American politics and government are so moribund, according to Jaffe, that serious political dialogue is a stranger in a land celebrated for freedom of expression. This volume examines the sources of this condition, among them the loss of "connectedness" (society's orientation toward mobility and its relative disinterest in place, neighborhood, and community), widespread misunderstanding of the distinction and relationship between power and violence, and a distorted image of political life and responsibility. This broad-based work examines these problems and proposes, both in theoretical and practical terms, a rethinking and rediscovery of political power and political life as the only viable solution.

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Proposes a restoration of American political life and a reinvigoration of the American body politic.