Dick Simpson draws upon his fifty-year career as a legislator, campaign strategist, and government advisor to examine the challenges confronting Americans in their struggle to build the United States as a multiracial, multiethnic democracy. Using Chicago as an example, Simpson examines how the political, racial, economic, and social inequalities dividing the nation play out in our neighborhoods and cities. His investigation of our current crisis and its causes delves into issues like money in politics, low voter participation, the politics of resentment, political corruption, and a host of structural problems. But Democracy's Rebirth goes beyond analysis. Simpson lays out a sober, practical manifesto meant to inspire people everywhere to educate themselves and do the hard work of creating the kind of strong institutions that will allow true democracy to flourish.

With a foreword by Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot.

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Foreword LORI LIGHTFOOT ix

1 Challenges to Democracy 1

2 The Rise and Fall of Democracy 7

3 Income and Racial Inequality 21

4 Money in Politics 43

5 Nonparticipation 61

6 Polarization and the Politics of Resentment 83

7 Corruption 105

8 Structural Problems 123

9 Cascading Crises 151

10 Deliberative Democracy 165

11 Spirit of Democracy 193

Acknowledgments 211

Notes 213

Index 243

|"By highlighting the lessons of a generation ago, when US cities navigated the transition to multiracial democracy, Simpson has composed a self-proclaimed 'manifesto' to examine how what we have learned locally might help us nationally." —Perspectives on Politics
"Democracy's Rebirth . . . is about politics, justice and democracy in a very down-to-earth manner. Simpson isn't only an expert on sausage-making. He also knows how the mechanisms of government and policy work—and how they should work—so he goes into the nitty-gritty of what has been going wrong with democracy in the United States and offers very detailed how-to instructions for bringing the nation's democratic process back to full health. But his ultimate focus is on the importance of individual Americans." —Third Coast Review
"Simpson's book provides a thorough diagnosis for what's gone wrong with the country's democratic ideals." —NewCity
|Dick Simpson is a professor, former head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a former Chicago alderman and congressional candidate. His books include Corrupt Illinois: Patronage, Cronyism, and Criminality; Winning Elections in the 21st Century; and The Politics of Compassion and Transformation.