Customer Reviews

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

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In his book 1984, George Orwell described the state of perpetual war in his fictional future society by saying that the war wasn't meant to be won, it was only meant to be continuous. In WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS?, Thomas Frank illustrates how, and how effectively, the neoconservative right has implemented Orwell's concepts via a neverending war over culture and values.

Using his home state of Kansas as the model and focal point, Frank asks rhetorically why it is that Kansans so willingly espouse right-wing social issues (creationism, defunding public schools, prayer in schools, pro-life) while simultaneously allowing their state to become economically devastated by Republican free market policies of unfettered, unregulated capitalism. In other words, why do Kansans (and many other Red Staters) vote consistently against their pocketbooks, against their own economic self-interest?

With great specificity, Frank illustrates these behaviors and their devastating economic consequences by describing individuals and communities in Kansas. These are some of the strongest parts of his book, since they demonstrate through real people and real towns how life has changed, and continues to change, under Republican conservative rule. If anything, Frank could use more of these examples, particularly more description of some of the small towns and communities in his state that are dying a slow and tortured economic death. Regardless, the examples given convey the sense that Kansans are voting Red even as they vote themselves economically dead.

Frank correctly ascribes this seemingly self-contradictory behavior to the idea that Conservatives have discovered a means to incite permanent "backlash" among the Red Staters through culture wars. Whatever the issue, whether it's Janet Jackson's right breast or gay marriage in Massachusetts, Conservative politicians whip up fierce indignation and activism by threatening the loss of American moral values to the eastern, intellectual elite who support the denigration of those values and the denial of moral absolutes. And, as Frank points out, despite years of bitter denunciation, almost nothing has changed. The war rages on, but the Conservatives rarely win even a skirmish.

By focusing attention on culture issues, the Conservatives not only distract their followers from economic concerns, they remove capitalism itself as an issue. For Red Staters, capitalism is a natural force, and free markets are an absolute good. Concerns about environment, globalization, estate taxes, Wal-Martization, health and welfare all disappear, since laissez-faire is an inviolable principle. Capitalism cannot and must not be regulated in this worldview, and any restrictions and regulations designed to "thwart" it are necessarily wrong if not evil. The fact that culture itself -- MTV, Hollywood, Howard Stern, Fear Factor -- is a capitalist product that follows the same profit motivations goes unnoticed. In Kansas, as in most places, there is no connection in people's minds between culture and capitalism.

Frank has put his thumb directly on the source of America's current problems, the so-called Red State, Blue State divide. As I write this review on July 9, 2004, the United States remains embroiled in Iraq and Afghanistan, our standing in the world is at an all-time low, Tom Ridge is warning against another imminent Al-Qaeda attack, the country is hemorrhaging jobs, young kids can less and less afford to go to college, gas and milk prices have soared to all-time highs, working men and women can't make ends meet even with two or more jobs, millions are without health insurance, the President claims the power to arrest and detain anyone he chooses without legal representation, and our education system is becoming enslaved to meaningless standardized tests. What solutions does our Republican President and Republican legislative branch offer? The Senate is too busy preparing for an all-out legislative war over a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to worry about real problems. The newspaper every day tells us just how correct Thomas Frank is in his analysis. Kansas isn't just Kansas, Kansis is us!

Anyone who truly wants to understand today's upside-down political world, who wants to understand how middle class people can enthusiastically support tax cuts that give them nothing and the rich more money and power, should read WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS? Mr. Frank offers clear and straightforward explanation of this bizarre phenomenon, and his insights and implications should send chills down the spines of those who espouse a free, fair, and open society. To quote Frank's closing line: that the "fever-dream of martyrdom that Kansas follows today...invites us all to join in, to lay down our lives so others might cash out at the top; to renounce forever our middle-American prosperity in pursuit of a crimson fantasy of middle-American righteousness." How much better can it be said?

This is one of the most insightful analyses of the contemporary political scene in the United States that I have read. I am writing this on the morning following a presidential election whose outcome is probably going to baffle a host of well informed, issue-oriented Americans for sometime. Thomas Frank, however, provides marvelous keys for understanding what has transpired, and also should provide some warnings to Democrats concerning how the political landscape has been transformed in recent decades.

