The Genius of America

Due to a combination of heightened frustration, moves to skirt the constitutional process, and a widespread disconnect between the people and their constitutional "conscience," Lane and Oreskes warn us our longstanding Democracy is at risk. Together, they examine the Constitution's history relative to this current crisis, from its framing to its centuries-long success, including during some of the country's most turbulent and contentious times, and challenge us to let this great document work as it was designed-valuing political process over product. They hold our leaders accountable, calling on them to stop fanning the flames of division and to respect their institutional roles. In the final assessment, The Genius of America asks us to lean on the framers and their experience to secure our country's wellbeing. Veteran journalist Michael Oreskes and legal scholar Eric Lane "explore the collective genius that created our 'constitutional conscience' and show how the genuine political genius of Madison enables today's majority to rule without ruining the rights of the minority." -William Safire, New York Times columnist. Eric Lane is a professor of law at Hofstra University School of Law, senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, and the author of several texts on government. He has served as director of the New York State Commission on Constitutional Revision, as director of the New York City Charter Revision Commission, and as counsel to the New York State Senate Democrats. Michael Oreskes is the executive editor of the International Herald Tribune. He has served as deputy managing editor, Washington bureau chief, metropolitan editor, and national political correspondent for the New York Times.