The Politicians and the Egalitarians: The Hidden History of American Politics

Abstract

Sean Wilentz's latest book, like his others, is erudite, expansive, and argumentative. The Politicians and the Egalitarians contends that the histories of partisanship and egalitarianism allow for a fuller understanding of American political history. Two original essays on these topics headline the book, yet the work is ultimately a showcase of Wilentz's high-profile essays first published in the New Republic and the New York Review of Books. Chapter 1 is a brief history of “The Postpartisan Style in American Politics” from George Washington's Farewell Address of 1796 to Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 denying the existence of “a liberal America and a conservative America” and instead emphasizing “a United States of America.” Wilentz convincingly argues that postpartisanship is either a naïve dream of those who fear getting their hands dirty or a cynical posture by those with partisan goals. He judges that the “antiparty current is by definition antidemocratic, as political parties have been the only reliable electoral vehicles for advancing the ideas and interests of ordinary voters” (p. 28).