Thomas Frank on the Demise of the Democratic Party

[@johnsradios484]

Mr Frank is right on point about the Democratic Party.

[@bethanyhunt2704]

Frank is right about the lack of care and compassion in America. I lived in the UK for a long time, and when I visited America I could feel the coldness, the hardness, in the air, so to speak. The individuals I met were really nice, but the culture as a whole seriously lacks compassion!

[@Boutneus12]

It's funny, in America small town communities are awesome. People look after each other a lot more then you'd ever see in Europe. But once you hit the big city you can die in a gutter and no1 gives a fuck

[@zzendawgie]

is there still strong compassion in uk across class lines?

[@punchcat1234]

Boutneus12 wow quite the generalization I live in a major city and I see compassion and kindness multiple times a day completely not true

[@aaronhumphreys110]

I would say that it depends on the state, Boutneus12. Small town in the Midwest? Absolutely. Small town in Florida? No different than a large city.

[@inessaarmand4681]

Oh don't be fooled. In small-towns, in the US. You are severely ostracized if you do not conform to middle-class ideations, even if it's your 4th marriage !! Especially with facebook; that insidious venue has reinforced conformity. People don't know anything. Very easy to manipulate.

[@voteforno.6155]

More Katie!! Yay!!

[@Mary-wf4tb]

Excellent interview! great on both sides, excellent questions!

[@rotorbob88]

Katie Halper ROCKS!!!!!

[@spiceinsights]

Two of my favorite souls! Katie and Thomas 💜❤️🔵

[@icgantshat]

Thomas Frank is da best.

[@EmmanuelTomes]

Im so sick of people saying the "genius of trump." Americans are sick, tired and frankly massively ignorant, and unkowingly support a system that keeps them that way. That's why Trump was elected.

[@MarioMario-jt7ld]

I love Thomas Frank. He is the best!

[@jantonio55]

Awesome interview, thank you.

[@GeorgePiazza]

Excellent book by Thomas Frank (Listen, Liberal). He pulls no punches making the case that the Dems has abandoned their legacy, and, despite some social issues, the two parties are more alike than different.

[@PurushaDesa]

Love Katie Halper.

[@nash984954]

Love ya Katie. Great yer on RealNews and great interview.

[@dikyzr]

Nice job all around. Very helpful to those who are still coming out of the 2016 heist. The Democratic Party is HOPELESS!

[@danielleciribassi4199]

Love Katie.

[@charleskesner1302]

Thanks for this report.

[@haleybrown2836]

We used to vote consistently D but not anymore. Starting with Nader we quit voting D. These days we vote Green whose platform is similar to that of Sanders. Why vote for a party which is the flip side of the same coin.

[@BionicTapeworm]

One of my co-workers spent much of her adult life in Britain before marrying an American and moving to the U.S. Her husband lost his job around the 2008 financial crisis and she felt appalled and amazed by the skimpy unemployment insurance benefits and the lack of healthcare access for both unemployed and even employed people. She notably said people in the U.S. didn't seem to care about each other despite their religious Christian pretenses.

[@RodesLaw]

Love both of them. Real liberals and progressives. Thanks for featuring both of these people Real News.

[@ArtbookendsMeyer]

Recent powerful interview. Great interview

[@coryhinman5134]

"Whatever happened to Kansas" LOL, I love Tom's little smirk when Katie muffs this.

[@bitchpuddin]

Just Frank !

[@dougcummings6000]

Could not agree more. Point by point!

[@TheToltec]

Katie Halper has the prettiest eyes and hands . I love her smile. This is a great interview

[@donaldphee1651]

I voted for Bill Clinton twice as I had no where else to go... that seems to be my persistent problem throughout all elections since then. Voting for the lesser of two evils as they say doesn't get much done! I used to be a Democrat but I have been an independent for 20 years because of this reality. My sense of both parties is that I don't belong to either of their country clubs.....

[@jones1351]

'Resume Candidate', I like that.

[@risingsonseven]

Green Party, Libertarian party , are two I can think of, and you can find more. I just want more parties to mix of the duopoly the establishment has on the country. Trump isn't the answer, he is establishment puppet also, but he's a charismatic cheer leader, so that's nice but we can't settle for that either

[@CABOOSEBOB]

risingsonseven draft Bernie for a people's party

[@prg54]

Excelent interview!!!!

[@mikestander2413]

Great interview! More Katie Halper!

[@bigollameo]

Katie Halper and Thomas Frank? Man, The Real News basically has my favorite left thinkers. Need to crank up my donation to them.

[@robertsimon5869]

always read or listen to what he has to say,makes a lot of sense.

