voting results, where a minority of voters are represented by the majority of legislative members due to gerrymandering, and issues that appeal to very, very few are passed into law. I've done a lot of political reading in the last few years, particularly in the last year, trying to understand the issues facing us all, and how we got to this point. Apparently I spent 60 years with my head buried in the sand and, by avoiding politics altogether, simply didn't see that the racist, misogynistic, white supremacy movement has been in force since the Civil War (before???), and simply has gotten ahead by subverting voting rights. While they spout "FREEDOM," they are removing our freedoms by trying to erase the "one person, one vote" right and removing voting rights from minority voters (to include white women) but most particularly voters of color, making it harder to vote, reducing ballot boxes, restricting mail-in ballots, etc. I guess having lived my entire life in California, I just "assumed" racism was minimal, and that everyone had the same voting rights that I had....Obviously wrong and I'm ashamed of that. It appears we are making progress, but the fight is by no means over, and we must ALL exercise our rights to vote and fight against those who wish to destroy our democracy in favor of a white male majority again.

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading in schools when they are teaching how our country came to be, the reasons the constitution was written as it is, why there is an electoral college.
It should at the very least be taught in political science.
The crap that goes on in our government with gerrymandering, voter suppression, closing of polling places, lawmakers trying to get rid of early voting, Mail in ballots, is all engineered to benefit one party...the Republicans. Because apparently they can't win without cheating.

It reminds me of tyrannical regimes that can't allow fair elections because they know the people would vote them out. Or Russia who jails dissidents.
Can we be that far away from that.

I was angry the entire time I read this book.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

- Pretty solid book with lots of evidence and examples to back up claims and support analyses
- Obviously biased/left-leaning but had valid points
- Depressing in general
- It's clear that as America being the so-called "pillar" of democracy, we're doing a pretty shit job at it. The electoral college should be abolished and the popular vote should be paramount.
- It's frightening to hear how successful people's voter suppression efforts are and how "elected" officials are steamrolling over the opinions of the people and continuing to do so.
- I always like how at the end of a depressing book, the authors tend to add in something positive to get people's hopes back up and show that there is something that we can do about whatever problem they're highlighting. It helps in the moment but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't do much to change the overwhelming feeling of dread you ultimately leave with.

TL;DR: We're so f***ed

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Just wish it had some answers to the challenge we are facing.

[Jon Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very difficult and important read. I had to read about one chapter a week because that was all I could handle before getting too upset.

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for understanding how we got here and where we are headed

[Scotty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read, although a bit depressing. Nice epilogue regarding Michigan’s efforts to turn things around.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a minute to really get into this book, but I'm glad I read it
It really gave me some more insight into everything

[Al Faiella · Rating 2 out of 5]

TL;DR: Well written book, but not terribly compelling. Overly slanted analysis, where it feels like evidence is found to justify a conclusion. Wish this book had time to incorporate the most recent election into its analysis, as some of themes / points feel overshadowed by recent events. Would recommend for those seeking a critical analysis of the US voting / a liberal consensus take on voting issues, otherwise, sparknotes would do just fine.

After completing Minority Rule, I felt a mix of emotions.

A part of me felt like it was time well spent – Ari Berman is a very talented writer who has composed a well researched book that does not feel like a 300 page semi-academic literature review. Ari does a fantastic job of guiding the reader through historical and contemporary events, and when I turned the final page of the epilogue, I could say that I knew more than when I first opened the book.

With that said, I did struggle to understand what the goal of this book really was.

The subtitle of the book leaves no doubts about the angle from which Berman comes from when evaluating our history, but I was nonetheless a bit disappointed to find that the analysis of the book was so tilted.

To be highly reductive (and to borrow directly from Ari’s own words), the core thesis of this book is that a shrinking minority of white conservatives have rigged our electoral processes to ensure that ethnic minorities (e.g., the “majority”) are either institutionally or socially disincentivized from participating in government, and thereby acquiring political power. To restate, Berman’s view is that the election system, as initially designed by the Founders – and as manipulated by Republicans – is actively being engineered in order to prevent popular, equitable policies from being implemented at every level of government.

