What's The Matter With Kansas?

In 2004, historian Thomas Frank proposed a theory about the rightward drift of the white working class. Was he a prescient king whose work presaged the rise of Trump — or a bumbling fool with a broken thesis?  Unfortunately it turns out he is a secret third thing that takes one hour and six minutes to explain.

Special thanks to Julia Valdés for her help with this episode!

Where to find us: 

• Peter's other podcast, 5-4

• Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase

Sources:

• The Thesis That Drove American Politics Crazy: The Emerging Democratic Majority

• What’s the Matter with What’s the Matter with Kansas?

• Class is Dismissed

• The White Working Class and the Democratic Party

• It’s time to bust the myth: Most Trump voters were not working class.

• How the diploma divide came to dominate American politics

• The 'Diploma Divide': Does It Exist for Racial and Ethnic Minorities?

• Blind Retrospection: Why Shark Attacks Are Bad For Democracy

• Nationally poor, locally rich: Income and local context in the 2016 presidential election

• Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government

• Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America

• Political Landscapes of Donald Trump

• The White Working Class and the 2016 Election

• Partisanship by family income, home ownership, union membership and veteran status

• The Elites Had It Coming

• What Explains Educational Realignment Among White Americans?

Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!