The Defederalized Democrat - Press Kit

Key facts:

The Defederalized Democrat, by Alexander Moss.

Available May 1st, 2025. The Kindle version is currently available for preorder, with the print version available on May 1st.

PDF and/or ePub (Kindle-compatible ebook) preview copies available. Print copies also available.

For preview copies, scheduling a chat with the author, higher resolution assets, or anything else, reach out to pr@scenarioexploder.com.

Cover Line

A blueprint for rescuing American democracy by reimagining federalism for the 21st century.

One-Sentence Description (140 characters)

The Defederalized Democrat: How shifting power from Washington to states can save democracy and advance progressive goals.

About The Book

"The Defederalized Democrat" presents a bold vision for addressing America's political gridlock through strategic defederalization, allowing states greater autonomy while preserving essential national functions. Drawing on historical patterns of imperial overreach and institutional decay, it offers a pragmatic path forward that respects both progressive and conservative values. The book provides a practical roadmap for transforming conflict into cooperation, turning political deadlock into democratic renewal, and creating a more sustainable American future.

About The Author

Alexander Moss lives in Seattle, WA with his wife, son, two cats and a tank full of fish. He has a B.A. in Political Science, University of California, Davis.

Moss has been writing on this topic (federal/state relationships) since 2022 with the publication of A More Perfect Union (Briefs): Reimagining The United States as a European Union-style Federation. In that book, he examined a scenario in which the United States would add another layer between the states and the federal government.

His latest book, The Defederalized Democrat, vastly expands, updates, and improves that research. It moves from a theoretical "what if" to a more grounded, active analysis.

Teaser Text

America faces a critical crossroads: continue down the path of federal dysfunction and deepening division, or chart a new course toward sustainable governance. "The Defederalized Democrat" challenges conventional thinking about America's future, arguing that our political crisis stems not from partisan differences but from a federal system operating beyond its optimal scale. Drawing on historical patterns of imperial decline, Nobel Prize-winning institutional economics, and successful models of multi-level governance, this book presents a practical vision for constitutional rebalancing. By strategically devolving power to states while preserving essential federal functions, Americans can forge a more responsive, effective, and united political system—one that honors our diverse values while renewing our shared democratic experiment.

25-Word Summary

A strategic blueprint for Democrats to achieve policy goals through state action, bypassing federal gridlock while revitalizing democracy through decentralized, responsive governance.

50-Word Summary

"The Defederalized Democrat" offers a radical yet pragmatic strategy for reform-minded citizens: shift focus from federal to state politics. With structural barriers making Washington increasingly hostile territory for Democratic policy, this book argues state governance delivers tangible results now while building a more responsive, sustainable democracy for tomorrow.

100-Word Summary

As federal gridlock paralyzes Democratic policy, "The Defederalized Democrat" presents a strategic pivot: Democrats should systematically redirect resources and focus to state governance. This book demonstrates how structural barriers at the federal level—from the Senate's small-state bias to lifetime Supreme Court appointments—have created a system increasingly resistant to majority will. Meanwhile, Democratic-led states are implementing bold policies on healthcare, climate, and voting rights. By embracing state power and interstate cooperation, Democrats can deliver tangible benefits now while building more responsive democratic institutions. It's not abandoning federal politics—it's acknowledging where real change happens in today's America.

250-Word Summary

For decades, Democrats have focused on federal politics as the primary arena for change, yet the returns on this investment continue to diminish. "The Defederalized Democrat" offers a bold strategic alternative: systematically shifting Democratic resources, talent, and focus to state governance.

The book meticulously documents how structural barriers at the federal level—the Senate's rural bias, the filibuster, the Electoral College, lifetime Supreme Court appointments—have created a system increasingly resistant to majority will and people-centered policy. As federal agencies face unprecedented threats of dismantling and dysfunction, the need for state-based alternatives has never been more urgent.

Meanwhile, Democratic-led states like California, Washington, and Massachusetts demonstrate how state-led governance can deliver tangible results: state climate initiatives, healthcare expansion, minimum wage increases, and voting rights protections. These state successes stand in stark contrast to federal paralysis.

"The Defederalized Democrat" isn't calling for secession or abandoning federal elections. Rather, it presents a sophisticated strategy for using constitutional mechanisms like interstate compacts to achieve necessary scale while maintaining state autonomy. It outlines practical approaches for transitioning federal programs to state control, developing regional financing mechanisms, and building interstate institutions.

This approach recognizes a fundamental truth: in a continental nation of 330+ million people with profound regional differences, imposing one-size-fits-all policies from Washington inevitably creates resistance. By shifting many policy decisions closer to the people they affect, we can break through our current impasse while still pursuing democratic values.

For citizens frustrated by decades of federal obstruction, this book offers not just analysis but a pragmatic roadmap toward a more democratic, responsive, and sustainable governance model.

500-Word Summary

America stands at a crossroads, with federal dysfunction reaching unprecedented levels as Project 2025 systematically dismantles federal agencies while reform priorities remain blocked despite majority support. "The Defederalized Democrat" offers a paradigm-shifting response to this crisis: a strategic pivot from federal to state governance as the primary arena for Democratic change.

This book meticulously documents the structural barriers Democrats face at the federal level. The Senate's small-state bias gives Wyoming the same representation as California, creating a built-in Republican advantage of 6-7 percentage points. The filibuster transforms the majority threshold from 51 to 60 votes, effectively paralyzing legislation. The Electoral College distorts presidential elections, allowing minority rule. The conservative Supreme Court actively dismantles Democratic precedents and legislation. These aren't temporary obstacles but permanent structural features of our federal system.

Meanwhile, Democratic-led states are delivering remarkable progress. California and Washington establish ambitious climate goals. Massachusetts implements near-universal healthcare coverage. Thirty states raise minimum wages above the federal level. State marijuana legalizations sweep the country despite federal prohibition. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how states could form regional compacts to coordinate responses when federal leadership faltered.

"The Defederalized Democrat" isn't a call for secession or disunion. Instead, it presents a sophisticated strategy for constitutional rebalancing, using interstate compacts and coordinated state action to achieve necessary scale while maintaining democratic responsiveness. The book outlines practical approaches for transitioning federal programs to state control, developing regional financing mechanisms, and building interstate institutions.

This strategy unfolds across three time horizons. In the immediate term (2-4 years), it prioritizes state elections and launches interstate working groups. In the medium term (5-8 years), it implements state-based versions of major federal programs and establishes interstate compacts. In the long term (10+ years), it creates a new model of state-led federalism based on interstate cooperation.

The defederalized approach addresses a fundamental paradox of American governance: as more issues become federalized, state politics increasingly revolves around national symbolic battles rather than local governance. By restoring meaningful state elections focused on deliverable promises rather than symbolic opposition, the defederalized strategy revitalizes democratic accountability.

For individual citizens, this shift has immediate implications. Where you live matters more than ever, as the benefits of residing in a Democratic-led state—from healthcare access to environmental protection, from labor rights to civil liberties—grow increasingly significant. State and local engagement becomes essential, while federal elections remain defensively important.

This approach isn't perfect. It will leave citizens in conservative states with fewer protections and create new challenges of interstate coordination. But in a system increasingly incapable of responding to majority demands at the federal level, it offers the most viable path forward—not just to defend against retrenchment, but to build the society we want to see.

By embracing the defederalized Democrat strategy, reform-minded citizens can deliver tangible benefits now while creating more responsive, democratic institutions for the future—proving that their commitment is not to federal power itself, but to improving people's lives by whatever constitutional means necessary.