# How American Politics Went Insane **URL:** **By** Jonathan Rauch, Trevor Burrus, Aaron Ross Powell **Published:** July 22, 2016 --- Jonathan Rauch joins us for a discussion on the current political landscape in America. Why are we seeing so many renegade political actors these days? How did everything get so crazy in American politics? Are political renegades like Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Bernie Sanders the new norm? Are political machines, pork-barrel spending, logrolling, and professional politicians necessary for our democracy to work? Are they necessary for political coordination and cooperation? What does Rauch mean by "political realism"? **Show Notes and Further Reading** Rauch's study on this topic, [_Political Realism: How Hacks, Machines, Big Money, and Back-Room Deals Can Strengthen American Democracy_](http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2015/05/political-realism-rauch) is available as a .pdf or a free ebook. Rauch also wrote the cover article of the July/August 2016 issue of _The Atlantic_, "[How American Politics Went Insane](http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/07/how-american-politics-went-insane/485570/)."