What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America

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What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 5,831 ratings · 452 reviews

With a New Afterword by the Author

The New York Times bestseller, praised as "hilariously funny . . . the only way to understand why so many Americans have decided to vote against their own economic and political interests" (Molly Ivins)

Hailed as "dazzlingly insightful and wonderfully sardonic" (Chicago Tribune), "very funny and very painful" (San Francisco Chronicle), and

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Paperback, 332 pages

Published May 1st 2005 by Holt Paperbacks (first published January 1st 2004)

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Feb 21, 2012 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, own, make-you-put-a-gun-in-your-mouth

In the last year I’ve started on a half a dozen books all claiming to explain the marriage of social conservatism and capitalism, this being the second I’ve actually managed to finish (the others written either by some criminally insane conservative whose lunatic ravings caused me to vomit in my mouth by page five or liberals whose smug sense of superiority was palpable.) This one at least was enjoyable, I suppose, yet somewhere about a third of the way in I realized the utter pointlessness of e...more In the last year I’ve started on a half a dozen books all claiming to explain the marriage of social conservatism and capitalism, this being the second I’ve actually managed to finish (the others written either by some criminally insane conservative whose lunatic ravings caused me to vomit in my mouth by page five or liberals whose smug sense of superiority was palpable.) This one at least was enjoyable, I suppose, yet somewhere about a third of the way in I realized the utter pointlessness of expecting one liberal to explain to another, not simply how the Republican party has managed to conflate capitalism and Jesus, but how so many have been taken in by it. The author’s personal biography, following the fortune of his hometown, is rather interesting yet in the end I don’t feel that I walked away with much more understanding. Thomas Frank's strongest argument is simply that the Democrats, in an effort to 'appeal to business', have turned their backs on the unions and working class that have historically supported them, in effect removing economic issues from the debate entirely, leaving only superficial social issues for voters to consider. Yet for me, Frank still doesn't satisfactorily explain the disconnect in today's Tea Party Republicans other than to point out:

"American conservatism depends for its continued dominance and even for its very existence on people never making certain mental connections about the world, connections that where until recently treated as obvious or self-evident everywhere on the planet. For example, the connection between mass culture, most of which conservatives hate, and laissez-faire capitalism, which they adore without reservation. Or between the small towns they profess to love and the market forces that are slowly grinding those small towns back into red-state dust-which forces they praise in the most exalted terms."

After this book I realize the utter pointlessness of looking for a rational answer where one simple doesn't exist, and I doubt I will be reading more books of this type. Still, I feel obligated to give this four stars simply for being ahead of the curve since this was written long before anyone had ever heard of Obama or the Tea Party.(less)

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Oct 02, 2007 Jesse rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who already read a lot of pop culture political theory.

Eh. I don't know about this one. I think it has some good points and insights as to how people living in middle America see the conservative movement as relating to their self interest even when decisions made by that movement are somewhat against their self interest. At the same time I feel like this analysis "others" middle America and assumes something is "the matter" with Kansas as opposed to assuming that perhaps something is wrong with progressive messaging that is not connecting with many...more

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Jun 30, 2008 Nicholas rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people interested in politics, all liberals

A remarkably account of the development of "backlash" politics in the microcosm of Kansas. Thomas Frank asks himself why working-class people would vote against their economic interests to put the Republicans (Reagan, Bush 1, Bush 2) in power, when it would make much more sense to vote for liberals who would improve their educational options and increase progressive taxation. Put simply—why do poor American vote to lower the taxes on the rich? The answer is a little more complicated than this, b...more

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Jan 26, 2008 Belarius rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Americans And Others Curious About America

Shelves: nonfiction-finished, politics, reviewed

Simply put, "What's The Matter With Kansas?" in its latest (paperback) edition, is a book every politically active American should read. What its author, Thomas Frank, lacks in terms of tone (the book is likely to offend some) he overcomes with an incredibly clear-sighted appraisal of the ideological framework of modern conservatives and, to an extent, of America in general.

Frank's opening thesis is that the "new conservatives" that sprang from the 1990s represent a seeming paradox: the poor fur...more Simply put, "What's The Matter With Kansas?" in its latest (paperback) edition, is a book every politically active American should read. What its author, Thomas Frank, lacks in terms of tone (the book is likely to offend some) he overcomes with an incredibly clear-sighted appraisal of the ideological framework of modern conservatives and, to an extent, of America in general.

