In "What's the Matter with Kansas?," journalist and historian Thomas Frank uses the example of his native state to ponder both how and why working-class and poor white Americans in the heartland vote for a party that advances policies benefiting wealthy individuals and corporations. In brief: Why do these people stand with Republicans when Republicans do not stand with them?
The answer, which Frank provides with the blend of extensive reporting and satiric wit that's become his trademark: Because of a 'divide and conquer' strategy in which Republican politicians and commentators use not only hot-button social issues such as abortion, gun control and gay marriage, but also trivial matters such as where one shops and dines, and what make of automobile one drives, to enrage these people and direct their rage toward snobbish "liberal elites" that supposedly control America-and hate conservative, poor whites. (Those elites, for example, don't shop at Walmart, don't eat at McDonald's, drive Volvos instead of American vehicles and sip lattes-or worse, tea-instead of drinking coffee.)
Absent from the above strategy, Frank notes, is any mention of issues tied to their dire economic circumstances.
However, once elected, Republican politicians avoid the explosive social issues they exploited to inflame the working-class and poor white into voting for them-and instead turn their attention to those economic issues, such as cutting taxes for the wealthy, undoing business regulations and undermining the social safety net. If questioned about why they haven't made progress on those hot-button social issues, they blame-you guessed it-those "liberal elites." In brief, the GOP operates-and thrives-by blending "us vs. them" and "bait-and-switch."
Frank adds that Democrats aren't free of blame in the situation, either. He accuses the party of deliberately turning its back on those working-class and poor white Americans whose causes they once championed-and dropping the class language it once spoke to distinguish themselves from Republicans-in order to remake themselves as a party just as pro-business as Republicans. He also accuses Democratic leaders of assuming the working class and the poor will vote for their party because there's nowhere else for them to turn. (Frank expands upon these charges in his later book "Listen, Liberal," which I've reviewed elsewhere on Amazon.)
As a subtle rebuke to this sort of thinking, Frank notes the example of Democrat Kathleen Sebelius, who won the governorship by focusing on economic issues and avoiding social issues.
The lone shortcoming of Frank's book is that it largely avoids the white-identity politics, the race-based sense of economic entitlement, and the anxiety and resentment that have played important roles in campaigns since this book's initial hardcover publication in 2004.
That aside, it will still give readers much to think about-especially regarding the current state of the nation.
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I think i finally figured out what eluded the author of "What's the Matter with Kansas?".This author marveled at why poor and middle class kansasians consistently voted against their own economic interest by voting republican.Human beings consistently need a purpose in their live - a passion. This purpose often is conflict with others.Biologically the average person can only be mad about a small handful of issues at once - probably only one? In every country -:when a leader goes to war against another country, people forget their economic misfortunes and rally around the leader.Take, for example flag burning.Flag burning hurts no one. It is a minor issue that rarely if ever happens.The news never explains how rare flag burning is. But people get infuriated and believe, wrongly, that flag burning is a major issue. Conservatives talk about this issue with like minded conservatives, forming stronger relationships because of this controversy.This constant anger about social issues or war helps redirect a person's dissatisfaction from the wealthy and those in power. The economic elite take advantage of this system. Whether this is planned or not is irrelevant. This is what happens.
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Leo Fabbri
While certainly a easy and good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2016
