The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule
by Thomas Frank
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Book Reviews of The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule
Book Review: Another Must-Read from Thomas Frank
Summary: 5 Stars
For those of us looking aghast at the endless flow of partisan venom that's become our national media, the feckless catastrophe that's become our national government, and wondered how so many self-proclaimed uberpatriots have managed to steer America from the country the world loved to a blowhard much-despised power in a few short decades, Frank provides interesting answers (and they're well-researched and excellently documented, unlike the spewings of some current conservative chart-topping bestsellers). This book's both horrifying and wickedly funny -- each page is a mixture of laughs and groans of disgust. Difficult to see how even the most rabid partisan could quarrel with many of his conclusions, as they're drawn from direct quotes; Frank's a master of giving pompous politicos enough rope to hang themselves. A page-turner par excellence, and essential reading for any thinking American in this most vital of election years.Book Review: The Rosetta Stone of the George W. Bush Administration
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fascinating, extremely well referenced work about the neocon rule book. It explodes all the rumors that Bush is not smart. He has actually just been following this rule book.
Rule One: Government services are bad and business services are good. Attack big government.
Rule Two: Weaken government services so you can declare them incompetent and subcontract out the government services to private businesses.
Rule Three: Replace personnel in key government service positions with your friends, whether or not they are qualified to do the job.
Rule Four: Run up the debt, declare a crisis and cancel social services.
Rule Five: Demonize and demoralize the liberals. Blame them for whatever goes wrong.
Rule Six: Strengthen the ties between businesses and government by hiring only "business-friendly" people and by encouraging business to help write the bills to be passed by the congress.
Book Review: On the money
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an absolutely on-the-money analysis of what is wrong with the federal government (and to some extent state governments). Like most people, I struggled to understand how our federal leadership could be so incredibly incompetent. Books like this one and Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine" explain the answer in great detail. The destruction of government is not due (solely) to incompetence, but is by design. I just read a couple articles about the lack of oversight by the SEC, and the lack of tax-cheat prosecutions by the IRS. After reading Frank's book, it makes perfect sense -- the conservatives have defunded these organizations, cut their staff, and done their best to de-fang these critical government agencies. The truly scary thing was that it took almost a complete global economic meltdown to get enough people to vote the conservatives "out of power."Book Review: Every Man for HImself
Summary: 4 Stars
The arrogance and completely unwarranted self-confidence with which the conservatives presided over the fall of the U. S. was always evident to anyone who could stand to look at Bush's smirky face. This self-esteem masquerading as virtue and superior intelligence runs through this account of greed and hypocrisy in high places. It's interesting to learn the details, but I don't think too many readers will be surprised. Non-readers, the vast electorate, might be, but they'll never know.
All the events that ensue from the great crash taking place now will affect a lot more people than this book or any other book but I suppose there will be some slight, fugitive pleasure in knowing how the all- knowing smug undermined our culture with their unregulated markets, delusional and self-righteous forms of Christianity and imperialistic good will.
Book Review: As usual, a good starter, but missing the meat
Summary: 3 Stars
I wish Frank would focus more on writing well rather than writing witty. There are certainly some good points in here, and anyone looking to understand how, in fact, the modern conservative movement has managed to both survive and flourish, while overseeing the most massive expansion of the federal government since Johnson should give this a quick read.
The problem is that Frank seems to be more interested in quips that quality. I would suggest Klein's "Shock Doctrine" if you want a deep, well-structured, well-thought out analysis of the underlying motives and subsequent formulations of the post-war corporatist world order. If you're looking to keep poking the dead carcass of the Reagan Revolution with maniacal, childish glee, well, then, please, be my guest and indulge Mr. Frank.