Frank's opening thesis is that the "new conservatives" that sprang from the 1990s represent a seeming paradox: the poor further impoverishing themselves by electing politicians who place corporate interests over the economic interests of individuals. This support is, as he describes it, passionate and raging:

"This situation may be paradoxical, but it is also universal. For decades, Americans have experienced a populist uprising that only benefits the people it is supposed to be targeting. In Kansas we merely see an extreme version of this mysterious situation. The angry workers, mighty in their numbers, are marching irresistibly against the arrogant. They are shaking their fists at the sons of privilege. They are laughing at the dainty affectations of the Leawoof toffs. They are massing at the gates of Mission Hills, hoisting the black flag, and while the millionaires tremble in their mansions, they are bellowing out their terrifying demands. 'We are here,' they scream, 'to cut your taxes.' "

The ideological phenomenon Frank proceeds to unfold explains how a popular, grassroots movement could act so strikingly against its own interests: what he calls "backlash culture." The basic notion is that, faced with apparent legislative and cultural meddling from a vast and nebulous world of "liberal elites," working-class Americans across the heartland have taken to believing that economic forces are wholly distinct from cultural forces, and that America's problems are the result of cultural and spiritual (rather than, for example, economic) malaise. The economic disconnect is key:

"At the center of it all is a way of thinking about class that both encourages class hostility of the kind we see in Kansas and simultaneously denies the economic basis of the grievance. Class, conservatives insist, is not really about money or birth or even occupation. It is primarily a matter of authenticity, that most valuable cultural commodity. Class is about what one drives and where one shops and how one prays, and only secondarily about the work one does or the income one makes. What makes one a member of the noble proletariat is not work per se, but unpretentiousness, humility, and the rest of the qualities that our punditry claim to spy in the red states that voted for George W. Bush."

The problem, as Frank reiterates in countless forms, is the indignant scorn of the common folk for the sophisticated intellectuals they believe hold society's strings. In every trigger issue (from guns to abortion to evolution), the far right sees its way of life under siege by a pseudo-conspiracy of elite manipulation, and in its efforts to rebuke that elite it has embraced politicians whose first priority is evidently supporting corporate America. This shift to the right is not merely a shift away from the Democrats to the Republicans: it is also a bitter conflict within the Republican party, as the moderate "elite" have come under fire by grassroots ultraconservative candidates.

By the time the book reaches its final point (namely, how Democrats let their base slip away), Frank has already connected the dots, such that we can anticipate the result: The "New Democrats" (both in the Clinton era and in the 2004 election) have chosen to court the center (and, especially, to court corporate America), and in so doing have turned their back on the blue-collar folk who were once their strongest supporters. This betrayal, Frank asserts, is as much a factor as the persuasive rhetoric of the conservatives themselves.

Broadly, the book is brilliant. While Frank makes a strong argument for why (and how) many conservatives will reject his ideas, he nevertheless seems to strive to write in terms that might resonate with them and bring in to question the rhetoric in the way that he (a pro-Reagan youth) once did. Frank's tone is sometimes (perhaps even often) pejorative, but that venom appears largely confined to the many, many hypocrites who play a part in the story. He shows a great deal of snarl, for example, when describing the myriad talking heads of the modern conservative establishment (many of whom could only be described as "upper crust" were it not for their adoption of backlash culture). When describing the "true conservatives" with whom he speaks (the grassroots campaign workers, the part-time activists, and so forth), he shows more warmth and sympathy.

More importantly, this book should be required reading for any left-leaning American who thinks they "understand" the right. Frank presents a sufficiently comprehensive insight into the far right that it becomes much easier to empathize with the sizable segment of America it now represents. Seeped in considerable history (showing, for example, the surprisingly leftist origins of many modern conservative tactics, as well as describing the radical left wing of 19th century Kansas) and apportioned with hefty endnotes, the book is a powerful argument for how we got where we are. (less)

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Feb 02, 2013 Katie rated it 2 of 5 stars

I learned early on that reading the opinion pages of the newspaper was just spitting into the wind. You get so fed up to the point that you have to do something about it, and then you end up making it worse. Much of "What's the Matter with Kansas" was a play-by-play rehashing of the news stories that have helped make Kansas the laughing stock of the nation. While I find Frank's concept of "cultural backlash" interesting, it still doesn't answer the question of "why do rural people continue to el...more

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Sep 14, 2010 Connie Kuntz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Connie by: Jesse Kuntz

Thomas Frank, a Kansas native and former conservative, actually does manage to thoughtfully and fairly answer the title question "What's The Matter With Kansas?" He also does explain how conservatives won the heart of America. More importantly, in my opinion, he got me to analyze why I feel the politics I feel and, ultimately, vote the way I vote. His book has a marvelous way of balancing emotion and logic in political rhetoric. Because of that, I consider this book one of beautiful, swift polit...more Thomas Frank, a Kansas native and former conservative, actually does manage to thoughtfully and fairly answer the title question "What's The Matter With Kansas?" He also does explain how conservatives won the heart of America. More importantly, in my opinion, he got me to analyze why I feel the politics I feel and, ultimately, vote the way I vote. His book has a marvelous way of balancing emotion and logic in political rhetoric. Because of that, I consider this book one of beautiful, swift political prose. I read it twice.

