Don't know much about history, as the song goes. That song written a few years before this book's author (who I'll call HCR) was born. In part, this is because I went to school back when America was great (in the opinion of those who wish to make it great again) and much of the subject matter was taught in a way to emphasize America's greatness. We were also taught that we lived in a democracy, unlike, say, the Soviet Union, but also that we lived in a meritocracy. The obvious differences we saw all around us were attributed to the greater merit of the winners. Hierarchies in school were everywhere, from the academic (I did well) to the social (I did poorly) and were also clearly a part of the world outside of school. I was bullied in school and came to believe that the world outside was also run by the bullies though perhaps bullying with their money more often than with naked force.

If we see democracy as the alternative to authoritarianism, how do we deal with the democratic election of a bully? Do we doubt democracy? Or do we say it must not really be democracy if this happens? HCR would choose the latter. For her, the Trump presidency is an aspect of the South winning the Civil War. She historically traces present day voter suppression and movement conservatism to the confederacy. What we now find alarming is only the latest manifestation of many similar power grabs and attempted power grabs by oligarchs, starting with the minority of slave owning Southerners (they were even a minority in the South!) who saw themselves as better (as demonstrated by their success) and thus deserving to rule.

Yes, they lost the shooting war but won the peace because after Lincoln was assassinated, Andrew Johnson, a Southern Democrat succeeded him. Johnson tried to restore the nation to how it had been before the war, minus slavery which was replaced by laws passed in the South to keep the formerly enslaved people subservient.

The Democracy vs. Oligarchy lens through which to view American history is a powerful one and this is a powerful book but it has the drawback of too much good guys (pro Democracy) vs. bad guys (anti-D). There are arguments to be made that as governmental philosophies go, Democracy is bad (though Churchill may be right that all the others are worse). HCR's oligarchs are either greedy or grandiose--that is they are just out for themselves, or else think they're better than the others. Or a combination of the two. Many Trump voters saw themselves as rejecting the elite--the professional class who saw themselves as meritocrats. For them Trump represented true democracy. We can argue that they got the facts wrong or that they are low information voters, but then you might wonder if, perhaps those with low information shouldn't have the vote.

HCR would argue that the undemocratic (historically established to preserve slavery) electoral college put Trump into office and that Democracy as seen in the popular vote would have kept him (and Dubya) out.

At any rate--if we are to "heal" the polarization of this country--not seeing the other side as evil will be necessary.