As a sociologist who did not read the book, I found Nichols' analysis here dumbfounding. Americans have become wealthy since the Great Depression because now they have dishwashers and flat screen TV's and complacent / ignorant. The threat to American democracy is therefore a cultural issue. No analysis about the financialization of the US since the 1980s, the decline of the middle class, the decrease of purchasing power compared to productivity for decades, outsourcing of millions of jobs due to globalization (Nafta, WTO) and technological innovations, decline in belief in the American dream or the fact that just BEFORE covid-19 hit 40% of Americans don't have $400 in the bank for emergency purposes. The people who are supporting Trumpists as well as Sandernistas are for the former white working class folks experiencing an erosion in purchasing power and social standing well before inflation exploded, and for the latter mostly younger folks crushed under student loan debts, medical debts etc. The American electorate has tried everything: a Democratic president with Dem congress, Republican congress, and vice versa and things did not improve. So in 2016 they tried something new: an independent game show host who had no electoral record. The people I talk to are outraged by politics, not because they are fat and happy and because they have more time on their hands (on Facebook) than their ancestors, but because DC is occupied by lobbyists and special interests regardless of which party is in power. Reality for the average american family is not getting any better over the last 30 years. We should brace ourselves for 2024.
As a sociologist who did not read the book, I found Nichols' analysis here dumbfounding. Americans have become wealthy since the Great Depression because now they have dishwashers and flat screen TV's and complacent / ignorant. The threat to American democracy is therefore a cultural issue. No analysis about the financialization of the US since the 1980s, the decline of the middle class, the decrease of purchasing power compared to productivity for decades, outsourcing of millions of jobs due to globalization (Nafta, WTO) and technological innovations, decline in belief in the American dream or the fact that just BEFORE covid-19 hit 40% of Americans don't have $400 in the bank for emergency purposes. The people who are supporting Trumpists as well as Sandernistas are for the former white working class folks experiencing an erosion in purchasing power and social standing well before inflation exploded, and for the latter mostly younger folks crushed under student loan debts, medical debts etc. The American electorate has tried everything: a Democratic president with Dem congress, Republican congress, and vice versa and things did not improve. So in 2016 they tried something new: an independent game show host who had no electoral record. The people I talk to are outraged by politics, not because they are fat and happy and because they have more time on their hands (on Facebook) than their ancestors, but because DC is occupied by lobbyists and special interests regardless of which party is in power. Reality for the average american family is not getting any better over the last 30 years. We should brace ourselves for 2024.
Thanks Rachel, great interview...interesting thesis. I bought the book.