The books is excellent, but truly hits its stride after page 100 or so, especially when he discusses "Plen-T-plaint." Frank defines Plen-T-plaint as "a curious amassing of petty, unrelated beefs with the world. Its purpose is not really to evaluate the hated liberal culture that surrounds us; the plen-T-plaint is a horizontal rather than a vertical mode of criticism, aiming instead to infuriate us with dozens, hundreds, thousands of stories of the many tiny ways the world around us assaults family values, uses obscenities, disrespects parents, foments revolution, and so on. Plen-T-plaint winds us up. It offers no resolution, simply reminding us that we can never win. The plen-T-plaint is the rhetorical device that makes Bill O'Reilly's TV show a hit...."

The author is able to discuss several of the "hot button" topics (you know the ones: abortion, homosexuality, war, religion, taxes, etc.) that drive the political races without, and here is the beauty, getting emotional, divisive and sanctimonious. Instead, he points out the beauty of the topics and their relevance to the interests of top government officials. Brilliant.

Frank writes with energy. In many ways, his work reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell. His analysis is exciting, well thought out and backed up with tons of research. Similar to my "process" with reading Gladwell, I read and enjoyed the footnotes as well as the text.

Finally, I would like to mention that I have always wondered, "Am I really a liberal?" The answer is YES, but I have truly always wondered why because I have never related to (or appreciated) liberal characters on TV, in film, in theatre, or in the paper.

This book helped me understand why very quickly.

It's because the money (Neo-Conservatives) own not only the news, but the entertainment industry as well. It is the Money (not the liberals) who ultimately shape the way society thinks liberals look and behave. It is the Money who ultimately chooses who the stars are. No wonder I have never related to the liberal characters on tv, in film, in music, on the radio (radio shows) or even in theatre. This is something I will think about for a long time.

This book explains how not-so-subtly the entertainment industry undermines and insults the working class at all levels, including the populist sect to the proletariat class.

The sections on Media Spin and entertainment industry standards and guidelines opened my eyes so much. Of course I already knew the media was controlled by the corporations, but I never realized just how much influence that money really has. It's not liberals who fund the newspapers or the entertainment industry. Nope.

Anyway, this is a terrific book. It is a fair analysis of many aspects of politics. It is not as "left" as the title suggests. I would love to read a book like this about Rockford and all of Illinois.

(less)

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Dec 20, 2007 Moxie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: these-suck-read-at-your-own-risk

I know this is supposed to be a great book, but, as a Kansan, I had a hard time getting past Thomas Frank's apparent bitterness about all things Kansas. Its an interesting assessment as to how Kansas got so Red. However, things have been changing significantly in this state over the last few elections so its no longer very insightful about the current state of Kansas politics.

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Oct 14, 2008 Abigail rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone Seeking to Understand the Notion of "Values Voting"

Shelves: politics

Review Temporarily Removed.

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Jun 18, 2012 Clif rated it 5 of 5 stars

I hope you will read this book before the next presidential election. Though it was written in 2004, its premise is confirmed by the rise of Sarah Palin, the capture of the Republican nomination by Mitt Romney and the actions of President Obama.

Thomas Frank, with his usual penetrating insight into American society, examines why a group of people near the lower end of the economic order in this country would be attracted to a party that consistently supports policies that hurt that very same grou...more I hope you will read this book before the next presidential election. Though it was written in 2004, its premise is confirmed by the rise of Sarah Palin, the capture of the Republican nomination by Mitt Romney and the actions of President Obama.

Thomas Frank, with his usual penetrating insight into American society, examines why a group of people near the lower end of the economic order in this country would be attracted to a party that consistently supports policies that hurt that very same group of people.

Simply put, the Republicans have discovered they can separate cultural issues (abortion, gay-rights, private schooling, etc.) from economic issues (the progressive income tax, corporate regulation and influence, etc.) and win economic legislative victories that benefit the folks at the top by employing the culture-directed energies of the folks at the bottom. The rage of the Christian right that fuels this perverse arrangement he terms the backlash.

Frank is concerned not just that the Republicans are using folks, characteristic of politicians of all stripes throughout history, but also that the Democrats have abandoned Joe Average to his economic plight, while striving to appear centrist to business interests. This leaves the traditional Democratic voters, working people, powerless to defend their economic interests because they have no candidate that represents those interests. Barack Obama is the perfect example of this. He offered "hope" and claimed "we are the change we have been waiting for" then proceeded to outdo George W. Bush as a warrior, opponent of American rights, and obedient servant to Wall Street.

But it's not just that traditional Democratic voters have no one to vote for, it's that many of them vote Republican, the traditional party of the wealthy.

Frank speculates that things will only get worse. If the economic devastation already suffered cannot gain on the cultural issues that so drive the backlash, more degradation of the middle and working class can only be expected to provide more rage and self-righteousness among those who feel they are being slighted by "the elite". It's no accident that those who claim to follow Jesus, someone they see as a martyr, would find comfort in seeing themselves in the same put-upon situation.

