Center Did Not Hold

Robert Mark Eisenberg, born and raised in Omaha, received a BA in political science from Columbia University and an MA in government from Harvard. He earned a law degree from Creighton University, where he later served as a professor. He has also lectured at Harvard and the University of Nebraska. Eisenberg is the author of Boychiks in the Hood, an exploration of contemporary Hasidic culture, described by the New York Times Sunday Book Review as “a rich collection of anecdotes, religious history and thumbnail portraits.” He currently resides in New York City.

• CONTENTSAcknowledgments xiIntroduction xiiiPART I—DEMOCRACY 1Transparency 3Binney, Drake, Loomis, Wiebe 5Kiriakou 7Associated Press 8Surveillance 9Snowden 11Risen 13Vacations 16Clinton Endorsement 18Trans-Pacific Partnership 19Japan 23Democracy Rankings 25Expense Accounts 26Democratic Party 27Freedom of the Press 29Speeches 30Real Estate 32Sanders Endorsement 33PART II—ENVIRONMENT 35Cap and Trade 37Arctic 38Oceans 39Nuclear Energy 40Flint 41Air Pollution 43Flood Standards 46Bees 47Monarch Butterflies 49Dakota Access Pipeline 51Greenhouse Gas 52PART III—FINANCE & ECONOMY 53Bankers 55Rubin 57AIG 59Bankruptcy Law 62Solyndra and Other Grants to Cronies 65Geithner 68Foreclosuregate 69HSBC 71Campaign Finance 73Revolving Door 75SEC Chairmen 79National Debt 81Economic Growth 82Corporate Profits 83Forbes 400 84Corporate Cash Abroad 85PART IV—FOREIGN POLICY 87Drones 89Arms 91Haiti 92Honduras 96Blackwater 98Libya 100Iraq 102Israel and Palestine 105Bahrain 107Egypt 109Syria 111Cuba 113Afghanistan 114North Korea 117China 119Special Ops 121Yemen 124Iran Deal 126Burma 128Bomber 129Nuclear Arms Modernization 130F-35 132Gitmo 134Armenian Genocide 136Two Terms, Two Wars 137PART V—JUSTICE 139Gun Control 141Police Militarization 143Military Tribunals 146TSA 149Whistleblowers 152Torture 155Assassination of U.S. Citizens 158NDAA and Habeas Corpus 160Deportation 163War on Drugs 165Solitary Confinement 168White-Collar Crime 171Supreme Court Nominee Rejected 173Clinton Email Scandal 175Kissinger 177Asset Forfeiture 179Clinton Foundation 182Clemency 183Dreamers 185PART VI—SOCIAL POLICY 189Test Scores 191Tax Code Simplification 193Obamacare 195Tax Cuts Retained 198Medical Marijuana 200Social Security 202Militarization of Federal Agencies 205Drug Overdose Crisis 207GMOs 209Unions 211Manufacturing Jobs 213Racial Wealth Disparity 214Suicides 215Race Relations 216Income Inequality 218Wealth Inequality 220Infrastructure 221Mortgage Fee Reduction 222Minimum Wage 223Quality of Life 224About the Author 225

"Part-primer, part-primal scream... In relentless detail… Eisenberg accuses Obama and [Biden] of having left ‘a lingering bad taste in the mouths of many progressives.’”—reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement“Cogent… [A] reality check.” —reviewed in OpEdNews