A good read for anyone who fears for democracy in the United States, especially if you've lived in the USA through the last decade of ridiculous politics.  The authors posit that the Republican Party use outdated political institutions (the Electoral College, for example) as well as other methods (senate filibuster, gerrymandering) to obstruct and even overrule majorities.  This "tyranny of the minority" has protected the Republican Party and allowed it to move even further to the right.  The authors have pointed criticism for politicians that are "semi-loyal" to democracy: "They do not oppose democracy out of deep-seated principle but are merely indifferent to it. They tolerate or condone antidemocratic extremism because it is the path of least resistance. These politicians often tell themselves they are doing what’s necessary to get ahead. But, ultimately, they become indispensable partners in democracy’s demise."