Frank makes the telling point that the things seen on TV that drive the religious right crazy are not the product of a liberal media out to destroy America, but the direct result of television business decisions that produce shows people watch. Those decrying the trash on TV, but viewing it all the same, are the very audience that sponsors want to reach and the reason why titillation and stretching the envelope in what is aired continues. It is this product of the free market that the right so loves which gives them the stuff they claim to hate.

Emotion has been disconnected from reason. Showing the fallacies in the claims of the rabid conservative base has no effect, nor do they notice the abandonment of the drive to clean up the culture once politicians who claim they will do so are elected. The irrationality of the little guy voting Republican continues regardless of real events which show how counterproductive it is.

When people become irrational beyond reach then democracy becomes a nightmare, no guarantor of freedom.

Conservative personalities such as Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Hannity, Beck and Coulter ride the wave of popularity, becoming rich themselves while stoking the rage that feeds on a sense of victimization. The Republican genius is that it has re-directed rage. Instead of anger at the actual elite that take the dollars and leave people jobless, the working stiff roars at a red herring constructed by the GOP - the liberal elite. Listeners become indignant on a daily basis along with the hosts but, unlike the hosts, when the show is over they have no income to show for it, only reinforced rage all the more stoked for being impotent to make material things better for those who feel it.

Frank has a keen sense of humor that plays very well throughout the book, but most important he has fully grasped the subject and makes it plain to the reader.(less)

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Jul 17, 2008 M rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics

Holy cow I hated this book.

This was really an unpleasant experience, I’m glad it’s over. I read the book because I am moving to Kansas and figured it would be a useful introduction to the state’s political dynamic. I was expecting an analysis that I would likely not be very sympathetic to, but I was still disappointed. The book is not so much analysis as explanation -- explanation as to what is going on in flyover country, from the perspective of a committed, doctrinaire, old school liberal. The...more Holy cow I hated this book.

This was really an unpleasant experience, I’m glad it’s over. I read the book because I am moving to Kansas and figured it would be a useful introduction to the state’s political dynamic. I was expecting an analysis that I would likely not be very sympathetic to, but I was still disappointed. The book is not so much analysis as explanation -- explanation as to what is going on in flyover country, from the perspective of a committed, doctrinaire, old school liberal. The book is not intended to win converts, it is a sermon meant only for the choir.

The book’s thesis is that blue collar workers have been duped into voting for conservatives against their economic interests. Conservatives have accomplished this by resorting to cultural wedge issues, leading the gullible masses like the Pied Piper to their own financial destruction. The author does not waste a moment’s energy explaining why liberal economic policies are better for workers than conservative policies. In typically liberal fashion, he just proceeds from that assumption, believing that to be so self-evident that his entire premise can be built upon it beginning at page 1, as though it were a proven law of physics like gravity that would be absurd to even take the time to demonstrate. The book is not meant to explain liberal economic theory. It is intended to explain to devotees of liberal economic theory why blue collar workers in Kansas and other places are voting with the Republican Party that is selling them out to corporations (another Copernican principle).

In reality, the whole book is a portrait of one man’s cognitive dissonance. He caricatures conservative leaders as fire-breathing rageaholics that gain power by ignoring economic issues and convincing rural rubes that America is going to hell in a handbasket. Yet the author’s entire premise is that America is going to hell in a handbasket, and his tone seethes with anger from cover to cover. He sounds like fellow Chicagoan Michelle Obama (the author long ago fled the land he loves so much) when he says, “In its implacable bitterness, Kansas….is where America finds that its soul….has gone all sour and wrong.” (p. 36) But with a straight face, he insists over and over and over again that conservatives are the ones peddling grievance and loathing for what America has become. Conservatives are the ones selling anger, and they are the ones that demonize their opponents as Nazis. Of course, anyone who has turned on a television in the last eight years and watched the hysterical left burn Bush/Cheney in effigy (Bush is Hitler, Digital Brownshirts, etc. etc.) will wonder who is being delusional.

One of his core arguments is that a favorite and effective trick of conservatives is to caricature liberals as east coast snobs that cannot comprehend the values of middle America. Yet the entire book is essentially an indictment of rural and blue collar workers in middle America voting illogically and buying conservative snake oil to their own detriment – in other words, we have a fancy, educated, big city book-writing type mocking the idea that middle Americans are scorned by his kind, while in the same breath he is scorning them for their values and for the lunacy they subscribe to. Hmmm….