[@prg54]

T. Frank articles in The Guardian, the best ones all through 2016 presidential campaign

[@presence5426]

Katie Halper... I LOVE you. The sarcasm is beautiful! Can we get you to run for office somewhere??

[@gevdarg]

"We have no where else to go" is about to get seriously tested over the next few years...

[@ddlyify]

Yep!

[@stp479]

Frank's name has disappeared from Maddow's rolodex since he began pointing out democrats failings. She's part of our problem.

[@klubsvetnikov8290]

Great guy, great books, enjoyed them both. Please, stop repeating "I voted for Hillary", make a step forward and say "I'm sorry I didn't vote for Jill Stein - the only real alternative".

[@justgivemethetruth]

There was not alternative ... Stein is an airhead and would never win because she was not even on the ballot in all states ... grow up. Democrats making bad decisions is why Republicans win.

[@haleybrown2836]

Cole Reed, it goes beyond HRC. Many people vote purely based on cleverly crafted political advertisement and don't have a clue what this politician really stands for.

[@free_at_last8141]

+Cole Reed Bernie is the proper choice. Stein is an anti-vax airhead.

[@lokee7]

Check your alternative facts, free_at_last. Bernie's my man for 30+ years, but Stein is not anti-vax. She's anti-war, which Bernie, sadly, is not (not that we couldn't change his mind).

[@justgivemethetruth]

LK ... Where did you get your alternative fact that you can call Bernie Sanders pro-war? Jill Stein has never been a leader, she is an air-head. An air-head with values that I respect, but that does not mean that she would be an effective leader and that I would want her for President, or that there is any chance that she would win. So dishonest people like you resort to stupid accusations against Bernie, and we can all see that you are most likely a right-wing fraud working against Bernie because the right wing knows that he will probably win if he runs in the next election.

[@NotThatKindaKaren]

Corporate Democrats should leave the party & become what they are at heart, Reagan Republicans.

[@NotThatKindaKaren]

Dems have NO MESSAGE, but "our values"... And, they chose the most corrupt woman possible for their nominee, thumbing their noses at ALL those millions of new, millennial & many older voters, too. They cheated us out of Sanders & gave us Trump. I refused to vote for either of those jerks. And I'm not alone. Many people stayed home. When there's no choice, why vote? They're both horrible & corrupt people that are so out of touch with REAL America. The media, DWS & HRC are to blame for Trump's win because they showed more of Trump's empty podium than they did Bernie. Damn the mainstream media!! Why do they love Hillary?? Because they're paid $30,000every day to lie for them. The Washington post was paid $600,000,000 by the CIA to control the message. The people LOVE Bernie, those corporate democratic (by name only) puppet's need to go!

[@ritabutler1951]

Frank and Katie sounded like they were having a real conversation. I listen to interviews on NPR (no cable, no TV) and the "interviews" sound so rehearsed. They must give the person they "interview" all the questions in advance. Those being "interviewed" always seem to have the answer at the ready.

[@jonathanpowling6330]

We need more content from you. And Tom Frank is BOSS

[@Talkingdog7]

By watching this piece, I am very happy to see, you really don't have a clue why the Dems are losing wholesale.

[@gabbyhyman1246]

I vote by my convictions, not by which Dem on the corporate dole can beat the Republican. That Mr. Listen Liberal settled on Hillary just cost him a book sale.

[@johnoman6617]

The democrat party has been in decline since July 2, 1964.

[@bazangelopoulos]

Russia! Russia! Russia! Lets not talk about single payer.

[@dannowman5761]

Thomas, would you have felt guilty if you would have stayed home and not voted for President at all or were you worried that it would make you look complacent if you didn't vote for either/or? Because based on available data and even what you wrote, it didn't make any sense to vote for either her or Trump.

[@SM-gl8yo]

This was a great interview. This is the first time I've heard discussed to raising of ACA Insurance premiums right before the election.

[@zava34]

thanks for breaking down that sister solider movement! No one talks about that

[@jimmygentile1088]

Who seaks for the fogotten man? No one I guess. Your on your own.

[@DariusSarrafi]

Here's how you discredit yourself instantly: "I voted for Hillary in the end as well"!!!!!

[@theekim6625]

voting for Clinton over Trump is like voting for Megatron over Starscream.

[@mitchellcorona8]

this guy is half right.

[@mauritiusdunfagel9473]

The Clintons and Obama is what happened.

[@JaredAllaway]

I don't remember the "Sistah Soldier" moment in the 90's. Please explain.

[@EdMorleyTube]

I agree but without crosscheck even with how bad hillhawk is/was she still would have wont if not for crosscheck and the 7 million votes it stopped. #trumpstoleit #stopcrosscheck #handcountedpaperballots

[@connorkeefe3363]

adorable.

[@greglamb4079]

"Why are you such a racist misogynist Tom Frank?" lol. I love her. She must have been reading DU.

