American Politics Audiobooks | Politics

The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented

The First Congress was the most important in U.S. history, says prizewinning author and historian Fergus Bordewich, because it established how our government would actually function. Had it failed-as many at the time feared it would-it's possible that the United States as we know it would not exist today. The Constitution was a broad set of principles. It was left to the members of the First Congress and President George Washington to create the machinery that would make the government work. Fortunately, James Madison, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and others less well known today, rose to the occasion. During two years of often fierce political struggle, they passed the first ten amendments to the Constitution; they resolved bitter regional rivalries to choose the site of the new national capital; they set in place the procedure for admitting new states to the union; and much more. But the First Congress also confronted some issues that remain to this day: the conflict between states' rights and the powers of national government; the proper balance between legislative and executive power; the respective roles of the federal and state judiciaries; and funding the central government.

Fergus M. Bordewich (Author), Sean Runnette (Narrator)

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Lies, Incorporated: The World of Post-Truth Politics

In today's post-truth political landscape, there is a carefully concealed but ever-growing industry of organized misinformation that exists to create and disseminate lies in the service of political agendas. Ari Rabin-Havt and Media Matters for America present a revelatory history of this industry-which they've dubbed Lies, Incorporated-and show how it has crippled legislative progress on issues including tobacco regulation, public health care, climate change, gun control, immigration, abortion, and same-sex marriage. Eye-opening and indispensable, Lies, Incorporated takes an unflinching look at the powerful network of politicians and special interest groups that have launched coordinated assaults on the truth to shape American politics.

Ari Rabin-Havt, Media Matters for America (Author), Mike Chamberlain (Narrator)

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Because We Say So

Because We Say So presents more than thirty concise, forceful commentaries on U.S. politics and global power. Written between 2011 and 2015, Noam Chomsky's arguments forge a persuasive counter-narrative to official accounts of U.S. politics and policies during global crisis. Find here classic Chomsky on the increasing urgency of climate change, the ongoing impact of Edward Snowden's whistleblowing, nuclear politics, cyberwar, terrorism, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, and the Middle East, security and state power, as well as deeper reflections on the Obama doctrine, political philosophy, the Magna Carta, and the importance of a commons to democracy. Because We Say So is the third in a series of books by Chomsky published by City Lights Publishers that includes Making the Future (2012) and Interventions (2007), a book banned by U.S. military censors. Taken together, the three books present a complete collection of the articles Chomsky writes regularly for the New York Times Syndicate, and are largely ignored by newspapers in the United States. Because We Say So offers fierce, accessible, timely, gloves-off political writing by America's foremost public intellectual and political dissident.

Noam Chomsky (Author), James Patrick Cronin (Narrator)

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Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State

The definitive account of how America's War on Terror sparked a decade-long assault on the rule of law, weakening our courts and our Constitution in the name of national security. The day after September 11, President Bush tasked the Attorney General with preventing another terrorist attack on the United States. From that day forward, the Bush administration turned to the Department of Justice to give its imprimatur to activities that had previously been unthinkable-from the NSA's spying on US citizens to indefinite detention to torture. Many of these activities were secretly authorized, others done in the light of day. When President Obama took office, many observers expected a reversal of these encroachments upon civil liberties and justice, but the new administration found the rogue policies to be deeply entrenched, and, at times, worth preserving. Obama ramped up targeted killings, held fast to aggressive surveillance policies, and fell short on bringing reform to detention and interrogation. How did America veer so far from its founding principles of justice? Rogue Justice connects the dots for the first time-from the Patriot Act to today's military commissions, from terrorism prosecutions to intelligence priorities, from the ACLU's activism to Edward Snowden's revelations. And it poses a stark question: will the American justice system ever recover from the compromises it made for the war on terror? Riveting and deeply reported, Rogue Justice could only have been written by Karen Greenberg, one of this country's top experts on Guantanamo, torture, and terrorism, with a deep knowledge of both the Bush and Obama administrations. Now she brings to life the full story of law and policy after 9/11, introducing us to the key players and events, showing that time and again, when liberty and security have clashed, justice has been the victim.