Then there are the laughable moments, like when, in a litany of egregious acts perpetrated by conservatives, he speaks of denying women the right to vote (apparently a female legislator spoke sympathetically of this concept) and selling the Kansas Turnpike in the same breathe. Of course, when a person exalts the economic above all else and belittles the concerns of “values voters,” as the author does, a person might find these two ideas equally sinister. His complete and utter incomprehension of why people might protest the abortion industry is almost flaunted (he refers to trucks bearing pictures of broken fetuses in protest of abortion as being representative of the “dark side” of Wichita, without apparently even considering that the gruesome late-term abortions being performed there against the will of the majority might be the dark side! p. 57)

The author tries to separate himself from other liberal diatribes, but in the end he can’t resist falling back on the tired old polemics that the left has employed to such great success for 40 years. Here’s a newsflash: conservatives are racist! After making a halfhearted attempt to deny that this is the case, that there is in fact something else going on here, he just can’t help himself. Reagan, Bush, Gingrich, etc. are all spoken of in the same breath as George Wallace. He makes a valiant attempt to chart a different course from the liberal boilerplate, but like a moth to the flame, he cannot help himself and in the end surrenders.

Whether it’s citing Elliot Spitzer approvingly or claiming that gay marriage is an “illusory threat” (because it is already illegal), this book should not be read as a reliable guide of things to come. It is really just a bunch of crazy anecdotes about crazy people doing and saying crazy things (which proves so much), but it is all in service of a single idea – and that idea is “the borderline criminality of capitalism itself.” (p. 47). Does he explain why? No. Why would he? Does he explain why the sun is yellow? It just is, and everyone knows it is. Corporate Republicans understand the insidious nature of the market better than anyone, that is why they tolerate crazy conservatives – their insanity allows rich men to control the means of production and exploit the proletariat. And conservative values are little more than the opium of the people.

In substance, “What’s the Matter with Kansas” is little more than a latter-day Marx reader. In style it is pure screed. The author is apparently angry that the United States has experienced the greatest era of prosperity in history over the last 25 years. He is angry that when he visits Kansas from Chicago, things don’t look the same as they did when he is a kid.

I’m angry too. I just spent valuable time reading “Kansas for Dummies.”(less)

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Jan 02, 2008 Sean rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book has got to be one of the most read (or at least most discussed) political commentary texts of the last ten years. It seems like everyone I know is familiar with the thesis – that Kansas is an example of what is strange (and Frank thinks, wrong) about American electoral politics – people will vote against their economic interests if they think such voting is in line with their moral concerns. So, though the Republican party shits all over working class people, they will continue to vote...more

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Oct 12, 2007 Christina rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who can read and cares about our country.

Shelves: all-time-favorites

This is the most entertaining and insightful political book I've ever read. Even if it's not your thing, you need to check it out.

Thomas Frank tells the story of how conservative douchebags convinced people in middle-America (Kansas being the best example) that elite, snobby, French, liberal homosexual-atheists from the East Coast would come one day to kidnap their kids to turn them gay AND force them to have abortions (all at the same time) - UNLESS, and this is a big UNLESS - everyone started...more

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Jul 22, 2007 Craig rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: politicscurrentaffairs

This book may be the most insightful and prophetic book I've ever read.

Frank examines the post-2004 Democratic Party's relationship with residents of the Heartland, which mirrors the Party's complicated relationship with Americans. Frank argues that Kansas voters -- like the rest of America -- have been forced to engage the Republican Party's message of God, guns, and gays, while the Democrats stand by, watching these voters vote for this divisive agenda at the expense of their own quality of li...more

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May 17, 2007 Abe Brennan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thomas Frank advances the argument that schismatic activity within both major American parties has resulted in the shifting of traditional blue collar/middle class votes from Democrat to Republican. He contends that a new breed of conservative, religious-professing politicians use cultural issues to obfuscate class concerns. This negation of class in political debate then results in lower and middle class voters keeping those people in power who exploit them (the voters) financially while paying...more Thomas Frank advances the argument that schismatic activity within both major American parties has resulted in the shifting of traditional blue collar/middle class votes from Democrat to Republican. He contends that a new breed of conservative, religious-professing politicians use cultural issues to obfuscate class concerns. This negation of class in political debate then results in lower and middle class voters keeping those people in power who exploit them (the voters) financially while paying lip service to their (the voters’) conservative concerns. This is a fantastic book on several levels: 1) Frank is a great writer who combines a knack for alliterative turns of phrase with an acerbic wit for a very satisfying effect. The unfortunately clunky syntax found in many political analyses is decidedly not in evidence. 2) His thesis: the Republican Party is essentially made up of two factions, one moderate and one conservative. The moderates are the educated, professional, upper middle class—people with a pro-business mindset but liberal-esque outlook on social matters (e.g. they believe in evolution, pro-choice, etc.). The conservatives are made up of rank and file middle/lower middle class folks who believe the country is in the midst of a headlong flight to moral annihilation; these people, many of them former Democratic-voting blue collar tradespeople, vote for politicians who side with them on polemic but largely unsolvable social issues. The conservatives also include the charlatan politicians who are only too happy to pander to the social issues that rile their constituency but enact economic policies that screw their rank and file while enriching the corporate community. All of the rank and file’s woes are blamed on the liberal elite (Hollywood, New York intellectuals, academia, etc.). The moderate Republicans, while embarrassed by some of the conservatives’ more ridiculous antics (e.g. Intelligent Design, Terri Schiavo, etc.), nevertheless find their swollen bank accounts an adequate salve. While diametrically opposed to their agenda, Frank evinces a grudging admiration for the true blue, rank and file conservatives, whose mobilizing tactics are a pure expression of grass roots democracy. Frank holds the charlatans in utter disdain while his judgment of the moderates is a mixed bag: he dislikes their corporate mentality, the adherence to free market solutions to every problem, but thinks of them as more ingenuous than the elite hypocrites that head up the conservatives. The most fascinating thing about this analysis is his explanation of why class doesn’t figure into American political discourse (i.e. red scare hangover plus blustering popinjays plus histrionic morality equals accusations of liberal über-lordship and evisceration of anyone with the temerity to broach the subject). This is a critique of capitalism: Frank is genuinely dismayed by the exploitative cycles systems such as ours perpetuate. While his analysis is redolent with its principles (though he pulls from a mixed critical bag), he refrains from using the M word (Marxism), and who can blame him, what with the vindictive political climate we find ourselves in? (less)

