Narrator: What if the key to understanding America's national political crisis isn't found in Washington D.C., but in the town dump, the volunteer fire department, and the contentious school budget meetings of a small New England town? What if the bitter, nationalized "civil cold war" that paralyzes the country is a symptom of a much deeper problem, one that begins with how we live our daily lives, how we relate to our neighbors, and whether we still possess the capacity to govern ourselves?

In his profound and timely book, Democracy in Our America: Can We Still Govern Ourselves?, political theorist Paul W. Kahn explores this very premise. He argues that to diagnose the sickness in the American body politic, one must look away from the grand stage of national politics and instead examine the microcosm of local community life. Using his own town of Killingworth, Connecticut, as a political laboratory, Kahn reveals how the erosion of civic engagement and the nationalization of public opinion threaten the very foundations of American democracy.

Narrator: Kahn argues that the political upheaval surrounding the 2016 election was not just another turn of the political cycle, but a "pathological turn" for American democracy. He characterizes the subsequent administration's actions as an attempted "constitutional coup," a process that uses the ordinary institutions of government to fundamentally alter the basic form of government. This was not a military takeover but a systematic dismantling from within.

This coup involved a relentless assault on the pillars of a liberal constitutional order. The administration attacked the independence of the judiciary, dismissed scientific expertise as a basis for policy, and waged a war on the free press, famously labeling it "the enemy of the people." By refusing to cooperate with congressional oversight, purging independent inspectors general, and using the Justice Department to target political opponents, the administration sought to transform the federal government into a personal tool of power, rather than an instrument of public service.

This political strategy, Kahn asserts, turned a long-simmering culture war into a "civil cold war." The nation fractured into two opposing tribes, red and blue, with no sympathy or shared understanding for one another. This division had deadly consequences, most starkly illustrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The administration's politicized and denial-based response, which treated the virus as a problem for its political enemies, led to a catastrophic public health failure. As Kahn grimly notes, in this civil cold war, the casualties became real.

Narrator: To understand how this national dysfunction takes root, Kahn turns his focus to his hometown of Killingworth, Connecticut. With a population of just 6,400, low unemployment, and award-winning schools, Killingworth seems like an idyllic New England town that should be immune to such strife. Yet, it serves as a perfect case study for how national polarization infects local life.

When Kahn arrived in 1996, local politics were largely non-partisan, focused on prudent finance and community well-being. But over two decades, the town's political landscape transformed. Despite its prosperity, Killingworth voted for Donald Trump in 2016. The local elections grew increasingly bitter, mirroring the national divide. This culminated in the 2019 race for First Selectman, the town's chief executive. A candidate named Francesco Lulaj, who had only lived in town for ten years with no history of civic participation, spent an unprecedented $40,000 on his campaign, dwarfing the traditional budget of around $5,000. He centered his campaign on nationalized talking points and was the first person the author heard accuse Hillary Clinton of being a murderer. The election became so contentious that it resulted in a federal lawsuit over ballot access. This episode revealed that even in a stable, prosperous community, the anger and tactics of national politics could infiltrate and poison local governance.

Narrator: What makes Killingworth's situation so precarious is that its entire system of self-governance is built on a fragile tradition of volunteerism. Unlike larger municipalities with professional staff, Killingworth runs on the time and effort of its citizens. The fire department, ambulance association, town boards, and public committees are all staffed by volunteers. For Kahn, this is democracy in its purest form: not just voting, but actively participating in the creation and maintenance of a community.

The development of Parmalee Farm stands as a testament to the power of this ethos. After the town purchased the 132-acre site and formal plans for its use failed, a group of dedicated volunteers took over. They built a community garden, a sugar shack for tapping maple trees, a pavilion for events, and a network of trails. The project, driven entirely by citizen effort, created a vibrant community asset.

However, this tradition is now under severe strain. Kahn recounts a story from 2020 when a tropical storm hit the town. The new, young volunteer emergency management director, overwhelmed by the crisis, failed to communicate with residents and alienated other volunteers. In the middle of the emergency, he quit, stating that he was not getting paid. This incident starkly illustrates the erosion of the civic ethos of selfless service, revealing a shift toward a transactional view of public duty that poses an existential threat to the town's ability to function.

Narrator: The decline in volunteerism is accelerated by the nationalization of public opinion, a phenomenon driven by the collapse of local media and the rise of social media. In Killingworth, the robust regional newspapers that once informed residents about local issues have withered, creating an information vacuum. This void has been filled by national cable news and, most destructively, by local Facebook groups.

Kahn details the story of "Killingworth Stompin' Ground," a Facebook group created in 2015 to foster friendly community exchange. By the 2017 election, it had devolved into a toxic battleground. Members adopted a "Trumpian style" of personal assault, and the founders were subjected to harassment and even threats. The forum became a place where national "red vs. blue" conflicts were fought, with local issues serving as mere proxies. The founders were eventually driven out, and the space remains a site of "intolerable division." This online behavior, where "bullshit" and trolling replace reasoned debate, makes "political friendship"—the mutual respect required for self-governance—impossible. The absurdity of this trend was captured on a campaign sign during a local election that read, "Drain the Killingworth Swamp," a national slogan with no logical application to a volunteer-run town.

Narrator: Despite this grim diagnosis, Kahn does not end in despair. He argues that the solution to America's democratic crisis lies in revitalizing the very local institutions that are under threat. He posits that local self-government can serve as a vital "school for character," cultivating the civic virtues necessary to resist national pathologies.

He points to the 2018 town debate over purchasing the Venuti property, a large parcel of open land. The town meetings were packed with hundreds of residents who engaged in sophisticated, respectful deliberation. Arguments were framed not in terms of national party politics, but through deeply embedded local narratives of individual autonomy versus collective responsibility. Though the purchase was ultimately rejected, the process itself was a model of functioning democracy, proving that when national narratives are set aside, local common sense can still facilitate persuasion and mutual respect.

Kahn concludes that strengthening local democracy requires intentional reform. He suggests re-imagining town meetings as forums for deliberation rather than legislation and professionalizing key government roles to improve accountability. By focusing on local engagement, communities can cultivate the empathy, generosity, and commitment to the public good that are the true foundations of a healthy democracy.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from Democracy in Our America is that democracy is not a self-perpetuating machine. It is a fragile, lived practice that depends entirely on the moral character and active participation of its citizens. The institutional structures of government are hollow shells without an engaged citizenry willing to take responsibility for their shared life. Kahn powerfully argues that these essential civic virtues—empathy, responsibility, and a commitment to persuasion—are not learned from watching cable news, but are forged through the hands-on work of building a community together.

The book leaves us with a profound and challenging question that cuts to the heart of the American experiment. It forces us to look past the national spectacle and into our own communities, asking whether we will be a nation of aggrieved voters, consumed by partisan warfare, or a nation of citizen volunteers, actively working to create and maintain the self-governing communities on which our democracy depends.