[@timvickers947]

ya a no story is really great

[@notdaveschannel9843]

Here's an observation from the UK. That sense of solidarity and interconnectedness he's talking about is why excessive immigration caused such a problem here (leading to Brexit). In American terms I'd be considered a Liberal, but I also identify as a Civic Nationalist. Governments have a responsibility to look after their citizens and part of that means limiting immigration to a level that benefits the majority of those citizens. The Democrats in America now seem to view tolerating illegal immigrants as a test of ideological purity. The Democrats are the party of college-educated people for whom immigration means paying less to receive services rather than being paid less to perform them.

[@MusicTeacherGuyNorristown]

Media bias wasn't just there THIS time around.

[@karlstrauss2330]

Kansas didn’t leave The Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left Kansas.

[@MadderMel]

I'm English , and people do generally look out for each other , but some still die penniless in hovels , but I kind of get what he means , its the first time I've seen Katie , she's cute !

[@zezeandjr4110]

Revolutions and Movements are born of despair, of pain, of suffering, not of comfortable living, I hope the people at the poeple' summit learn something and take some action such as run for local council, basic city position, any type of public office, and once there show your constituents your good heart, people will come around and your become part of the movement.

[@MusicTeacherGuyNorristown]

Katie has Debbie Wasserman Schultz' voice.

[@42belvedere]

If the establishment Dems had half the brains they think they have, they would listen very closely to what Thomas Frank has to say. Just finished reading "Listen, Liberal" and it makes a very compelling case as to why the Democratic Party needs to realign with the FDR brand of Democratic policy-making.

[@melanieenmats]

"What a bunch of reds....gulag central" LMAO I didn't see that coming out of nowhere. Great interview imo.

[@justicedem6455]

corporate Democrats have got to go! hey hey ho ho!

[@MrHarveyrex23]

2008 and 2012 Obama working class voters voted for Trump in 2016.

[@humanyoda]

4:13 "not with back voters, but with the working class voters" LOL

[@stevenwilson5978]

This white guy agrees with Thomas Frank. The lack of social solidarity in the USA that he speaks of, I think, is rooted in racism. It isn't often talked about but the system does not provide many full time, living wage jobs to all. The result is those living on the wrong side of the tracks (most people these days) are not able to prevent their dwellings from deteriorating. Anyone who owns an older single family tract house is aware of these expenses. A child's introduction to this is a parent commenting from the front seat of their car that "they" do not keep up their properties. The blame is always laid on the people involved rather than the system which depends on the poor for its survival.

[@jennifer86010]

5:20 Being the "most qualified person" is not always an asset. Would anyone fall in love with and marry "the most qualified person to be your spouse?" Hell, no. You choose a mate based on your heart, not on his/her resume of qualifications !!!!

[@auntijen3781]

I saw Nigel Farage (on Fox) last week say Bernie was a RIGHT WINGER compared to Jeremy Corby. Lol

[@Historiansplaining]

Both very good commentators. And we will see whether "socialism" gets a new life in the US. I talked about the history of socialism in the UK before this recent election in my podcast -- soundcloud.com/historiansplaining/history-as-it-happens-1-the-upcoming-uk-election

[@matsfreedom]

America has a big problem. Too many people believe that government has the answers to every problem. The statests in both parties understand this and have successfully waged a campaign to grow the government into a bureaucratic monster, unrestrained by even the constitution, and the values we used to hold so dear. These are dangerous times for the U.S. Americans need to focus on this, and not the sub-issues so fervently exclaimed about in the comment section of this video. A question for all..."When was the last time you read the constitution, if at all?" Ignorance is our most expensive commodity. It may cost us everything if we don't wise up, and government will take it.

[@nsimmons9427]

"Not with Black voters but with working class voters" uhhhh........

[@jennifer86010]

4:54 Hitlary Clinton was "The most qualified criminal candidate for President".

[@rabidbigdog]

UKIP is not a 'left' party Thomas - crazy that he got that wrong.

[@macplumber]

Didn't mention Hillary Clinton's persistent coughing at rallies, wearing those glasses with frenell lenses to correct double vision and prevent seizures, not to mention her passing out and loosing a shoe, as her entourage threw her into a custom ambulance at the 911 memorial. Gees-Louise her whole campaign felt like another Weekend at Bernie's movie.

[@s4njuro462]

what's the Matter With Kansas Not "whatever happened to Kansas"... jeez

[@donaldbadowski6048]

Not so fast. Carter wasn't like that. He was actually thrifty, and did believe people should solve most things for themselves. By todays' standards, he was almost Republican. And, his own party hated him for it.

