Finding American voters wanting?

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ATTENTION DEFICIT DEMOCRACY

By James Bovard

Palgrave Macmillan,

$26.95, 304 pages

REVIEWED BY A.G. GANCARSKI

In "Attention Deficit Democracy," widely published libertarian journalist James Bovard revisits what, for him, is familiar territory. He considers the American people as voters, and finds them wanting -- ill-educated and incapable of grasping the realities that face them, specifically the erosion of their civil liberties.

He considers the executive branch likewise, and finds it to be primarily concerned with the expansion of its own powers. Mr. Bovard argues here that our elections are predicated on scare tactics and fear mongering, and that the spirit and letter of democracy have both been subverted in a concerted, bipartisan effort to establish what the author calls an "elective dictatorship."

Unambiguously written, the book will definitely appeal to those who agree with Mr. Bovard's conclusions. Other readers will find the "Attention Deficit Democracy" wanting.

The book veers off course for this reviewer early on, as Mr. Bovard's repeated insistence on describing the United States as a "democracy" is an oversimplification that borders on being a falsehood. As is commonly known, the United States is not a simple democracy, but a republic, rooted in the Constitution, with a democratic process.