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May 21, 2008 keith koenigsberg rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

A scathing polemic diatribe, this book discusses how the conservatives have won the hearts and minds of a state which, by any of the author's yardsticks, ought to vote liberal. Frank is preaching to choir with me. However, even as I sit on his side of the fence, I could not help but fault this book for a)lack of humor (the tone is as screechingly accusatory as any of the conservative pundits he enjoys bashing) b)lack of economic, scientific, or other logical background. He sets up the chapters w...more

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Aug 23, 2007 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who wants to know why our country is going to the toilets

Shelves: non-fiction

Ever wonder why Middle America suddenly likes "Republicans"? Well, Thomas Frank knows why. Basically, they lie about what they really care about, telling farmers and such that they want to bring back the "values of the old days." What they really want to do is line the pockets of big businesses at the expense of the very people who vote for them.
It's not all Republicans. The Moderates are actually alright people. It's the Conservatives that are really the evil here.
Franks put a lot of time and t...more

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Oct 30, 2008 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book explains why some people constantly vote against their own well being. I think it shows that we as Americans are never satisfied with what we have and are always wanting more,... nicer house, nicer car, newer clothes, anything that makes us feel better and more important than the people down the street. Frank goes into detail about how the "true" republican conservatives from Kansas were shocked and caught by surprise by the quick rise of the "Moral Majority" and other quack groups. He...more

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Jan 02, 2008 Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I was disappointed with this book. When I read a serious book I expect it to be serious--if I wanted a screed I'd read Michael Moore (who, frankly, is more entertaining, if also more crazy). Basically, the problem with this book is the writer can't decide who his audience is--is he writing a serious scholarly work, or a Frankenish dismantling of the right? Rich seems to want to write a "fair and balanced" account of the hard right turn Kansas politics has taken, but the book comes across with to...more

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Mar 30, 2009 Stop added it

Shelves: interviewees

Read the STOP SMILING interview with Thomas Frank:

We're Not in Kansas Anymore
By JC Gabel

Whether Thomas Frank has enough time to think about it or not, he is a hero to underground publishers. He's also an author, a lecturer and, on most afternoons, an outspoken social critic.

Fifteen years ago, Frank started The Baffler, a journal of cultural criticism, in his undergraduate dorm room at the University of Virginia. The Baffler's intelligent look at American culture immediately garnered a fervent r...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Dan Allosso rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

I know, this was published in 2004, so why am I only getting to it now? Well...I am getting to it...

The basic question behind What’s the Matter with Kansas, that frames the introduction, is this liberal astonishment: how can anyone who’s ever worked for someone else vote Republican? But the problem with the liberals is, they can ask a question like this with a straight face. To explain this situation, Frank says, maybe they were pushed by Bill Clinton and his patently insincere concern and his c...more I know, this was published in 2004, so why am I only getting to it now? Well...I am getting to it...

The basic question behind What’s the Matter with Kansas, that frames the introduction, is this liberal astonishment: how can anyone who’s ever worked for someone else vote Republican? But the problem with the liberals is, they can ask a question like this with a straight face. To explain this situation, Frank says, maybe they were pushed by Bill Clinton and his patently insincere concern and his contempt for anyone who was not Ivy League. I think he’s onto something here, but again, this is still just the rhetorical veneer. Maybe regular people see through a lot of the BS and posturing, and know these guys are doing nothing for them in Washington.

So the key, Frank says, is that cultural anger is marshalled by the Repubs, to achieve economic ends. That basically, modern ultra-conservatism is a propaganda move on the part of corporations and their cronies in government, to distract their constituents from the real issues, and wave the red sheet in front of the bull. These hot-button issues have little or nothing to do with the interests and goals of the corporations — but then again, they have little or nothing to do with the economic needs or interests of the people, either. They’re just the bloody shirt, all over again.

