What's The Matter With Speaking.

I just finished Thomas Frank's What's the Matter With Kansas. It is so well-written and right on. It basically argues that conservatives have taken advantage of the fact that Class is stripped from all mainstream discourse and so they have framed a new spectrum, instead of from worker to owner/boss,that goes from "mainstream" (read: normative: bush, white, church-going, pick-up and crown victoria driving, red staters) to cultural elite (read: effette, liberal, celebrity, volvo and latte driving, blue stater) that allows a nonsense alliance between working-class conservative activists and wall street. This alliance clothes itself a "victim" under the "liberal elite" and the conservative operatives have carefully picked symbolic issues that can never really be won. And because class and businesses are off-limits, once conservatives are elected they can push policy that screws over their working class alliance partners. The central irony of all this is that, and Frank details all of this so well, is that the working class activists who are articulate, earnest, and dedicated are in an alliance against the "liberal elite" (like Jon Stewart) and they are in alliance with the richest and most powerful financial and military elites in world history. Note that this is a horribly concise paraphrasing and the book really should just be read outright.


That said, I'm watching Frank on C-span and it is troubling. He's so smart, but he needs to take a class in public-speaking. At one point, he references it being early in the morning, but it is no excuse. At point, he forgets he's on TV and hangs his head down on his head. But, his book is so good. Hopefully, we'll get a copy of the excellent "Why Johnny Can't Dissent" which isn't even online yet. Oh and he says he just had a new baby a few weeks ago, so congrats, Frank! Hopefully, he's just tired because of the baby.