Thomas Frank: Political Analyst, Historian, and Author
Biography
Thomas Carr Frank (born March 21, 1965) is an American political analyst, historian, journalist, and columnist for Harper’s Magazine. He is known for his writings on the culture war, conservatism, and the relationship between politics and culture in the United States.
Frank was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in a suburb of the city. He attended the University of Kansas, the University of Virginia, and the University of Chicago, where he received a Ph.D. in history in 1994. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife and children.
Career
Frank began his career as a political analyst for The Wall Street Journal, where he wrote the”Tilting Yar” column from 2008 to 2010. He is also the founder and editor of The Baffler, a quarterly magazine that publishes essays on politics, culture, and economics.
Frank has written several books, including What’s the Matter with Kansas? (2004), The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule (2008), and Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right (2011). His writings have been praised for their incisive analysis of American politics and culture, and he has been described as one of the most important public intellectuals of his generation.
Political Views
Frank is a self-described liberal and has been a vocal critic of conservatism, especially the presidency of George W. Bush. He argues that conservatism is a form of populism that appeals to voters’ fears and prejudices, and that it has led to a decline in the quality of American democracy.
Frank’s writings have been influential in shaping the debate over the future of American politics. He is a powerful voice for progressive values, and his work is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the challenges facing the United States today.
Bibliography
**Books**
* The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism (1997) * One Market Under God: Extreme Capitalism, Market Populism, and the End of Economic Democracy (2000) * New Consensus for Old: Cultural Studies from Left to Right (2002) * Boob Jubilee: The Mad Cultural Politics of the New Economy: Salvos from the Baffler (2003) * What’s the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America (2004) * What’s the Matter with America? The Resistible Rise of the American Right (2006) * The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule (2008) * Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right (2011) * Listen, Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People? (2016)
**Essays and Reporting**
*”All the Rage” Harper’s Magazine, November 2012
External Links
* [Official website](http://www.tcfrank.com/) * [Website for Thomas Frank’s book *Listen, Liberal*](http://listenliberal.com/) * [Thomas Frank Author Page, Henry Holt and Company](http://us.macmillan.com/author/thomasfrank) * [Appearances on C-SPAN](http://www.c-span.org/person/?thomasfrank) * [Thomas Frank column index in Harper’s magazine](http://harpers.org/subjects/ThomasFrank) * [What’s The Matter With”What’s The Matter With Kansa”; The Nation; October 11, 2005](http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut?bid=7&pid=28262) * [Class is Dismissed – Thomas Frank’s reply to Prof. Bartels’ study *What’s The Matter With”What’s The Matter With Kansa”*.](http://web.archive.org/web/20080309095606/http://www.tcfrank.com/dismissd.pdf) * [New Consensus for Old: Cultural Studies from Left to Right](http://www.prickly-paradigm.com/catalog.html#2) * [PBS’s NOW with Bill Moyers](http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/frank.html) * [Thomas Frank at the Internet Movie Database](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1839388/) * [Frank giving speech at”Hostile Takeove”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd5nd3aBtkU) * [Opinion article in the Wall Street Journal written by Frank](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120873309012529689.html?mod=mostpop) * [VIDEO: Thomas Frank, Aug. 14, 2008 – The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-667877812822137165&hl=en) * [2009 Thomas Frank interview with Jon Niccum](http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/dec/11/whats-matter-kansas-thomas-franks-best-selling-nov/) * [VIDEO: Thomas Frank discusses Pity the Billionaire](http://forum-network.org/lecture/pity-the-billionaire-thomas-frank) * [Thomas Frank interview on the History News Network](http://hnn.us/articles/pity-poor-billionaire-interview-thomas-frank)