The book centers on three core mechanisms to make this argument:

1. The Electoral College / the Constitution
2. Gerrymandering and Voter ID Laws
3. Nullification, and its Modern Form

I want to focus on the Electoral College; to be clear, I am a very big proponent of the Electoral College (“EC”), and finding a compelling argument against it was a central reason for picking up this book. Ironically, after finishing Minority Rule, I am even more in favor of the Electoral College than I was before.

Ari, and many others who write about and debate this topic, are very focused on the undemocratic nature of the EC, and how it creates an unequal distribution of power across states. The system, as initially designed (and as presently operated) allows for a smaller number of voters to have more electoral power than a possible majority, which we have seen several times in recent presidential elections. This flies in the face of the philosophical concept of “one person one vote,” and, to put it bluntly, it just feels icky. How can a minority of voters rule over a majority?

In researching the book, Ari seemingly uncovers something that I already knew – this is not a bug, it’s a feature. Having watched several interviews Ari gave during the book’s press tour, he and many of his interviewers seemed to be shocked that many of the Founders, Adams in particular, were fearful of majority rule, and perceived that pure democracy would yield chaos. The Founders worried that pure democracy would allow “the majority” to wipe out debts, redistribute wealth, and create an egalitarian society. This train of thought is easily viewed as being self-serving, elitist, and racist -- and to be clear, it probably was.

However, the logic underneath it I find to be very compelling. What if we had a pure democratic system? What would stop policies such as the ones Adams and Madison feared from becoming implemented? What would happen to society?

The unfortunate truth that I believe, and which I think reasonable minds can disagree with, is that democracy in its pure form is doomed to fail – the mob if left to its own devices will eventually eat itself alive. As such, the Founders devised a system, whether intentional or not, that hampered the power of simple majorities, which made it very difficult to change or implement policy at the federal level. Ari does not make a compelling case against this as a practice, in fact he seems to at times treat the Founders with contempt, and then at other times treat them with reverence when it suits his ideological persuasions.

Ari also spends a great deal of time focusing on how this system was created to further his position that our electoral process is designed to favor minorities. As Ari tells it, the Constitutional Convention and the Great Compromise was more like the “Great Concession,” – larger states “gave in” to smaller state demands for equality in the Senate, and on major issues such as slavery and representation. Ari treats the Great Compromise like it was robbery, where the small, minority states effectively hoodwinked the large, populous states into creating a system that disadvantaged the majority of Americans at the time.

This analysis makes no sense to me.

America is a federation of states; as a state, what incentives do you have to join a federal government if you are not going to get a) what you want and b) some level of assurance that your existence will be protected in the future? If anything, a compromise would have been to redraw the states, such that each had equal size and populations, but the larger states would have no incentive to do that, would they? Thus, a compromise would have to be made, and that compromise is still felt today; larger states such as New York and California are prevented from driving national legislation despite their size because of the foresight of the Founders. Again, this may not have even been on purpose, but it nonetheless created a framework that incentivized the first thirteen (13) states to form a union that has endured for over 200 years.

Last point that Ari attempts to make against the EC has to do with mechanics; less people can vote for a presidential candidate and win, whereas more can vote for another and lose. In one interview, he says that he has explained this to his younger daughter, who “doesn't understand, it makes no sense.”

Taking the mechanics of the EC aside, lets talk about majorities. Most presidential elections are decided by 1-3%, with the margin of victory being even smaller when you zoom in on battleground states. But again, lets forget the EC and focus on the popular vote; the difference between 51% and 53% in an absolute sense is immaterial. If we had a weighted coin that was supposedly designed to allow for someone to flip it and get heads 53% of the time, would you bet your house on it? I dont think so, so I am consistently vexed when folks look at very, very slim majorities as if they are some incredibly compelling case for a nominee or for a policy.

This is why again, the Founders, via wisdom or by accident, created great game mechanics – federal elections (and federal policy making for that matter) require strong majorities, really super majorities, to be successful. This is a great thing, and Ari does not attempt to make any argument around this. It would seem that he would be happy living in a world where 51 people in a room would get to decide for the other 49 how the government should operate. You do that, and you can bet that the 49 will decide to take up their chips, and play elsewhere.