Frank wants to explain a dilemma. On the one hand, the Republican Party has embraced a set of policies and enacted a wide range of legislation that hurts most Americans economically and provides a benefit to only a very small segment of the American population. Statistics provided by the Fed and the IRS have documented over the past twenty-five years a sharp and dramatic concentration of wealth in the upper one percent of the population. For instance, in 1979 20% of the national wealth as defined by the Federal Reserve was concentrated in the top 1%, while in 1997 39% was, and with the three rounds of Bush tax cuts focused on primarily benefiting the wealth and our largest corporations, it is not hard to imagine that that figure might have climbed to 45% or higher. And yet Americans continue to vote for members of a party that seems to be dedicated to intensifying that trend (a large number in the GOP are now talking about a national sales tax and eliminating the income tax-as opposed to Europe, which has a value added tax but also a tax on the wealthy, which is not what is being suggested here-which would dramatically increase this shift of wealth away from the middle class). How is this possible?

By examining the political scene in his home state of Kansas, Frank is able to show how Republicans have managed to attract a vast segment of the American population by fomenting culture wars, by fixating millions on issues that resonate deeply such as abortion, gun rights, gay rights, defense of marriage amendments, nonexistent religious persecution (as seen in the absurd GOP letters mailed in Arkansas, West Virginia, and elsewhere that if Kerry were elected the Bible would be banned), and similar issues. Despite the fact that the GOP actually passes no legislation related to any of these cultural concerns, and despite the fact that what the party actually does is pass a great deal of legislation that continues the concentration of the national wealth in the hands of a conservative economic elite, these cultural wedge issues have been deployed repeatedly to get people across America to vote against their own best interests.

For me the most striking pages in the book come near the end when Frank talks about the problems that the Democrats have caused themselves by ascribing more and more to the policies set forth by the Democratic Leadership Council (the DLC). These Democrats have attempted to move the Democratic Party further and further from its base in ordinary workers, and more and more to a pro-business stance. The result has been that on economic matters, the Democrats look more and more like Republicans. As Michael Lind in his insightful book UP FROM CONSERVATIVISM has pointed out, Americans tend to be conservative on social and cultural issues, and liberal on economic matters. But Frank points out that by moving to a conservative position on economic issues, they have lost their one great point of contact with the American masses. Millions of Americans, faced with a Democratic party that no longer has anything unique to offer them on economic issues, have shifted sharply over to a Republican party that at least speaks to their cultural and social concerns. In short, the DLC is a recipe for disaster. As leading Democrats who espouse DLC principals like Joe Lieberman and Hillary Clinton continue to push an economic agenda built around the concerns of business rather than working class Americans, we can expect Republicans to continue to prosper in the future. Frank argues, and I think he is correct, that it will only be when the Democrats recover their populist economic roots that they will reverse the trend of the past two elections. I hope that Frank's next book is devoted entirely to this issue. The Democrats need a wake up call, and while this book partially achieves that by explaining the success of the Republican Party, I think we also need one that explains more explicitly the failures of the Democrats.

This is a must-read book for everyone interested in politics in America, whether from the left or right. Though Frank is a leftist, those on the right will gain additional insight into why their side has achieved much of their success, while those on the other side can start understanding why so much of America votes to further policies that are so detrimental to their own well being.

This is by far the best of the countless books written on the Culture Wars in recent years, explaining as it does the paradox that poor people vote overwhelmingly, in many parts of the USA, for the party of big business and against their own economic interests. Being from Britain, where there are many pro-life Labour MPs and many pro-choice Conservative/Thatcherite MPs, I am always puzzled by the way in which culture so dominates the voting patterns of Americans, in a way that is simply not the case in the United Kingdom. This book explains why, and while its author is clearly a Democrat, this is a work sufficiently lacking in vitriol (at last!) that Republicans might enjoy it as well. Read it and understand what is going on in the Culture Wars in the USA and why formerly Socialist Kansas might be voting Republican this fall. Christopher Catherwood (author of CHURCHILL'S FOLLY: HOW WINSTON CHURCHILL CREATED MODERN IRAQ: Carroll and Graf 2004)

This book is definitely worth a read by everyone. It has a bias, no question, but then again everything does. Thomas Frank does a good job explaining the shift in power between the two parties and what factors led to and perpetuate the current base of the Republican party. Its not a perfect book so I can't give it 5 stars, but its definitely entertaining and educational.

