The leaders of the [conservative] backlash may talk Christ, but they walk corporate. Values may “matter most” to voters, but they always take a backseat to the needs of money once the elections are won. This is a basic earmark of the phenomenon, absolutely consistent across its decades-long history. Abortion is never halted. Affirmative action is never abolished. The culture industry is never forced to clean up its act. Even the greatest culture warrior of them all was a notorious cop-out once it came time to deliver. “Reagan made himself the champion of ‘traditional values,’ but there is no evidence he regarded their restoration as a high priority,” wrote Christopher Lasch, one of the most astute analysts of the backlash sensibility. “What he really cared about was the revival of the unregulated capitalism of the twenties: the repeal of the New Deal.” | |
— Thomas Frank | |
From his book: “What’s The Matter With Kansas?“ | |
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Posts Tagged ‘What’s The Matter With Kansas’
What Reagan Really Cared About
Posted in Politics, Quotes, tagged Christopher Lasch, Politics, President Ronald Reagan, Quotes, The Culture Industry, Thomas Frank, What's The Matter With Kansas on September 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Conservative Values: Low And Lax
Posted in Politics, Quotes, tagged Old-Fashioned Values, Politics, Quotes, Thomas Frank, What's The Matter With Kansas on October 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Old-fashioned values may count when conservatives appear on the stump, but once conservatives are in office the only old-fashioned situation they care to revive is an economic regimen of low wages and lax regulations. | |
— Thomas Frank | |
From his book: “What’s The Matter With Kansas?“ | |
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What It Is All About
Posted in Politics, Quotes, tagged Politics, Quotes, Thomas Frank, What's The Matter With Kansas on October 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »
People getting their fundamental interests wrong is what American political life is all about. | |
— Thomas Frank | |
From his book: “What’s The Matter With Kansas?“ | |
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