Delirium

“An insightful look at the history of sexual mores and politics and how we got to such a contentious place.” —Booklist Perhaps if the Pill had never been invented, American politics would be very different today, Nancy L. Cohen writes, as she takes us on a gripping journey through the confounding and mysterious episodes of our recent politics to explain how and why we got to this place. Along the way she explores such topics as why Bill Clinton was impeached over a private sexual affair; how George W. Bush won the presidency by stealth; why Hillary lost to Obama; why John McCain chose Sarah Palin to be his running mate; and what the 2012 presidential contest indicated about America today. She exposes the surprising role of right-wing women in undermining women’s rights, and explains how liberal men were complicit in letting it happen. Cohen uncovers the hidden history of an orchestrated, well-financed, ideologically powered shadow movement to turn back the clock on matters of gender equality and sexual freedom and how it has played a leading role in fueling America’s political wars—and explains how we can restore common sense and sanity in our nation’s politics. “In her critique of bipartisan extremism, historian Cohen expertly details its rise within the Democratic and Republican parties by mining seven presidential elections . . . an impressive contribution to the political dialogue.” —Publishers Weekly