I know I have spent the majority of this review talking about the EC, because that is what I was the most interested in, but to give the rest of the book some airtime, I didnt find much of it to be very compelling. Gerrymandering happens on both sides of the aisle, voter ID laws are ethically ambiguous, and the rest of the book reads like a partisan analysis of one side's political maneuvers. It may be true that Republicans have been more shameless about their usage of state and federal power to augment the rules of the game to benefit them, but its not like Democrats have clean hands in that regard. If anything, the book really just underscores how bad Democrats are at wielding power, which has been a complaint from those on the left for decades.

To close with some positives, the overarching tale about Wisconsin politics was fascinating to read, I did not know the ugly details of much of it before starting the book. I also found some of the analysis of the Trump Administration's attempts at “uncovering” voter fraud to be quite spot on, although I would disagree with some of the conclusions. Its a shame this book came out before the most recent election, as some of the overarching themes and self assuredness about majorities are now clearly in question given recent events, but I am sure Ari will pick it up in his next book, which I imagine I will read.

[Kameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good summary of the effort by Conservatives to force their unpopular beliefs onto the rest of us. And we’re living the results of that effort. Yay..

Recommend this one (though the people who need to read it never will).

[Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book on this topic I've read this year and I would rank them as 1) Tyranny of the Minority, 2) Minority Rule, and 3) White Rural Rage - with the first two being close. This is certainly not a 'cheery' topic but if you want to appreciate and have facts about what is broken and how to fix it, then one of these books is for you. It's critical that everyone comprehend the basic and essential FACT that our system of government IS broken and was created broken, and until we undertake a major overhaul (eliminate filibuster, electoral college and equal suffrage in the Senate), we are screwed. Sure gerrymandering should be overhauled along with a litany of other broken practices - heck throw out much of the legislation from the constitutional Congress, but let's not be unreasonable. 

If only ALL... sides could appreciate how we are pawns, and instead of playing the rigged game we acted and voted in our own best interests, and got just a bit involved in local politics, then we'd be on the right path but alas, that is not in the interests of the folks who profit from the division. They are desperate to maintain and foment this division and will increase their investment in keeping us uninformed and docile... Still - read at least one of these please and be informed, empowered and inspired!

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the daily conversation that I want to have with my fellow Americans--what does your state need to make it a thriving proactive community in a constitutional republic?

Beyond Outrage: Reclaiming Civic Responsibility in the Age of Minority Rule

By Leanne Edwards

It’s become almost cliché to say American democracy is in crisis. Walk into any bookstore, and you’ll find shelves groaning under the weight of new releases chronicling how the system is being gamed, how rights are under attack, how the will of the people has been kneecapped by a combination of political cynicism and brute force. Ari Berman’s Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It joins this crowded field, but it does something so stark and so relentless you can’t look away: it maps, in precise, chronological detail, the machinery of white supremacy and the transformation of the Republican Party into a vehicle for minority rule.

You could read Berman’s book as a warning—another addition to the growing pile of American laments. But what if we use it as a mirror instead? What if, instead of just cataloging the outrages, we ask ourselves the question that matters most: What does it mean to be a citizen, here, now, in the state where you actually live? How do we move past the noise—the endless cycles of defamation, slander, and schoolyard taunts—toward a real discussion of civic responsibility?

The State-by-State Anatomy of Our Civic Health

Start with a simple truth: America is not one civic organism but fifty. Some states are vibrant with local engagement—neighbors organizing to fix schools, crowded polling places, a sense that government is not a distant, alien force but the sum of its citizens’ choices. Others are “civic deserts”: low turnout, shuttered local newspapers, people who feel like politics is something that happens to them, not with them or for them.

Why is there such variation? The answer is a messy tangle of history, policy, and culture. In some places, it’s the legacy of Jim Crow—barriers to the ballot box, districts drawn to dilute the power of certain voters, the long shadow of disenfranchisement. In others, it’s economic precarity: when you’re hustling to pay rent or stretched thin by multiple jobs, civic engagement falls to the bottom of the to-do list. There are schools that have abandoned civics for test prep, and entire counties that have become news deserts, where the only thing left is the echo of national outrage.