On a side note, I couldn't help but notice that many of the negative reviews are just laughable, and serve to prove Frank's point unintentionally. The overridding sentiment seems to be "we Kansans (and other conservatives)" just want to be left alone, because we can take care of ourselves and government just gets in the way." Fine sentiment, but I'm sure we'd hear bloody murder if those lucrative farm subsidies and government contracts suddenly dried up.

Even more hilarious is the statement by another reviewer: "This book begs for a sequel...What's the Matter with California? A state that votes for Socialism." As a lifelong Californian, I can personally vouch that my state is hardly socialist, but we do get a raw deal in terms of federal financing. My state (and other "blue" states) pay the lions share into the Federal treasury, but get back only a fraction of what we put in. California gets about 80 cents on the dollar, and New York does even worse. By contrast, Kansas gets around $1.15 on the dollar, as do most "red" states. The sheer hypocrisy of lambasting liberal states as socialist while at the same time benefiting from the redistribution of our wealth is hilarious. So I challenge all those who take these viewpoints to open their minds and learn the truth behind their ideologies.

My friends and I have been struggling in the last few weeks to understand Election 04. Yes, we are all East Coast sushi-eating, latte-drinking, post-graduate degree holding liberals, and many of us volunteered on the Kerry campaign, but we are also really trying to promote policies that help the greater good as we understand them. The election results, with that vast sea of red between the two coasts, were very difficult for me to accept as I couldn't understand why people were seemingly voting against their own economic self-interests.

"What's the Matter with Kansas?" has been really helpful in explaining to me the forces that have changed much of America's heartland from its populist/progressive heyday to being a conservative stronghold. It was fascinating for me to learn about the internal struggles in the Republican Party between conservatives and moderates, and it's instructional to read about the powerful grassroots mobilization that conservatives have used to their benefit.

I think the book is much stronger in its first half, discussing economic trends and reactive politics over the last few decades. When Frank veers more into the social/religious arena in later chapters, I think he comes off as more judgmental of the conservative viewpoint. Sure, I completely sympathize, but I think the real value of this book is for liberals and moderates who are trying to understand why so many people continue to support Bush and, at the same time, to spur conversation about what the Democratic Party needs to do in the next 2-4 years to reach out to these committed voters without compromising our own social and moral values.

And the themes of this book are in no means particular to Kansas. I think almost every state has regions that fit the same mold. I grew up in Upstate New York, a Republican stronghold that resents NYC for turning the state blue every year. This book could've been written about my home state, too, and that's important to remember as we try to understand the current state of the nation.

It's very interesting to see the book's detractors on this forum, many of whom have clearly not read it, saying *exactly* the things Frank predicts they will, as if from a familiar, shopworn script.

I agree with the reviewer who said that the key to this problem is that many of these voters have been convinced that social issues are more important than economic ones. Contrary to what others have insinuated, it's not that these individuals disagree with progressives on economic issues, but that they are goaded into thinking that whether they are able to own an AK-47 is more important than whether they will be able to afford a life-saving operation for their sick child. A healthy, well-educated child will grow up empowered and less likely to want or need that AK-47, and that's the connection that is critical, but difficult, to make.

Frank implies the answer to this problem while not tackling it explicitly. It is combatting the anti-intellectual, anti- "elitist" rhetoric, repeated again and again and drummed into the brain, that soon overshadows everything else. We can see it aped right here in this forum, by people who think that living in the Northeast or buying a hybrid car automatically makes you an elite, while the true elites undermine others' ability to make it on a level playing field and then laugh all the way to the bank. It is not about big vs. small government, it is about government (of whatever size) privileging the haves at the expense of the have nots.

Excellent, thoughtful, insightful book.

Thomas Frank's "What's the Matter With Kansas" is the best book I've ever read about modern American politics . First, Frank is an excellent writer with a sharp eye and a sense of humor, so the book is a real pleasure to read. But that's just a bonus. The real value of the book is Frank's way of looking at politics and culture in the era of the right wing backlash.

