Uniting America : Restoring the Vital Center to American Democracy

by Edited by Norton Garfinkle and Daniel Yankelovich

• ISBN13: 9780300108569
• ISBN10: 0300108567
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2006-01-11
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

InUniting America,some of the country's most prominent social thinkersamong them Francis Fukuyama, Daniel Yankelovich, Amitai Etzioni, Alan Wolfe, Uwe Reinhardt, and Thomas E. Mannreject the myth of polarization. On topics ranging from the war on terrorism, health care, economic policy, and Social Security to religion, diversity, and immigration, the authors argue that there are sensible, centrist solutions that are more in keeping with prevailing public sentiment and that would better serve the national interest. On issue after issue, the authors show how the conventional framing of the debate in Washington has misled Americans, creating a series of false dilemmas and forcing choices between two extremesat the expense of more balanced and pragmatic policy solutions based on enduring American values. Uniting Americaprovides a blueprint for a fresh approach to American politics, grounded in moderation, pragmatism, and the shared values that unite Americans.

Author Biography

NORTON GARFINKLE is chairman of the George Washington University Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies. DANIEL YANKELOVICH is founder and chairman of Public Agenda.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	1	(16)
Part One. Restoring the Vital Center
1. Overcoming Polarization: The New Social Morality
Daniel Yankelovich	17	(14)
2. Nurturing Economic Growth and the Values of American Democracy
Norton Garfinkle	31	(18)
Part Two. Reforming Social Security and Health Care
3. Social Security and Medicare Reform for the Twenty-First Century
Will Marshall	49	(18)
4. The Ethics of America's Health Care Debate
Tsung-mei Cheng and Uwe E. Reinhardt	67	(26)
Part Three. Diversity and Unity
5. Religion as Unifier and Divider
Alan Wolfe	93	(16)
6. Diversity, Community, and Government
Peter H. Schuck	109	(15)
7. Immigration and Social Disorder
Peter Skerry	124	(17)
Part Four. Security and Liberty
8. Fighting the War on Terrorism
Francis Fukuyama	141	(14)
9. Constitutional Responsibility in the War on Terrorism
Michael Vatis	155	(26)
Part Five. Character, Citizenship, and Values
10. Character Education and the Challenge of Raising a Moral Generation
Chester E. Finn, Jr.	181	(17)
11. Citizenship, Civic Unity, and National Service
William A. Galston	198	(13)
12. The Fair Society
Amitai Etzioni	211	(16)
Part Six. Environmental and Electoral Reform
13. Toward a Sustainable Environmentalism
Mark Sagoff	227	(18)
14. Is Reform of America's Electoral System Possible?
Thomas E. Mann	245	(20)
Conclusion: The Impact of Fateful Trends	265	(4)
Contributors	269	(2)
Index	271