Thomas Frank: Populism, Trump, and the Self-Righteous State of the Modern Democratic Party

[@jesavius]

Thomas Frank is a national treasure! What's the matter with Kansas is a must-read.

[@cmorea]

THE THOMAS FRANK SHOW would be 🎶 awe-suuuuuuuuum! 🎶

[@zaloo]

true. but he's 'specially good w Nomi.

[@spiceinsights]

I would tune in!!

[@VincentTroia]

thomas frank is always interesting to listen to. i learn a lot from him

[@marinatonkonogy5968]

It's actually super easy to understand why the Dems switched from unions to big business. It opened up the money making opportunities for each of them individually that the had never had before. Are unions going to help you make $$ on the stock market and get into all kinds of business ventures? Nope. But big business people will. They will help you get very rich if you do what they tell you.

[@gemeinschaftsgeful]

What's baffling is why the 90% let it happen and why they don't demand that they have a party that truly represents them.

[@zaloo]

you two are ALWAYS SO great together! and YES that was frustratingly short!

[@CranesNotSkyHooks]

"A Utopia of Scolding" LMAOOOOOOOOOO I love Thomas Frank

[@DS-tz4lk]

that convention was just like an abusive partner or stepparent/foster parent bringing us dried flowers and an empty box of candy and begging us to give them one more chance... after beating the hell out of us again and never apologizing for the last 50 years at least trying to highlight the parts that some like, or worse yet gave them warm fuzzies inside them, are merely going to extend the gaslighting that that entire endeavor was.🤮 we’re not speaking anecdotally, we are speaking about experience calculated from a great deal of antecedent evidence. we won’t accept any more gaslightings.

[@johnconnors4508]

Great interview!

[@wilhelmheinzerling5341]

Love Thomas Frank. Great video!

[@Baci302]

Nomi, you should have a recording of Sam introducing your show and have him keep trying different wrong versions of your name during it.

[@Patrick77487]

Over the years voters were slowly and carefully herded into our duopoly political system, creating an illusion of limited choices. Today voters cannot envision anything beyond the two corrals. Domesticated, fearful, dependent, unimaginative. And most of all, their materialistic lifestyles depend on corral thinking.

[@gracieallen8285]

The Democrats and Republicans are two wings of the same bird. They both have mega donors they answer to.

[@gm6785]

Thomas Frank is brilliant. Very excited to read his new one.

[@coryhinman5134]

at 20:05 so CUTE!

[@Teremei]

video looks great Nomi considering it's a "jury rig".

[@marybusch6182]

Love ya both and I already bought the book... loved listen liberal also. Cant wait to hear next weeks discussion. I am afraid that Trump is going to nail Biden with his own words... And it is not enough to say that at least he is not TRUMP when we know that Dems are going after SS and Medicare starting with Clintons dismantling of bank regulations...

[@vincentsaia6545]

Big fan of you, Mr. Frank, but you flipped the term "meritocracy" the same way the word "populism" is flipped. Meritocracy is what we are striving for, not what we have.

[@caimacd]

hey cool

[@georgeh6856]

I thought about the next "Donald Trump". Scary thought. Alex Jones 2024 should frighten everyone.

[@qkranarchist3015]

I remember being an idealistic intergenerational Minnesota socialist and going to intern in DC in early 90's. I joined an all day fun event with The Young Democrats and brought a house mate. We got in the rented bus to go out to the country horse races. We wore jeans and casual clothes and brought sandwiches in brown bags. Every other person in the group was dressed in high "The Importance of Being Earnest" all white clothes with gloves, freaking knickers, and little umbrellas. Me and my friend hung out most of the day with the bus drivers. The event was by/for ridiculously wealthy and the wannabes. Barf. Didn't realize it then but I'm sure this significantly contributed to my choosing not to pursue my childhood dream of a career in federal or international politics. I've been in and around local/regional government & politics which has its own political intrigues among us Left versus Repub-lerkers in Dem clothing.

[@bryanbergman4241]

Thomas Frank just needs to learn to tell jokes and he can be what Bill Maher was supposed to be back in the 90s. Another Bill who used his charm to screw America in the 90s

[@salassian3162]

Way too short. Thomas was just getting wound up when the gate came down and it was the end.

[@wvu05]

Michael: You know, I'm a saint. A living saint, and I get nothing in return. Lindsay: Well, you get that false sense of superiority. Michael: Well, that is pretty nice...

[@totonow6955]

Do 18 year olds all understand these political ideas? I' m skeptical but hopeful.

[@daysjours]

Thomas Frank is legend. Wanna blow up your channel, Nomi? Make him a regular.

[@jnagarya519]

Not so self-righteous as your indicted boy Steve Bannon.

[@vivahernando1]

I used to be really into Thomas Frank but he’s a class reductionist. He never seems to recognize the impact of the Civil Rights era on the break down of the New Deal coalition. Democrats bad ... bark seals bark

[@charlesbeaudry3263]

???. Please elaborate. You peaked my interest. I like Frank but agree something was fundamental with the Civil Rights era in the sixties. However many other changes were important, such as closing the gold window and formal adoption of fiat $.

[@vivahernando1]

@@charlesbeaudry3263 Basically the theory is that the New Deal worked because minorities were mostly excluded. Once the Civil Rights era comes along the white majority of the country wasn't onboard with their taxes going to these "others". Nixon then exploits this and Reagan masters it breaking the white working middle class away from the Democratic Party

[@williampelerin8515]

Beware the Race Reductionist: theintercept.com/2018/08/26/beware-the-race-reductionist/

[@vivahernando1]

William Pelerin I understand that class is part of this but I’m a progressive and want social AND economic progress. I’m just skeptical of this class is the reason for all of societies ills the iPhone socialist online left is pushing. Honestly without the change in demographics we wouldn’t be seeing the rise of the left. Whites are still voting for republicans in pretty much the same way they were in the 1980s just that there are more others not voting Republican (so thank the neolibs for their immigration policies I guess lol) Also, my critique of Frank is that I’ve never heard him address the impact of the civil rights era on the breakdown of the New Deal coalition and the changes in the Democratic Party. Jesse Jackson ran in 84 and 88 on a platform every bit as progressive and pro labor and Bernie Sanders. I’m addressing his class reductionist act. I can’t think of a mainline progressive economic policy I’m against. I’m just not going ignore social progressive in favor of purely economic gains.

[@fayskelley]

William Pelerin Thank so much. Very well written. Finally something with depth!