Book Review: What's The Matter With Kansas? By Thomas Frank
In What's The Matter With Kansas?, Thomas Frank, a native Kansan, tries to answer the question of why Americans often vote against their own economic interests.
Thomas Frank uses the example of Kansas, given his local knowledge and the fact that Kansa used to be a hotbed of political radicalism.Who knew, I didn't.
The whole premise of the book I get. Why do a lot of Americans vote in conservative{ i.e. Republican} candidates, who then push through tax cuts that primarily benefit the rich, the historical base of the Republican Party.
Frank's theory is that the Republican Party has taken a rather sharpe turn to the right{which I understand} and has gained millions of voters as a result. By picking wedge issues {as it is termed} the Republican Party has been able to cleave away Democratic supporters, while still supporting the base interests of fiscal conservatism.
I personally find the American usage of fiscal conservatism to be kind of funny. In Canada it seems to mean less about voting in tax cuts and cost cutting, and more about not spending more than you take-in in revenue. Another funny American usage. Liberal. In Canada, Liberal {big-L} is the natural ruling party, and liberal {small-l} are people of left-leaning persuasion. In the US, liberals are people who want to destroy America. As Frank points out not since Walter Modale {Who?} has there been a leading presidential candidate who has called him/herself a liberal.
In examining this question, Frank looks at battles within the Republican Party itself, where moderate republicans {In Canada they would be Red Tories} are pushed out in favour of even more right winged candidates. These people are able to do this because they pick wedge issues {abortion, gay marriage, guns, i.e. the usual} to elect themselves to office, where they then vote in massive tax cuts. All without really accomplishing anything regarding their social conservative agenda.
These people then keep doing this by keeping the fires of outrage burning. Frank points out how these conservatives hit on new and generally unimportant issues, gay marriage being one, to keep the outrage against the Liberal establishment {which Frank says does not exist} burning. When I got to that part of the book I couldn't help but agree with that conclusion given the recent Sciavo case with all these conservatives jumping on the "culture of life" band wagon for a case that should not have garnered so much federal attention.
As for the Republican Party stalwarts i.e. rich people, they don't mind this new game as the new conservatives still keep voting them tax cuts.
Then there's the Democratic Party which, according to Frank, has really dropped the ball, and has transformed itself to the other business friendly party, which just leaves social issues to distinguish the parties, and this is where the Republicans are winning.
In general, Thomas Frank makes his biases known, and writes with a humourous and at times ironic tune. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not, he does make a strong argument and What's The Matter With Kansas? would be well worth reading for those of left or right leaning persuasions. Then again, maybe not for those of right leaning persuasions.
8.0/10