Kansas, where he grew up (in comfort, but not affluence), is his case study, a place where all the contradictions of post 1980 politics are even more contradictory than usual. He shifts back and forth between his microscopic examination of Kansas to a "what does it all mean?" 30,000-foot perspective in a way that takes full advantage of a "case study" approach. The shifts between real-life vignettes and philosophizing are handled very deftly. You never feel oppressed by too much detail, nor lost in abstract thought.

He avoids jargon and insiderism (in this book, as in Kansas, Washington DC is a rather far-off place where weird things happen), but comments quite astutely on the national political scene and the two major parties. You also get some great factoids. Who knew that the libertarian Cato Institute and the Democratic Leadership Council were funded in part(in large part in the case of Cato) by the same secretive ultra-right Kansas business dynasty? I didn't.

Frank's basic thesis is not a novel one -- the culture wars of the post-1980 era have led voters to largely ignore their economic self-interest and support politicians who primarily serve the interest of large corporations and the very rich. What's important about the book is the way it brings the details to life and explains the inter-connections between the parts. This book would be a real education to most Europeans, who must ponder the politics of the U.S. in utter bafflement, and will offer many insights to Americans who wonder how working-class people can so consistently support "the party of the rich."

Frank has a good command of history, but never tries to dazzle the reader with scholarship or bury the reader in quotes. I particularly enjoy the way he demolishes sloppy thinking -- you'll never look at the "Blue America vs. Red America" cliche the same way again after reading this book.

He also thinks the Democratic Party committed a huge blunder when it took traditional economic issues off the table and became, as he calls it "the *other* pro-business party." Once you take economic issues off the table, it's all about culture, and whether it's a true story or a false one, conservatives simply have a much more compelling story to tell about cultural issues, as Frank lays out in great detail.

If you're on the left, next time you feel compelled to buy an Al Franken style "angry liberal" book, or another book about the Bush family's shady past, buy this one instead and learn something new. And if you're part of the right-wing backlash, dare to read what Frank says and see if you agree with him.

I got clued in to this book when I read a recent column of Nicholas Kristof's in the New York Times that mentioned it. I picked it up expecting the ultimate expose on how conservatives have managed to con the working class to vote for them. The book is a great read, chock-full of detailed stories about Kansas political life and all sorts of colorful figures. I'm really impressed at the close-up detailed work that Frank has done: attending charismatic church services, interviewing locals, connecting the past 150 years of Kansan history with current trends. I certainly came away from the book with (a) a better understanding of Kansas; (b) a better understanding of right-wing politics; (c) a lot of good stories to tell people (the self-elected Pope comes to mind...).

Where the book doesn't quite deliver as well is in its central thesis. The main question: why do working-class Americans in the Midwest consistently vote conservative, against their economic interests? Frank certainly provides ample evidence that they ARE indeed voting against their economic interests. He also argues, convincingly, that they're really voting on "cultural" issues like abortion, gun control, school prayer, evolution in classes (as opposed to the richer moderate Republicans who vote on economic issues). But he doesn't explain the following question. If the ground-level politics of Kansas have inverted over the past hundred years, then something must have persuaded the everyday working-class voter that voting on "culture" is more important than voting on economics. What was it that persuaded them? Franks never really answers this question. And that's what I want to know!

A fine book that suffers occasionally from over generalization ( e.g., the portrayal of Wichita sounds like Michael Moore's Flint , Michigan) but in the big picture Frank makes a compelling argument that is difficult to refute. The over simplistic pop conservatism that has swept our state, and let's face it the nation as a whole, started off as being just annoying but has now evolved into something a whole lot worse. Frank tackles the reasons why with a clear, concise writing style that makes this book enjoyable and informative on many levels.

As a fellow Kansan, I have long wondered what makes "Red" states like Kansas vote for those who have a history of governing in ways that have been devestating to these state's own best interests. Frank finally nails it in this light-hearted, yet ironically chilling book. If you think the answers are simple, or that one day these conservatives will "wake up", you need to read this book. I picked it up and couldn't put it down until I finished.