Discussion Topics

We've shared a list of questions tied to the book's content to help facilitate the conversation during your book club session. Use one, use all, or don't use any of them! They're simply here as a resource.

At your first gathering, we think it could be helpful for everyone to spend a moment considering the biggest driver of their political views when they first formed them, as well as the biggest driver of their current political views. Open up the conversation! These factors may have played a meaningful role in how you absorbed the book content, as well as how you look at today's societal and political issues.

Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America

• Chapter 1: “American Conservatism”
  • What do you think was the intention of the founding fathers - to create a hierarchy of races, or to ensure that ALL men had the right to freedom? How much allegiance should we have to our country’s founding principles, and how much should we push for change?
• Chapter 2: “The Liberal Consensus”
  • What do you think saved U.S. democracy around the time of World War II, and what parallels do you see between what was happening then and now? 
• Chapter 3: “Bringing the Declaration of Independence to Life”
  • Richardson writes that President Eisenhower “recognized that racial discrimination gave international communists a powerful argument for disparaging the idea that American democracy was a superior form of government.” How would you evaluate the existence and value of equality in our democracy?  
  • The Montgomery bus boycott was very effective at creating change. How effective do you think a boycott like this would be today? What tactics could we utilize that you think would be more effective?
• Chapter 4: “Race and Taxes”
  • What do you think the role of our government should be, (e.g. business regulations, social safety nets) and what do you think is behind the reasoning of people who have an opposing view? 
• Chapter 5: “Nixon and the Southern Strategy” 
  • The passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 created a lot of tension and prompted some southern Democrats to switch parties. (Republican candidate Richard Nixon promised to stop using the federal government to enforce desegregation in the states.) How can we push for equality without prompting some people from feeling they’re somehow being cheated or disadvantaged? 
• Chapter 6: “Positive Polarization” (the chapter where I realized we were living through the 1960s)
  • What elements of Nixon’s playbook mirror what Trump has done as president?
  • How would you be describe being American vs. anti-American? 
• Chapter 7:  “The Reagan Revolution” 
  • What impact does the media have in shaping political views? 
• Chapter 8: “Skewing the System” 
  • How effective is the Republican strategy of putting the Democrats on the defensive (used in the 1990s but also now with themes of voter fraud, ballot integrity, judicial activism, etc), and what should the Democratic strategy against it be? 
• Chapter 9: “A New Global Project” 
  • How can we combat this idea of political opponents as “enemies,” and what risk do we run if we can’t?
  • What should the U.S.’s role, or responsibility, be to the rest of the world? (maybe not as relevant a question for this discussion, unless we can find a good way to connect to overreaching on executive power)
• Chapter 10: "Illegitimate Democracy” 
  • Why do you think President Obama won the election over Senator McCain and Governor (?) Palin?
  • Republican senators reportedly told VP Biden they couldn’t let the administration succeed at anything. (“That’s our ticket to coming back.”) What can we as Americans do to ensure Congress actually does their job/what’s best for the American people? 

Part 2: The Authoritarian Experiment

• Chapter 11:”A Snapshot of America”
  • Why did people vote for Trump? What was it about his message that most resonated? 
    • (Ideas if needed: Serving as a savior? Creating scapegoats? Really leaning into the hierarchy that fit the idea of a more traditional society? Or did people just hate Hillary?)
• Chapter 12: “A Shocking Event”
  • Considering the administration’s strategy of flooding the zone and spewing complete lies, how do you think the media should cover what President Trump says and what he and his administration does?