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

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

Book Review: Candid Kansas
Summary: 4 Stars

What's The Matter With Kansas is clearly hollering from the left side of the fence. The title alone betrays the fact that the author thinks there is something 'wrong' with the state of Kansas continually voting Republican. What is novel and refreshing is that he tries to explain why a state that is overwhelmingly blue collar or rural would vote for the party that seems to betray those interests.

It comes down to an interesting contrast. Social and economics issues have somewhat gone out of the window in an increasingly prosperous and financially secure USA. Instead the moral agenda has seized the upper hand, and this has gripped the hearts of the voters of what was once a radical state. Instead of worker protection, minimum wages and New Deal farm reforms the voters support evangelical churches, anti-abortion and shudder at the prospect of gay marriage. All of this is fertile ground for an increasingly conservative Republican party.

Thomas Frank portrays his home state with a degree of empathy that would be lacking in the tomes written by those 'east cost, latte sipping liberals'. Like Ivins's love for her home state of Texas, Frank does not necessarily suggest that the voters in Kansas are stupid or ignorant. He does, however, suggest that they are strongly voting against their own interests in support of the rabidly conservative aims of the moral wing.

His platform would suggest that today's Republican party has formed a quid pro quo arrangement with the christian coalition, support for the big business and low taxes goes hand in hand with policies to affirm the moral basis of America. It is ironic that the two form such easy bed fellows. The rapacious excesses of WorldCom, Enron and other corporate scandals are evidenced by Frank, and sit uneasily with Christian principles.

But then again I am even worse than an east coast, latte sipping liberal. I'm practically a pinko Commie from Europe!

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