This Will Not Pass

Trump, Biden and the Battle for American Democracy

De: Jonathan Martin, Alexander Burns

Narrado por: Dennis Boutsikaris

The “blockbuster” (The Guardian) New York Times bestseller, a shocking, definitive account of the 2020 election and the first year of the Biden presidency by two New York Times reporters, exposes the deep fissures within both parties as the country approaches a political breaking point.

This is the authoritative, “deeply reported” (The Wall Street Journal) account of an eighteen-month crisis in American democracy that will be seared into the country’s political memory for decades to come. With stunning, in-the-room detail, New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns show how both our political parties confronted a series of national traumas, including the coronavirus pandemic, the January 6 attack on the Capitol, and the political brinksmanship of President Biden’s first year in the White House.

From Donald Trump’s assault on the 2020 election and his ongoing campaign of vengeance against his fellow Republicans to the behind-the-scenes story of Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate and his bitter struggles to unite the Democratic Party, this book exposes the degree to which the two-party system has been strained to the point of disintegration. More than at any time in recent history, the long-established traditions and institutions of American politics are under siege as a set of aging political leaders struggle to hold together the changing country.

Martin and Burns break news on most every page, drawing on hundreds of interviews and never-before-seen documents and recordings from the highest levels of government. This “masterful” (George Stephanopoulos) book asks the vitally important (and disturbing) question: can American democracy, as we know it, ever work again?

©2022 Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Oh come on

The reader has no clue how to pronounce notable people's names: Daniel Inouye, Steve Scalise, even Kamala Harris and there are more than just those. It's extraordinarily distracting. The book is good if you can get past that.

A thorough account of the Trump-Biden years

As a fan of political journalism, I expected this rather thick book to be compelling in its depth. Though I would have enjoyed more “scoops,” it did a fine job providing an insider’s view of politics in the era of Trump and the aftermath. A low point for me was the narration. Dennis Boutsikaris, in spite of having a pleasant voice and striking the right tone, seemed to misinterpret passages in the text so frequently that I found myself wincing at times for how little he seemed to either understand or prepare for the recording of this audiobook. With some frequency his delivery was the opposite of the authors’ intent, adding commas where there weren’t any, or overlooking them when he shouldn’t have, emphasizing words he shouldn’t have and delivering with no emphasis at all words that were critical to the understanding of the listener. He routinely forgot what he’d read in the previous sentence, reading the next as though he were delivering surprising new information, when it was merely a recap or alternative take on something the listener already knew. I could’ve written pages of notes about where he misread what was in the text. It seemed Boutsikaris’ only standard for quality was whether his diction was clear, which it unfailingly was. Perhaps I’ve grown too comfortable with narrators who take the time to understand what they’re reading before beginning a recording, but I’ve never listened to an audiobook so rife with errors of inflection. I should hope I won’t encounter another otherwise desirable audiobook with Boutsikaris’ name associated, because it will mean I miss out on hearing it.

Incredibly well reported retelling of events that will be part of American history

It’s difficult for me to assess if my own biases account for my appreciation of this book. I want to believe I am able to view historical events objectively and that the reporting of those events in much greater details with the perspectives of people involved that have a variety of their own biases is also objective. I certainly hope so because this book is excellent as what I believe is an objective account of a crazy period of our history.

The audio version Is awful

Pronunciations are so bad it confuses the story as you have to think about what the narrator is trying to say.
Most of the pronunciations are not complex but the narrator seems intent on making them incorrect.

Excellent and to the point on a seminal time

Loved it...authors got inside the political turmoil of this most difficult political transformation period...to the point...and quite revealing especially in the fractionation of the Democratic party.

More political gossip posing as journalism

Parts were fascinating but most of it was just rehashing what has been said on cable news for years. I thought the hour-long epilog probably said it best, and I wholeheartedly agree with Malcolm Turnbull...the ideological idea of America died in 2016 & when we say "this isn't who we are" it's completely delusional. We are this kind of country who elects these BSC's by either voting for them, or not voting at all. If you voted for them, you got what you wanted. If you didn't vote (not from suppression tactics meant to keep you from it) but out of laziness... then you have no one to blame but yourself. And the state of American click-bait, profiteering, gossipy journalism from the "papers of record" is embarrassing.

Well researched and easily digestible

Great research into key players and some tough topics surrounding the Jan 6th events

Behind the Scenes recordings.

Good information about both political parties. Probably leans a little pro-left. Good actual recordings. Narration was good.

Commanding and compelling

A command and compelling historiography and commentary on the consequences of the 2020 presidential election, including the Jan. 6th insurrection, Trump’s election interference. But also Biden’s first year in office and his administration’s efforts to achieve its major legislation such as infrastructure that involved satisfying members within his party and Republican not beholden to Trump. This is about the machinations of governing in a dysfunctional Congress, about the bewildering hold of members of Congress who have created Trump into a cult of personality, a man that leaders of our Allies fear would destroy our democracy and our leadership in the free world.

Solid book, well rounded

I liked that the book encompassed the end of the Trump administration and beginning of Biden’s. I felt it was well-researched and thorough. However, I’ve listened to a LOT of books about the 45th POTUS, and I didn’t feel this was offered anything revolutionary or novel. It’s well written and composed and narration was pretty good.