Will historians be able to show that the Repubs have ever been about anything else? When Richard John discussed the telegraph monopolists and their opponents, he said Tammany Hall used the anti-monopoly issue as a way of mobilizing people and gaining supporters, even though the politicians really were only interested in power — and that people realized this. Puck Magazine published editorial cartoons with regular folks standing between the Tammany politicos and the spider of Jay Gould’s monopoly, with nowhere to turn. So how widespread was this understanding that the “issues” of the day were merely opportunities for politicians to differentiate themselves from each other?

“Because some artist decides to shock the hicks by dunking Jesus in urine, the entire planet must remake itself along the lines preferred by the Republican Party, U.S.A.” Almost makes you wonder whether the shock-artists aren’t part of the machine? “You vote to stop abortion and you receive a roll-back in capital gains taxes.” Beautifully put.

Kansas food deserts. What? See post here...

So his thesis about class is that the Repubs have redefined it, so that class is not based on economic or even power differences, but on “authenticity.” John Kerry’s wealth makes him an elitist because he’s a snob, and George W. Bush’s wealth doesn’t register, because he doesn’t like French wine. It’s pathetic that people are taken in by this, but equally sad that anyone would attempt to defend John Kerry. Really? Is that all we have to choose from? And isn’t that our real problem?

All claims from the right, Frank says, arise from a sense (or at least a pose) of victimhood. Okay, but don’t all claims in American politics arise from a sense of victimhood? Isn’t this what Heather Cox Richardson and Patricia Limerick were talking about? Are all these political fights really about seeing who gets to wear the label of the “true victims of America?” One of the points of these cultural battles, Frank says, is that they can never be won. The leaders have chosen causes that are lost, because they’re the gift that keeps on giving. If there’s a chance of winning, then you have a whole different type of energy. This is the lesson of the 2008 election — “Hope” and “Change” will hurt Obama in the long run. The conservative machine is much smarter. Their objective is not to win, but to continue to mobilize outrage. After all, the politicians who fail to deliver can be cast aside and replaced by others. This isn’t a program for the benefit of politicians, it’s a program for the corporations.

Frank suggests comparing the rhetoric of the rabid conservatives with 1930s communist writer Mike Gold’s language, which might be fun to do at some point. The difference, he suggests, is that once you drain the economics out of these arguments, you have very little explanatory power left. But why should that be a problem? The game isn’t about explanation, it’s about anger.
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Aug 27, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club, politics

The October selection for the U of C alumni book club: in honor of the season.

***

Too ranty for me. If I wanted to read outraged tirades, I could read blogs or op-ed pieces; when I read books, I want nuanced arguments supported by careful consideration of the evidence.

For example, the introduction uses the word "derangement" at least four times, to describe the support of the Republican party (pro rich-businesses, anti poor-people) by rural counties in the Midwest filled with poor people. "Derang...more The October selection for the U of C alumni book club: in honor of the season.

***

Too ranty for me. If I wanted to read outraged tirades, I could read blogs or op-ed pieces; when I read books, I want nuanced arguments supported by careful consideration of the evidence.

For example, the introduction uses the word "derangement" at least four times, to describe the support of the Republican party (pro rich-businesses, anti poor-people) by rural counties in the Midwest filled with poor people. "Derangement" is a strong word that I associate with Batman villains: if you're going to use that word, you had better have good evidence. But, if the author has that good evidence, he doesn't really bother to show it. I would much prefer an approach that showed the reader the evidence that the GOP's policies are anti poor, rural people, and then allowed that reader to develop her own outrage.

This book does have footnotes, but, like a first-year hum paper, reserves them for evidence supporting the obvious: for example, that the geographical area of the counties that voted for Bush in 2000 is larger than that of the counties that voted for Gore, by a factor of 4:1. No, I didn't think I needed to read that footnote to know that, but fine: this is where Thomas Frank gets really patronizing: he actually says, "You think this is so obviously irrelevant that no one in their right mind would ever bring it up?", and goes on to cite an online article that does just that. But no, I don't need a citation to know that some online articles fixate on irrelevant points. I've seen the "Bush Country" t-shirts (on members of my own family). And, in fact, I suspect most people who would pick up this book have seen them, too: indeed, I thought that was the very question that the book is purporting to answer.

Life is too short to read terrible books, so I'm quitting.

