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The Main Message Of Divided We Fall

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According to Rivlin (2022), the overall main message of Divided We Fall can be divided into three main messages that the reader should understand. Additionally, even though the main issues are presented throughout the book, Rivlin (2022) details them at the beginning of the book. The first main message is that both Democrats and Republicans need to work together to ensure a prosperous future for all Americans. To accomplish this, Rivlin (2022) uses a focus on economic issues since she is an economist and was directly involved in the Clinton and Obama administrations during harsh negotiations with Republican lawmakers, and she believes that economic policy has the most potential for cooperation by both parties (p. 5). For the second main message, …show more content…

works as well as for individuals who understand the process and sought insider information. Rivlin (2022) utilized storytelling of her experiences in Washington D.C. to display how even though there were times that partisanship would prevail, the efforts of lawmakers and other government officials to pass laws to benefit the American public succeeded. Through those experiences, she describes ways to address the rise of division in the US and even ways for normal Americans to get involved which greatly benefits people who want to change things. However, the lack of text dedicated to addressing Republicans’ slide toward authoritarianism will hinder any progress to increase bipartisanship. The Washington Center Academic Seminar highlighted the points focusing on bipartisanship addressing issues rather than focusing on partisan conflict. For instance, Matt Bennett from Third Way, which is affiliated with Democrats, and Samuel Abrams from the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, spoke that bigger issues like climate change, addressing economic inequality, and protecting democracy need to be addressed to help the younger generation. Executive Director of OpenSecrets Sheila Krumholz detail how partisan behavior is partially derived from big donors who support partisan issues that limit bipartisanship and increase the gridlock in Washington D.C. Rivlin (2022) is the perfect supplemental piece of literature to this year’s program, especially after the several failures of the Speakership

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