[@459dirello4]

One shouldn't think that 'England' and 'Britain' are synonymous. That was the British General Election for the whole of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 'Great Britain' = England, Scotland and Wales. Britain/United Kingdom/the UK = England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland. Also it's Katie Halper: no 'n' on the end. Good discussion though.

[@CaliforniaGirl-qk5kq]

Thank you Thomas Frank for verbalizing what I was thinking about since primaries in 2016. Hilary is using Russians and Putin to cover up incompetence of her election team and her inability to communicate with the rust belt voters. I was so disillusioned with the two party system, that in May 2016 I switched from live long democrat to no party preference. I still ended up voting for Hilary, but that was out of desperation (alternative was not to vote at all) because I thought Trump was a vulgar man and I thought Hilary was a lesser evil. The bottom line, we need third party. And Democrats need more attractive candidates. Hilary could select Sanders or Warren as her running mate, but she preferred to select Kane, Mr. nobody who could not even deliver Virginia, but who would not outshine her "stardom". That is how we got Trump as a President.

[@crimsonchinnychinchins3954]

*Halper in the description

[@19battlehill]

Frank stop being so naive -- media didn't support Hillary because they were like her and adored her -- they supported her because she represents the ESTABLISHMENT. Sanders and Trump were with average person.

[@progKansas]

When Sanders is. Trump pretended to be with him.

[@1Skeptik1]

Democrats don't talk about Obama signing off on raising the SSI age either! Chuckle

[@aquious953]

Your pronouncing her name wrong! It’s pronounced Pillary Bigan.

[@vivahernando1]

Thomas Frank bash Democrats .... that never happens. The problem with Frank's logic is people consistently stopped voting for Progressive Democrats like Humphrey, Mondale, and Dukakis

[@NoWay1969]

In the 90s, when Bill Clinton was in the White House, the overall thinking was that unrestricted free trade was inevitable and that working class voters would naturally migrate to some other industry or profession. No one thought that we could keep manufacturing jobs, and everyone liked cheap products so it was not a fuck the working poor scenario. You can say that they were ignored, but there was some cause for the belief that it would work out. In the mid-nineties, if you had libertarian-leaning economic views, you were justified to a degree. We invented a whole new segment of the economy during this time, and no one knew what would happen. It's almost unfair to judge the nineties by today's standards. What I expect from the Democratic Party, and what they seem reluctant to give, is an admission that we made mistakes during this time period. Bill Clinton needed to take money from the banks and financial industries in '92. We had 16 years of a Republican in the White House. Reagan was an ignoramus and Bush 41 may seem the competent right-wing politician by today's standards, but he was an imbecile too. Clinton/Gore was an improvement in almost (?) way over the Reagan/Bush years. We needed to do many of the things that are mistakes in retrospect. If Clinton had lost in '92 we would have had the 2nd Iraq invasion much sooner. We would have had _more_ deregulation corporatism. I'd like the Dems to acknowledge their mistakes and the long-term consequences of their policy decisions, but to frame their decision making as intentionally harmful to the working class is wrong.

[@boblammas6250]

Yeah. Tucker Carlson’s book “Ship of fools” lays it all out and is a better read.

[@caljn1]

The woman is rather interrupt.

[@JFABALL2022]

She was better than Trump....end of story.

[@caimacd]

I think I like this guy. My initial response was distaste... although having said that I haven't actually read his book... why distaste? Specific areas of flippancy. I felt... the scale of appropriate gravity to levity was off. I suspect I was off. But I guess time will tell.

[@larrycampbell9336]

dems party of the crimials

[@deadave100]

Trump sell wigs..?? lol

[@blakechasteen]

What a bunch of reds! 😉

[@elhombre1233]

Misses some key lessons but overall a compelling interview.

[@JFABALL2022]

Promise the voters everything.....JUST LIKE TRUMP..........

[@frepi]

The interviewer is so so...She makes the interview sound like a discussion between activists. She cuts Thomas Frank in mid sentence. Her technique needs some fine tuning.

[@HugSkaltuDeila]

This guy is such a mansplainer but he is spot on

[@justgivemethetruth]

Is that a toupee ?

[@kmeccat]

Nope

[@spiceinsights]

No that’s his shiny real hair!

[@martinkirwan9709]

Are her ears for real

[@TheGuerillapatriot]

MAGA

[@TheGuerillapatriot]

russia! lol

[@marcbogonovich3974]

Russia Russia Russia, Russia was Russia Russians,... Vladimir Putin, Putin Russia Cronies, Russia Kremlin, Russia 911, 911 September 11th.... wait trailed off into the wrong decade, sorry... Russia Russia Russia.

[@condew6103]

Remember the Church lady on SNL "... could it be Satan?"; it's what I think of every time a Clinton Democrat blames their own mistakes on "Russia".