In this interesting book, Adam Jentleson, an aide to former Democratic Senate majority leader Harry Reid, explains why the U.S. government functions so poorly. The book’s title sums up the whole story shining a light on the past . The-kill switch is the filibuster—or just the threat of one. Jentleson tells how both parties have exploited the filibuster over the years. From its inception in the middle of the 19th century to today, the filibuster has served as a tool to empower a minority of white conservatives to override majority rule whenever they find themselves outnumbered. They have done so to preserve their power, their way of life, and the priorities of wealthy benefactors—from the slaveholders of the past to conservative billionaires of today. Under President Donald Trump, Senator McConnell merged the filibuster with rigid leadership structures initially forged by Lyndon Johnson, in the process surrendering the Senate’s independence and centrality, as infamously shown by its acquiescence in Trump’s impeachment trial. The result is a failed institution and a crippled democracy.