The result is a kind of learned helplessness—the sense that, no matter what you do, it won’t matter. And into that vacuum flows all the worst habits of our politics: blame, accusation, and a toxic cycle of mutual suspicion.

The Real Crisis: Not Just Rights, But Responsibilities

It’s easy to point fingers at the forces trying to erode democracy: gerrymandering, voter suppression, media manipulation. But the deeper problem is quieter and more personal—it’s the slow erosion of the idea that citizenship is an active, ongoing responsibility.

Somewhere along the way, we stopped talking about what it means to be a participant in a constitutional republic. The conversation narrowed to rights—my vote, my speech, my grievance—while the duties of citizenship atrophied. We forgot, or were never taught, that democracy is not a spectator sport.

Our schools, where civic habits should be formed, too often treat government as a subject to be memorized, not a set of skills to be lived. It’s no wonder that so many Americans, when asked how to get a pothole fixed or a law changed, simply shrug.

The Path Forward: Building a New Civic Conversation

Imagine a different kind of dialogue—one that starts not with outrage, but with honest assessment of where we are, state by state. What does democracy look like in Georgia? In Arizona? In Kansas? What are the barriers to participation, the opportunities for renewal, the stories of ordinary citizens who made a difference?

This is where Berman’s chronology becomes a call to action. Each chapter, each episode of democratic erosion, isn’t just a reason to despair—it’s a prompt to ask: How could this have been different? What would it take for more people to participate, to care, to act?

A reality-based civic conversation would be grounded in specifics:

How many people in your state actually vote? Why don’t more?
What does your state require to register, to serve on a jury, to run for local office?
Who are the people already working—often quietly, often thanklessly—to strengthen civic life where you live?

The answers aren’t always pretty. But they’re real. And they point the way forward.

Moving Past Schoolyard Politics

It’s tempting, in a moment like this, to fight fire with fire—to meet every act of defamation with a counter-accusation, to let the conversation be set by the loudest voices. But that’s how we got here. The real challenge is to rise above the noise—to insist that the duties of citizenship are not just about winning arguments, but about building something together.

This means demanding more from our leaders, yes. But it also means demanding more from ourselves. It means turning off cable news and going to a school board meeting, learning how redistricting works in your state, supporting local journalism, teaching your kids not just how government works, but why it matters.

It means recognizing that the health of our constitutional republic depends not on any one election, but on the daily, often unglamorous work of showing up.

Reorienting Ourselves to What Matters

We are, all of us, heirs to a tradition of self-government that is as fragile as it is precious. Berman’s Minority Rule is, in the end, not just a chronicle of attacks on democracy, but an invitation—to remember what we owe each other as citizens. To recognize that the story of American democracy is written not just in Washington, but in every city council, every neighborhood association, every polling place.

If we want to resist minority rule—if we want to build something that lasts—we have to start with ourselves. We have to reclaim the duties and possibilities of citizenship, one state, one community, one person at a time.

After all the outrage, what’s left is the work. And that’s where the future will be decided.

[Jennifer Martin]

DNF at 33%

There’s nothing wrong with this book. It’s important, well researched, and well written (at least so far). I really appreciate how deep into American history the author goes.

But I’ve been paying attention to this in real time for the last 8 years and I just can’t take anymore.

[Trike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb distillation of all the overt, covert, bald-faced, underhanded, secret, open and surreptitious ways the political minority has constantly thwarted the will of the majority throughout America’s history, from the country’s founding up to yesterday (literally) as I write this.

That said, I do agree with Alexis de Tocqueville who said in his 1835 book Democracy in America that “the minority must be protected from the tyranny of the majority.” The ideal that everyone is created equal is something we all espouse but the US falls short of attaining time and time again. It is therefore a delicate balancing act to respect all opinions and beliefs.

Problem being that one side refuses to play fair, denying the rights of others time after time. Not surprisingly, that side is almost always the extreme right wing.

