We the Elites

Why the US Constitution Serves the Few

We the Elites
Robert Ovetz
RRP:
NZ$ 54.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 46.74
Paperback
h216 x 140mm - 240pg
17 Sep 2022 UK
International import eta 10-19 days
9780745344720
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
Written by 55 of the richest white men, and signed by only 39 of them, the US Constitution is the sacred text of American nationalism. Popular perceptions of it are mired in idolatry, myth and misinformation - many Americans have opinions on the constitution but have little idea what it says. This book examines the Constitution for what it is - a rulebook for elites to protect capitalism from democracy. Social movements have misplaced faith in the constitution as a tool for achieving justice when it actually impedes social change through the many roadblocks and obstructions we call ' checks and balances' . This stymies urgent progress on issues like labor rights, poverty, public health and climate change, propelling the American people and rest of the world towards destruction. Robert Ovetz' s reading of the constitution shows that the system isn' t broken. Far from it. It works as it was designed to.
' A crucial and timely corrective about what words like democracy and freedom actually meant to the Founders. A gift to serious analysts of US politics - but, more importantly, to those who would build a system that serves people rather than property' -- Olufe mi O. Taiwo, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and author of ' Elite Capture' ' This ambitious, stimulating, thoughtful, exceedingly informative book sets a new standard in scholarship on the vaunted US Constitution' -- Gerald Horne, author of ' The Dawning of the Apocalypse' ' At a moment when the country is facing a constitutional crisis, it is well to understand what the Constitution is. This close analysis unravels in detail the achievement of the Framers ' to create a perpetual power of the elite minority to check the will of the majority' , to ensure that the minority of the opulent would be protected from the threat of popular democracy' -- Noam Chomsky ' Powerfully addresses how the constitution and US politics reinforce capitalism and its dysfunction, offering crucial insights for the big changes coming' -- Richard D. Wolff, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst ' The Constitution is a problem hiding in plain sight. Everyone thinks they know what it means, but no one is willing to look too closely for fear that it might mean something different or that it might mean nothing it all. Robert Ovetz is one of the few who are willing to grapple with the problem head on. He deserves credit for his boldness and intellectual integrity' -- Dan Lazare, author of ' The Frozen Republic: How the Constitution Is Paralyzing Democracy' ' An important corrective to a culture that engages in excessive veneration of the document and the political system it created' -- Sanford Levinson, author of ' Our Undemocratic Constitution'
Robert Ovetz is a Senior Lecturer in Political Science at San Jose State University, US. He is the author of When Workers Shot Back: Class Conflict from 1877 to 1921 and the editor of Workers' Inquiry and Global Class Struggle.
Status: No local stock, title imported to order
ISBN-13: 9780745344720
Published: 17 Sep 2022
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Pluto Press
Publisher: Pluto Press
Format: Paperback
Height: 216mm
Width: 140mm
Weight: 1g
Pages: 240

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information