Perhaps in my old age I get rather narrow in my interests. I have what I think is a solution to the problems I see in the political process in the US, but for most people the problem does not seem to exist. Granted there are many people with many complaints about how things are done or not done in this country, but almost all of them start with at least an acceptance of the status quo, feeling that it is possible to work within the system as it is, so there is no need to change its basic structure. After all, we have gotten along for more than 200 years with the system we have, without serious disruption (ignoring the violent war we had with ourselves in the 1860s).
My view is that in spite of the fact that we have been able to muddle through most of the time, we cannot go on lurching from one crisis to another forever: we can do better for ourselves. We have preached the ideas of democracy and freedom to each other and to the world, but in fact we are not as democratic as we say we are, and we can do better. The world has changed from what it was in the 1780s, or even the 1880s. Sixty years ago we were on top of the world with no competition. Now we are in real competition with other countries, and we need to be the best we can be, politically as well as economically.
Too many people are ignorant of American history, or have a vague understanding of it as a story of the glorious progress of a people given a near perfect form of government. This is why I have written my book, to provide what I feel is a more honest perspective on our past, one which provides the foundation for the changes I propose.