When it’s all laid out like this, concentrated in one place, the themes of fragile masculinity and white supremacy are clear throughlines. What was crazy to me as I went through the book, even as someone who follows politics as closely as I do, is just how often the extremists have said the quiet parts out loud. In recent years they have been emboldened more than they have in decades to say that they want to tear America apart and destroy democracy. Actually saying those very things. They’ve weaponized the law to roll back rights, to suppress votes, to marginalize millions of Americans, just because their racism and sexism makes them feel threatened by people who aren’t exactly like them.

This is a scary book but an important one that everyone should read.

[Jon W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minority Rule by Ari Berman (2024) argues that American democracy is being subverted by a shrinking white conservative minority using structural advantages to maintain power. The book provides specific examples:

Senate imbalance: Wyoming and California each have two senators despite vast population differences.

Gerrymandering: In Wisconsin, Republicans won 63% of state assembly seats in 2022 with just 48% of the vote.

Voter suppression: Berman details restrictive voting laws in Georgia and Texas targeting Black and young voters.

Judicial capture: He examines how the Federalist Society helped conservatives dominate the federal judiciary, culminating in rulings like Dobbs v. Jackson overturning Roe v. Wade.

Electoral College flaws: Trump lost the popular vote in 2016 but won the presidency due to the Electoral College.


Despite the bleak trends, Berman highlights reform efforts in states like Michigan (independent redistricting) and grassroots movements expanding ballot access.

The book is a call to defend democratic institutions before they're irreversibly altered by minority rule.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Ari Berman's basic thesis, that the anti-majoritarian tendencies in the American political system are neither neutral nor benign, and that they are being actively used by those who partisan interests they serve, isn't a particularly revolutionary argument. But he's done lots of research into the varying applications of these tendencies, and he's synthesized it nicely.

My frustration with this book is its tendency to drift away from what (at least to me) is an interesting argument about the downsides of various political choices, like the Electoral College or the very existence of the Senate, and into one that lumps in "other stuff I don't like that Republicans do" as though it's the same issue. The role of money in elections is a serious problem, but it's a distinct (though related) problem to the counter-majoritarian structures of America. The lack of differentiation between the two allowed Berman to engage in less persuasive arguments, and launch more general broadsides, when I think a more targeted approach would've served him better.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides a historical context of how the founders of this country put in place the governmental structures (electoral college, US Senate) to mute and minimize majority rule. It was a noble idea to ensure the majority does not overrun minority interests. However, as the country has evolved, becoming more diverse, more urban, and concentrated in fewer states, some politicians are exploiting these mechanisms. Rather than craft policy that appeals to people and winning elections on their policy principles, they spend legislative time crafting laws that leave more and more legitimate voters out of the ballot box. This book also reviews how the judicial system has been used, more and more, to supersede the will of the majority of people (overturning Roe, upholding gerrymanders, etc). Some of this book is familiar to me from other books and news stories I keep up on, but I still learned a lot about the original crafters of the Constitution.

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It,
Ari Berman explains how our historical roots continue to impact democracy today. Constitutional compromises to protect minority rule for white land-owners still impact our democracy today (for example, two Senators per state and the Electoral College). Today’s undertones of white supremacy and racial prejudice can be traced back to the failure of Reconstruction after the Civil War and the backlash to the Civil Rights bills of the 1960s. The Supreme Court has also had a huge impact on our democracy, most recently with decisions on voting rights, political contributions, and abortion. Berman also discusses January 6 and its aftermath, plus various state-related issues such as gerrymandering and voting restrictions. Much of this information was familiar to me, but it’s still sobering to see it gathered in one place.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading Minority Rule by Ari Beeman, and I found it incredibly insightful, especially given the current political climate and upcoming vote here in Ohio on gerrymandering. Beeman does an excellent job tracing the history of gerrymandering and its long-standing impact on American elections, dating back as far as JFK’s era.

What struck me most was how clearly Beeman lays out the consequences of this practice—how manipulating district lines has systematically skewed the power of voters and distorted democracy. It’s a timely and relevant read, particularly as more people are recognizing the importance of addressing this issue in our own elections.

While the topic of gerrymandering isn’t new, Beeman’s historical perspective helps highlight why it’s something we need to openly discuss, rather than dismiss as “politics as usual.” If you're interested in understanding how gerrymandering affects our voting power, this book is a must-read.