I'm also not really convinced of the value of a group of people mostly uniform in their political outlook (such as our book club) getting together to discuss a book that reinforces our beliefs.(less)

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Aug 24, 2012 Timothy Riley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 20th-century-us-history

This was a well researched book, but it could have been organized a bit better. I sometimes was unsure of what point Frank was trying to make with his evidence. It did strike home how conservatives have articulated their message much better to the working class. They are more organized and have had a long term strategy for some time now. Meanwhile the Dems have almost made it their point to alienate the working people. The last chapter of the book was one of the best. It made the point that over...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Will Caskey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics

This book is an interesting history lesson with a puerile conclusion. In fact the conclusion- a boilerplate complaint that Democrats should get back to [Frank's personal vision of] old school liberal populism can just be ignored. It doesn't add anything to the book and you'll think less of that general argument as well as Frank after reading it. The rest of the book is MOSTLY free of the heavy-handed morality tale. It does pop up with the distinct whiff of condescension when Frank discusses what...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Brenda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics

Worth it for some history and to understand its strong place in our collective discourse.

The nut of my problem with this argument is the idea that people vote against their interests. It's not my place, or Mr. Frank's, or anyone's, to tell people what their interests are or ought to be. It's our place to ask, and Mr. Frank doesn't. He seems to assume that money interests are (and should be?) more important than cultural interests, and I never made it past that assumption. No matter what label so...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Dale rated it 3 of 5 stars

Well-written, entertaining but fails to live up to the title

Published by Metropolitan Books in 2004.

Thomas Frank stated purpose in What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America is to tell how Conservatives won the hearts of the working class, the middle class and the rich all at the same time. His answer is that rich, Republican elites throw up red herring issues (abortion and gay marriage are two that he mentions frequently) that bamboozle the working poor and the m...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Carla Perry rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book made me more depressed. It shows how the Conservatives have gone backward – they fight to remove their safety laws, reduce taxes on the wealthy and corporations, destroy unions, and in the process, are causing their own pay to go down, civic services to disappear, towns to go bankrupt, stores to close. And yet they become hysterical and willing to use their every last penny to denounce anyone who is Pro-Choice. Abortion and homosexuality are the big issues. Destruction of our living st...more

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May 14, 2012 Nicola rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics, non-fiction, gift

I thought this book might be a bit of a gimme for a Daily Show liberal such as myself. Blah blah blah blue-collar folks who vote Republican because they think they’ll win the lottery soon blah blah. In fact, I found it much more revelatory. It really does a fantastic job of unpicking the central question: why does middle America vote against its own economic interests?

The answer is multi-layered, but basically the answer is that the Republicans have succeeded in separating economics from class....more

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Mar 28, 2012 Nebuchadnezzar rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics-and-political-philosophy

Frank's deconstruction of the tropes generated by what he calls "backlash" conservatism are often acerbic and witty. The "plen-T-plaint" is really the summation of Bill O'Reilly-style punditry in which outrage is manufactured over often non-existent entities, such as the alleged "War on Christmas." Some public school in Podunk changed the name of Christmas break to "winter break"? Let me clutch my pearls and grab the smelling salts!

The gaping flaw in Frank's book, though, is that his thesis is s...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Kira rated it 4 of 5 stars

Throughout the book, Frank talks a lot about conservatives’ genius focus on the un-winnable culture war, their railing against abortion and atheism and smutty television and all manner of things that a) they have no intention of changing when actually in office and b) are in many cases created by the very big businesses they claim to love so much. As a true fan of smut, I can say that this was for me the book’s most fun irony. Is that gay kid on Glee ruining the collective psyche of your preciou...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Bojana Duke rated it 4 of 5 stars

I initially approached this book with some skepticism. His premise seemed so extreme and unlikely (I mean, how could people really behave/think so illogically) but when I started considering the response to the financial meltdown (as in, there was no response)and the other absurdities in our government/politics, I realized this was all too real.

I've wondered for a long time what drives Republican politics - what philosophy/root issues. While this book didn't completely answer that question (it...more

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About Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank is the author of What’s the Matter with Kansas? and One Market Under God. The founding editor of The Baffler and a contributing editor at Harper’s, he is also a Wall Street Journal weekly columnist. He has received a Lannan award and been a guest columnist for The New York Times. Frank lives in Washington, D.C.

More about Thomas Frank...

Books by Thomas Frank

The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule

Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right

Commodify Your Dissent: Salvos from The Baffler

The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism

One Market Under God: Extreme Capitalism, Market Populism, and the End of Economic Democracy

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“...the people at the top know what they have to do to stay there, and in a pinch they can easily overlook the sweaty piety of the new Republican masses, the social conservatives who raise their voices in praise of Jesus but cast their votes for Caesar.” — 5 people liked it

“There’s a reason you probably haven’t heard much about this aspect of the heartland. This kind of blight can’t be easily blamed on the usual suspects like government or counterculture or high-hat urban policy. The villain that did this to my home state wasn’t the Supreme Court or Lyndon Johnson, showering dollars on the poor or putting criminals back on the street. The culprit is the conservatives’ beloved free-market capitalism, a system that, at its most unrestrained, has little use for smalltown merchants or the agricultural system that supported the small towns in the first place....” — 2 people liked it

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