STANDOFF by Bill Schneider again looks at American political history from the 1960s to the present day. As a professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and a former CNN senior political analyst, Schneider draws on his expertise to examine past presidential elections and how they led to Trump's "social populism (anti-immigrant), economic populism (anti-free trade), and isolationism ("America First")." In the initial chapter, "Old America Versus New America," he recaps national and state election results and sets the stage for "the new normal in the United States: gridlock and dysfunctional government."

A key theme in the book is the role of polling the public and how a passionate, intense minority cancels a majority on issues like gun control, immigration, small government and international interests. Schneider further points out that "without a crisis or war [war on poverty, war on drugs, etc.] to rally public opinion, the system doesn't work at all," thereby supporting his subtitle, "How America became Ungovernable." Granted, there is a bias, but I found STANDOFF to be very readable due to features like captions (e.g., Coalitions and Movements; Interests and Values) for short sub-sections which were then followed by examples and, where applicable, statistics. The supporting endnotes comprise roughly a tenth of this thought-provoking book.

Author Bill Schneider was always quick to provide cogent analysis on fast moving events when he worked with CNN as a political analyst from 1990 - 2009. In STAND-OFF: HOW AMERICA BECAME UNGOVERNABLE, he applies the same clear, direct approach to 50 years of elections to make his case. He believes there are two Americas: a New and an Old, with different political and social outlooks stemming from the 1960’s. He works his way through each presidential election and each major issue and makes his case. There’s no question that the book is engaging and on point for our current climate. This is a historical analysis that ends at our present time; it offers no suggestions for the future. I admit I might have liked a few forward-leaning thoughts. There is, however, much to be gleaned from this fast moving book. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.