Karen J. Greenberg (Author), Rebecca Mitchell (Narrator)

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Donald Trump

There are a handful people who are born to make it to the zenith. From being a businessman to becoming 'The President' of the United States of America; Donald Trump has indeed reflected some brilliant characteristics on how determination can get you to the heights that you desire. The President of United States of America is the elected head of state and the head of government and is listed as one of the most powerful persons in the world, in whose hands rests the worlds contemporary superpower. As the commander-in-chief of the deadliest military and access to the nuclear arsenal, Donald Trump has now to show the citizens of United States of America what he is capable of doing for his people and the world. The man who has been able to stand tall amidst all adversities and emerge victorious - Donald Trump, has taught the world that you don't have to be a favourite of the people to run one of the planet's strongest nations. America has ushered a new era with the triumph of Trump in the elections. This eBook pens down the journey of Donald Trump from birth till his way in to the White House.

Introbooks, Introbooks Team (Author), Andrea Giordani, Introbooks (Narrator)

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Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation's History and Future

In this updated and redesigned edition of the New York Times bestseller, Newt and Callista Gingrich invite you on a walking tour of America's capital city; Washington, D.C. As a reminder of God's role in the history and future of America, Newt and Callista Gingrich give readers a look into the architecture and beauty of the nation's Capitol in REDISCOVERING GOD IN AMERICA. Readers will take a walk through Washington, D.C. to view the nation's monuments and memorials, including the National Archives, where Thomas Jefferson's immortal words jump off the page. But this is not simply a walking tour of the city; this is a tour of American history--of great men and women, events, documents, institutions, and ideas--all shaped decisively by the genuine belief that America is a nation founded under God. Readers will quickly find themselves on a profound path of discovery and renewal. ***Please contact member services for additional documents***

Callista Gingrich, Newt Gingrich (Author), Authors, Callista Gingrich, Newt Gingrich, S (Narrator)

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9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America: And Four Who Tried to Save Her

Of the forty-four presidents who have led the United States, nine made mistakes that permanently scarred the nation. Which nine? Brion McClanahan, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers and The Founding Fathers' Guide to the Constitution, will surprise listeners with his list, which he supports with exhaustive and entertaining evidence. 9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America is a new look back at American history that unabashedly places blame for our nation's current problems on the backs of nine very flawed men.

Brion McClanahan (Author), Mike Chamberlain (Narrator)

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Off Script: An Advance Man's Guide to White House Stagecraft, Campaign Spectacle, and Political Suic

From a former White House presidential events production director comes an illuminating journey through the most catastrophic scenes of political stagecraft since the "Age of Optics" in 1988. The responsibility of being a public figure is no walk in the park-the world highlights politicians' every mistake. "Image collapse" can befall anyone whose carefully cultivated persona is analyzed by, and filtered through, intermediaries in the broadcast booths of cable news networks or behind the photo desks of newspapers, magazines, and today's host of digital platforms. As someone who orchestrates television- and photo-ready moments involving important political figures, Josh King has unique experience working with the reputations of public figures. In Off Script, King leads listeners through an entertaining behind-the-scenes journey through the most catastrophic scenes of political stagecraft since the dawn of the "Age of Optics" in 1988. Listeners might recall these moments as simple cases of bad luck, but King argues that they were actually symptomatic of something deeper in how we view our leaders. We tour nearly thirty years of history to set the stage for the Age of Optics and then turn to the Obama administration and what King calls the "Vanilla Presidency." King shows how Barack Obama began his term in office as more guarded and more protective of the presidential persona than anyone in history, and as we arrive at the election of 2016 and beyond, we have to wonder: Will our future president follow Obama's example? If so, how will that influence the relationship between our nation's citizens and their leader?

