Restoration

By George F. Will

Book Overview

From Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist George Will, whose "thinking is stimulating, erudite, and makes for great reading" (The Boston Globe) comes a "biting, humorous, and perceptive" (The New York Times Book Review) argument for the necessity of term limits in Congress.

The world's oldest democracy--ours--has an old tradition of skepticism about government. However, the degree of dismay about government today is perhaps unprecedented in our history. Americans are particularly convinced that Congress has become irresponsible, either unwilling or incapable of addressing the nation's problems--while it spends its time and our money on extending its members' careers. Many Americans have come to believe fundamental reform is needed, specifically limits on the number of terms legislators can serve.

In Restoration, George Will makes a compelling case, drawn from our history and his close observance of Congress, that term limits are now necessary to revive the traditional values of classical republican government, to achieve the Founders' goal of deliberative democracy, and to restore Congress to competence and its rightful dignity as the First Branch of government. At stake, Will says, is the vitality of America's great promise self-government under representative institutions. At issue is the meaning of representation. The morality of representative government, Will argues, does not merely permit, it requires representatives to exercise independent judgment rather than merely execute instructions given by constituents. However, careerism, which is a consequence of the professionalization of politics, has made legislators servile and has made the national legislature incapable of rational, responsible behavior. Term limits would restore the constitutional space intended by the Founders, the healthy distance between the electors and the elected that is necessary for genuine deliberation about the public interest.

Blending the political philosophy of the Founders with alarming facts about the behavior of legislative careerists, Restoration demonstrates how term limits, by altering the motives of legislators, can narrow the gap between the theory and the practice of American democracy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0029347130
• ISBN13: 9780029347133
• Release Date: December 1993
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A political thinker to rival the founders, must read!

RESTORATIONIn this book George Will has proven himself to be one of the great political thinkers of our times. His wisdom, although presented in 1992 in Restoration over a decade ago, is still vitally relevant to today and tomarrow and to the future of the American Republic as when he wrote it. I have spent decades as have many other average Americans, being frustrated, over the sorry state of affairs in our nation and especially in our government institutions. Many of us have had a nagging feeling that something was causing our nation to slowly slide into the hands of unconstitutional, unpatriotic, unethical, immoral, greedy, power hungry, elitist who pretend to care about "WE the People." But really care only about padding their own nest, enriching themselves and their families with material and monetary things, and to ensure their political longevity.They seek only to acquire unwarranted influence and with it manipulate the mob and sheepish unenlightened among us for their deviant personal near-treasonous self-gratification.Communism, socialism, mob rule democracy (dispised by our founders)or life-term representative encumbancy, it makes no difference to them, as long as they are on the top of the social aristocracy, and the rest of us are on the bottom. Nepotism and narcissism runs rampant in their ranks and this shows each and every day whether they are conducting business in the House or Senate, or during elections and reelection campaigns. They will, as Bill and Hillary have so eloquently demonstrated, do, say and support anything that will help them get and stay in power, as members of that society of disgusting ladies and gentlemen, known as the 20th and 21st century politician...George will brings all these [] tactics, the senseless selfish unprofessional conduct, the sickening behavior in direct violation of their sacred charges and honor to light. He highlights their failure to respect their sworn oaths and their duty.He explains how and why our political process, our political representatives and our judiciaries have failed us.The devils or evils of our destruction if you will are incumbency, redistricting, subsidies, excessive pay for public service and a retirement system that breeds contempt for the constitution. Do away with these and the world and the nation would begin to heal and we would have a chance of returning to a true patriotically moral public servant like representative democratic-republic.This is a great book, one of the best I have ever read and Mr. Will would get my vote as the man who could help us heal our nations. A must read for one who can stomach the truth of just how bad things have gotten in Washington...