Author:Thomas Frank Binding: Hardcover Published: 2008-08-05 ISBN: 0805079882 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
"No middle ground here"
"Fabulous summary of the right's hypocrisy"
"On the money"
"The Wrecking Crew opens eyes wide to federal government corruption"
Ready to buy?
Price: $16.50
List Price: $25.00 You save: $8.50 (34%)
Editorial Review:
From the author of the landmark bestseller What's the Matter with Kansas?, a jaw-dropping investigation of the decades of deliberate--and lucrative--conservative misrule
In his previous book, Thomas Frank explained why working America votes for politicians who reserve their favors for the rich. Now, in The Wrecking Crew, Frank examines the blundering and corrupt Washington those politicians have given us.
Casting back to the early days of the conservative revolution, Frank describes the rise of a ruling coalition dedicated to dismantling government. But rather than cutting down the big government they claim to hate, conservatives have simply sold it off, deregulating some industries, defunding others, but always turning public policy into a private-sector bidding war. Washington itself has been remade into a golden landscape of super-wealthy suburbs and gleaming lobbyist headquarters--the wages of government-by-entrepreneurship practiced so outrageously by figures such as Jack Abramoff.
It is no coincidence, Frank argues, that the same politicians who guffaw at the idea of effective government have installed a regime in which incompetence is the rule. Nor will the country easily shake off the consequences of deliberate misgovernment through the usual election remedies. Obsessed with achieving a lasting victory, conservatives have taken pains to enshrine the free market as the permanent creed of state.
Stamped with Thomas Frank's audacity, analytic brilliance, and wit, The Wrecking Crew is his most revelatory work yet--and his most important.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
No middle ground here There is nothing fair or balanced about this book. This is an all-out assault on the contemporary conservative movement. Frank doesn't make excuses as he hits conservatives rapid-fire with examples of their corruption, cronyism, and destruction of government. This was clearly not written for distribution at GOP events. That said, Frank has put together a well-done example of incisive political criticism. While he makes intentionally one-sided arguments, he points to unmistakable facts that still... more info
Fabulous summary of the right's hypocrisy While I know lots of right wingers, some relatively extremist, one thing has stood out about them: their hyposcrisy. They'll talk about "free markets" yet take advantage of any government program--"free market?" That's a controlled market!--then can. Thomas Frank wrote a real gem with "What's the Matter with Kansas?" a few years ago. There was some academic criticism of the work--justified, it seemed. (Yes, I read that too.) But I agree with his premise in that book, that many--too many--voters tend to... more info
On the money 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... more info
The Wrecking Crew opens eyes wide to federal government corruption "The Wrecking Crew" is an excellently written book detailing how our federal government became as corrupt and divided as it has become since 1980 by naming names, places and actions that contributed to our present situation. Pointing out President Reagan's part by repealing the regulations put in place to prevent big business from taking over and acting like a monarchy. The book describes very cleary a place and living conditions presently under American jurisdiction that big business has taken over... more info
