Kill Switch (book)
 Kill Switch book cover | |
| Author | Adam Jentleson[1] |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | United States Senate, Filibuster in the United States Senate |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Boni & Liveright |
Publication date | January 12, 2021 |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 9781631497773 |
Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy is a 2021 book by Adam Jentleson,[2] a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.[3][4] A history of gridlock in Congress, it is primarily a critique of the rise of the filibuster,[5][6] which the author believes has caused a vetocracy during periods of Democratic Party rule by minority party Republican Party.[7]
Jentleson links the filibuster's rise in particular to efforts to stop civil rights legislation and protections for African Americans.[8][9][10] The book received generally positive reviews from critics.[11][12] Kirkus Reviews described it as "astute", "maddening", and "provocative".[13] The Wall Street Journal published a more critical review, arguing that Jentleson's mentor Reid had used the filibuster on behalf of Democrats and that Jentleson's advocacy against it during Joe Biden's presidency was cynical and hypocritical.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ Jentleson, Adam (January 12, 2021). "Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Wang, Sam; Zelizer, Julian (February 23, 2021). "Kill Switch -- The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy". Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Sonmez, Felicia (June 10, 2011). "Adam Jentleson to become top Reid spokesman". Washington Post. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ Jentleson, Adam (2021-12-29). "Opinion | The Side of Harry Reid That Most People Never Saw". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- ^ Szalai, Jennifer (January 25, 2021). "New Book Says the Senate Is Broken". The New York Times. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ "Former Senator's Staffer On What Senate Might Do In Response To Riot At U.S. Capitol". NPR.org. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ Green, Joshua (January 13, 2021). "A History of the Filibuster as the Root of Senate Dysfunction". Bloomberg News. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Szalai, Jennifer (January 4, 2021). "As the Georgia Runoffs Arrive, a New Book Says the Senate Is Broken". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Gross, Terry (January 12, 2021). "'Kill Switch' Examines The Racist History Of The Senate Filibuster". NPR. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (February 4, 2021). "Examining the Case Against the Filibuster". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Tomasky, Michael (April 8, 2021). "Can the Senate Restore Majority Rule?". The New York Times Book Review. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Kiely, Kathy (January 22, 2021). "Biden is 'a Senate guy', but it just doesn't work like it used to". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Jentleson, Adam (February 7, 2021). "Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Odell, Kate Bachelder (February 7, 2021). "'Kill Switch' Review: When 51 Votes Aren't Enough". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 2, 2025.