It seems that we need someone with proven real world experience, not another politician.

But when you start thinking of parts, well then there are far too many excellent writers who understand politics and American politics and government and law and culture, etc. and from whom you could cull an essay here or there for your purposes. I need not list names here.

When it comes to synoptic books–let alone synoptic books by legendary professors–then it is hard to say. I assume you want the breadth of a text book, but with the serious point of view and argument that shows an awareness of political philosophy to boot. This is hard to do. Sandel’s Democracy’s Discontent fits this bill, but I’m not sure at the end of the day how good it is. His book Justice raises all sorts of interesting and profound conundrums, but if you use it, I fear you may get bogged down in the ethics of price gouging without ever getting anywhere else. However, that may be appropriate.

Finding a good synoptic book is difficult. For instance, I learned much from reading VL Parrington, but I would never assign that book except for a PhD student. It generalizes from an obvious and perhaps dated point of view. Economic determinism fought out between so-called Jeffersonian and Hamiltonian positions only goes so far. You may as well read Herbert Croly even if he is not as comprehensive in his knowledge of the actual literature as Parrington. The same might be said for Beard, Becker, Hofstadter, Hartz, etc., and that only includes synoptic approaches to American politics.

Pangle’s book on the Ennobling of Democracy is good, but assumes a lot of prior reading too. And when it comes to synoptic and legendary, Lasch’s The True and Only Heaven certainly fits. Who has carried on his concern for what he calls “populism” since him–and I don’t mean the Lawrence Goodwyn take on populism.

As far as liberals go Walzer and Sandel are good. James P. Young’s Reconsidering American Liberalism is useful and comprehensive. More tendentious but instructive from the liberal end is John McGowan’s American Liberalism. But neither Young nor McGowan are legendary. Regarding the founding there are the very good books by Alan Gibson.

Perhaps you ought to stick to your own collection of primary sources in American Political Rhetoric and then allow those pieces to be occasions for which you could fill in the blanks.

Of course, all this raises a good question regarding what is a really good synoptic book on politics, and since I’ve focused on it–American politics.