America (The Book)

America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction (2004) is a satirical humor book by the actor and comedian Jon Stewart, who hosted Comedy Central's The Daily Show from 1999 to 2015. Co-written by The Daily Show's head writer, David Javerbaum, and the show's executive producer, Ben Karlin, it also contains smaller segments written by comedians affiliated with The Daily Show, including Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert, and Rob Corddry. Stylized as a parody of a high school government or civics textbook, the book contains mock study questions and information boxes. Though chiefly intended as a work of comedy, the book also seeks to provide legitimate analysis and criticism of American politics rooted in both the past and the present, much like The Daily Show itself.

The first chapter, "Democracy Before America," identifies the United States as one of the earliest successful examples of representative democracy, carefully distinguishing this from the form of democracy established by Ancient Greece, where direct participation took place but was limited to as low as ten percent of the total population. The authors go on to detail how the spirit of representative democracy as established by the Founding Fathers is threatened today, as the percentage of incumbents who win reelection in America is often over ninety-percent. Moreover, America's tendency to impose democracy on other countries goes against that spirit, the book argues.

While the next chapter, "The Founding of America," is comedic in nature, it is also the chapter that most closely resembles a section one might find in a non-satirical textbook. It provides historical context surrounding the years leading up to the American Revolution, detailing events like the 1765 Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.



The next three chapters describe the three branches of American government: the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch. In "The President, King of Democracy," the authors look to the Constitution to determine the original intent of the Executive Branch, which is lead by the President and is broadly tasked with enforcing the country's laws. These powers are largely laid out in Section 2 of Article II of the U.S. Constitution, which grant the President the power to command the Army and Navy, to pardon individuals, to make treaties with other countries, and to make various appointments to the Cabinet or judiciary with the "advice and consent of the Senate." That last phrase, in particular, is still hotly debated today in regards to a number of potential appointments. The authors also highlight the differences between a president and a monarch, writing that a president is limited to four-year terms and that the president is to be selected by merit rather than birthright.

"Congress, Quagmire of Freedom," refers to the bicameral legislature as "the gastrointestinal tract of the American body politic." More than some of the earlier chapters, this section deeply reflects the opinions of the authors regarding the ways the American legislature fails to serve the people it represents. They note that the Founders understood the profound power of a branch of government tasked with making laws: too few laws can lead to anarchy, while too many laws can lead to authoritarianism. But while Congress is theoretically held in check by the people who elect its members, the authors note that the preponderance of lobbyists paid by wealthy special interests has corrupted the legislative process. In addition to helping to introduce bills that go against the public's interests, the authors write that lobbyists successfully introduce special items into bills that benefit the industries they represent. This is called "pork barrel" legislation.

"The Judicial Branch, It Rules," refers to the judiciary as America's "twenty-four-hour tech support." Charged with interpreting laws and considered by some to be the weakest of the branches of government, the judiciary—and, in particular, the Supreme Court—has nevertheless changed the direction of American history in key rulings regarding abortion and desegregation. This chapter earned the book a great deal of controversy for featuring images of the current Supreme Court justices (as of 2004) Photoshopped onto naked bodies.



While elections are ideally referendums on the success or failure of elected officials, in "Campaigns and Elections, America Changes the Sheets," the authors note that the American electoral process has become problematic, in that the skills needed to attract votes are often in opposition to those required for good governance. Moreover, many elected officials are now forced to spend at least as much time campaigning as they do governing.

"The Media, Democracy's Guardian Angel" deeply laments the fact that much of the American media have abandoned their goals of informing the populace, instead, seeking to merely entertain. To chart this development, the authors look to the eighteenth century, when the primary forms of media were the pamphlet and the town crier.

"The Future of Democracy: Four Score and Seven Years From Now" poses bleak yet ultimately comedic possibilities for the future of democracy in America. The authors are particularly fearful of the impact of technology on Americans' voting behaviors.



“The Rest of the World, International House of Horrors" looks beyond America's shores, noting that while American democracy is far from perfect, things are much worse in many other countries.

While much of America (The Book) may seem quaint or outdated by the standards of modern readers, the book offers a consistently entertaining and frequently uproarious primer on American history.