Josh King (Author), Josh King (Narrator)

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Political Suicide: Missteps, Peccadilloes, Bad Calls, Backroom Hijinx, Sordid Pasts, Rotten Breaks,

A collection of entertaining and cautionary tales of political missteps in American history, from the birth of the nation through the present day Just in time for the presidential election of 2016 comes Political Suicide, a history of the best and most interesting missteps, peccadilloes, bad calls, backroom hijinks, sordid pasts, rotten breaks, and just plain dumb mistakes in the annals of American politics. They have tweeted their private parts to women they're trying to impress. They have gotten caught on tape doing and saying things they really shouldn't have. They have denied knowing about the underhanded doings of underlings-only to have a paper trail lead straight back to them. Nowadays, it seems like half of what we hear about politicians isn't about laws or governing but is instead coverage focused on shenanigans, questionable morals, and scandals too numerous to count. And while we shake our heads in disbelief, we still can't resist poring over the details of these notorious incidents. In Political Suicide, the foibles of our politicians are brought from the tabloid pages to this entertaining-and cautionary-tale of American history.

Erin McHugh (Author), Lisa Flanagan (Narrator)

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Alter Egos: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and the Twilight Struggle Over American Power

A deeply-reported, firsthand account of how Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have come to embody two competing visions for the role of the United States in the world--and what that means for the 2016 presidential election. New York Times White House correspondent Mark Landler goes behind the speeches and press conferences, to the Situation Room debates and picnic-table lunches, where Obama and Clinton honed their two competing worldviews: his, cautious, inward-looking, suffused with a sense of limits; hers, muscular, optimistic, unabashedly old-fashioned. Alter Egos is about two ambitious political archrivals from very different backgrounds who became partners for a time, trailblazers who share a common sense of their historical destiny but who hold fundamentally different beliefs about how to project American power. With all the sweep of a grand history-and enlivened by an insider's access and plenty of news-Landler digs deep into the complex relationship between these two leaders and gives us a different way to think about Obama's legacy and Clinton's promise.

Mark Landler (Author), Jason Culp, Mark Landler (Narrator)

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When Women Win: EMILY's List and the Rise of Women in American Politics

The dramatic inside story of the rise of women in elected office over the past quarter-century, from the pioneering founder of three-million-member EMILY's List-one of the most influential players in today's political landscapeIn 1985, aware of the near-total absence of women in Congress, Ellen R. Malcolm launched EMILY's List, a powerhouse political organization that seeks to ignite change by getting women elected to office. The rest is riveting history: Between 1986-when there were only 12 Democratic women in the House and none in the Senate-and now, EMILY's List has helped elect 19 women Senators, 11 governors, and 110 Democratic women to the House.Incorporating exclusive interviews with Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Tammy Baldwin, and others, When Women Win delivers stories of some of the toughest political contests of the past three decades, including the historic victory of Barbara Mikulski as the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right; the defeat of Todd Akin ("legitimate rape") by Claire McCaskill; and Elizabeth Warren's dramatic win over incumbent Massachusetts senator Scott Brown.When Women Win includes Malcolm's own story-the high drama of Anita Hill's sexual harassment testimony against Clarence Thomas and its explosive effects on women's engagement in electoral politics; the long nights spent watching the polls after months of dogged campaigning; the heartbreaking losses and unprecedented victories-but it's also a page-turning political saga that may well lead up to the election of the first woman president of the United States.

Craig Unger, Ellen Malcolm (Author), Cassandra Campbell (Narrator)

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The Reunited States of America: How We Can Bridge the Partisan Divide

Out of Many, One In this era of poisonous partisanship, The Reunited States of America is a lifesaving antidote. At a time when loyalty to party seems to be overpowering love of country, it not only explains how we can bridge the partisan divide but also tells the untold story of how our fellow citizens already are doing it. This book, a manifesto for a movement to reunite America, will help us put a stop to the seemingly endless Left-Right fistfight while honoring the vital role of healthy political debate. Mark Gerzon describes how citizens all over the country - Republicans, Democrats, and independents - are finding common ground on some of the most divisive and difficult issues we face today.

Mark Gerzon (Author), Jeff Hoyt (Narrator)

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