What’s the matter with Kansas?

By: Thomas Frank

Presented by: Scott Matthews and Casimir Peters

Thesis: The Republican party has captured the

heart of America by appealing to fears of a
culture war known as the “backlash.” This
process has been facilitated by the
Democrat’s lack of attention to the needs of
their core base.
What is the matter with those asses?

How did they mess up?

How did they lose the
support of the very people
that Liberalism was created
for?
 Traditional Liberal Causes
• According to Frank,
Liberals are
supposed to
represent the
working class man.
Liberalism is
supposed to support
Labor Unions,
banking regulation,
and anti-trust laws.
 What changed?

Liberals turned their backs and took the blue

collar vote for granted. Despite remaining
steadfast on social issues, they made endless
concessions on economic issues.
 The 180 °
The Democrats
lack of
attention to
their original
base allowed
Conservatives
to craft the
“backlash.”
 The “Backlash”
• In the
“backlash,”
Democrats
were labeled as
un-American,
snooty, elitist,
god-hating, tax
and spend,
baby killers.
 The Party of “Family Values”
The Republicans,
however are the
party of the real
Americans who love
god, go hunting,
watch NASCAR, and
are concerned with
the moral decline of
society. (Excluding
Mark Foley of
course--------)
 The Central Contradiction
The working class
supports a party that
advocates economic
policies that are
harmful to their own
interests. In return,
they ask for their
social values to be
valiantly defended.
But they never are…
 Case Study
What better state than
good-ole Kansas. The
wealthy suburbs of
Overland Park and
Mission Hills provide
an example of the
spoils of capitalism.
While poorer towns
like Garden city show
its vices and yet they
both remain equally
conservative.
 What about 2008?
• If Frank’s thesis is
right, how does he
account for the
2008 general
election?
• Is his thesis still
valid?