The Next Deal
by Andrei Cherny
Basic Books

Although the Founding Fathers fretted incessantly over what James Madison called the "mischiefs of faction" and the dangers of conflict in the new, fragile republic, the ink was hardly dry on the Constitution before the powdered wigs began to bicker among themselves, forming alliances and battling one another for popularity and influence.

Indeed, during George Washington's presidency two imposing protagonists quickly emerged: Alexander Hamilton, the brilliant young secretary of the treasury and mastermind of the nation's finances, and Thomas Jefferson, secretary of state and celebrated author of the Declaration of Independence. Hamilton's vision of government was centralized, hierarchical and elitist, while Jefferson idealized the common farmer and argued for a bottom-up, decentralized political system. Hamilton was inclined to side with authority, Jefferson with individual liberty.

In "The Next Deal," Andrei Cherny, a 25-year-old former White House speechwriter, frames American political history as a running battle between Hamilton and Jefferson, with each dominating different eras. The early rounds, according to Cherny, belonged to Jefferson — 19th century America was a self-reliant nation of small farmers, decentralized government and tough-minded individualism.

As the 20th century began, however, Jefferson's ideas, along with his romanticized vision of a virtuous agrarian nation, were on the wane. A country of factories, railroads and robber barons demanded a new politics. The Industrial Revolution necessitated a Hamiltonian government, with a top-down bureaucracy capable of regulating big business and providing workers with the security they needed in a dynamic modern economy. Teddy Roosevelt's progressives retooled Hamilton for an industrial economy, while Franklin Roosevelt's New Dealers, with their centralized planning and huge bureaucracies, firmly enshrined Hamilton as the godfather of 20th century politics. While Democrats and Republicans have fought over many things since the New Deal, neither has offered an attractive alternative to big, Hamiltonian government.

But today, Cherny argues, Hamilton's perspective is outdated, and the pendulum of ideas has swung back to his old nemesis, the sage of Monticello. In the Information Age, our industrial-era government is a dinosaur, and everybody — with the exception of most politicians — knows it. The time is ripe for a new Jeffersonianism, a new approach to government that breaks up bureaucracies and gives power to individuals. The agrarian ideal may be dead, but Jefferson's emphasis on the individual is well-suited for the Internet era.

The centerpiece of this new Jeffersonian approach is a "Choice Revolution" (Cherny is fond of catchy labels) that will replace our "one-size-fits-all" Hamiltonian government with one appropriate for the New Economy. In their role as consumers, Americans have grown accustomed to the concept of "choice." We can surf a hundred cable channels, choose from a dizzying variety of imported beers and gourmet coffees and, with a few mouse clicks, buy almost any book ever published, but our government — and the politicians who run it — has not kept up with these changes. The world has changed, but elected officials keep advertising the same tired ideas.

As voters grow increasingly disillusioned, "Blockhead Conservatives" predictably argue for less government, while "Treadmill Liberals" (they keep running in place) predictably argue for more. Meanwhile, what people really want, according to Cherny, is "a decentralized, nonbureaucratic government — that is more active than ever." Accustomed to choice in other aspects of their lives, Americans want a smart, efficient, energetic government that presents them with options and empowers them to make intelligent decisions.

What would a Choice Revolution look like? Cherny offers some useful, although not particularly "revolutionary," examples: more charter schools, letting individuals invest a portion of their Social Security savings and letting patients choose their own doctors.

In addition to offering individuals more choice, Cherny believes government should demand of individuals more civic responsibility — hence his call for one year of mandatory national service for 18-year-olds, either in the military or a community service oriented "Citizen Corps." Both young people and the nation as a whole, he argues, would benefit from a vast civilian army performing good works and building civil society.

One can certainly question some of Cherny's specific proposals — for instance, his fondness for ballot initiatives and referenda may place too much faith in direct democracy — and ultimately he fails to articulate a comprehensive platform for his Choice Revolution, but the book is a fascinating and accessible read. "The Next Deal" is not a fully developed blueprint for our next public philosophy, but Cherny has surely tapped into some essential truths about the Information Age, the staleness of our current politics and the tides of American history.

— Richard Wike (richwike at yahoo dot com)