Book Log 2015 #46: Idiot America by Charles Pierce

One of the many books that have come out in recent years about the anti-intellectual streak in American life and politics, this one does forward a specific theory about the trend based in three premises: anything can be true if you say it loud enough, fact is what a person believes and the truth of that fact is how strongly its believed, and any theory based on these truths or facts is validated by how well it sells. The rest of the book shows in various ways how these premises are put into action by our leaders, from the Iraq war to global warming.

There are some interesting diversions in the book - an early chapter talks about cranks and their role in American life before the rise of mass communications - but a lot of it is familiar to anyone who reads Pierce with any regularity (his Esquire work refers to his theory frequently). It's also slightly outdated, as it doesn't really consider the impact of social media and Citizens United (though you can imagine what the impacts have been).

Still, Pierce writes well and is clearly personally invested (the chapter on the Terry Schiavo case is equal parts application of theory and personal animus towards Jeb Bush and his ilk). It's worth a read in the coming political season.