No matter how little their actual work focuses overtly on politics, commercially and critically successful fiction authors are able to influence a portion of their readers’ and followers’ political views. Unfortunately most of these famous authors have a neoliberal worldview that maintains the U.S. political status quo: legalized bribes, a growing homeless population, endless wars, medical debt, mass layoffs and more. For those of you who are still learning about our ideas of populism/leftism vs. neoliberalism/centrism here on The Rauch Review, it might be helpful to see examples of novelists who use their resources and platforms to promote centrist candidates and ideas.
1. Stephen King
After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the American neoliberal position quickly became clear: unconditional, unlimited military support for Ukraine, no matter the risk of nuclear war with Russia. Anti-Russia, Russiagate-fueled sentiments mutated into an attitude of excusing any negative aspect of modern Ukrainian history, including Nazis. Blinded by hatred of Putin, neoliberals refused to acknowledge the possibility of U.S.-led peace negotiations that would have saved thousands of innocent Ukrainian lives and billions of dollars in infrastructure damage. King’s support for Ukraine was so deranged that he was willing to sugarcoat Nazi influence.
In 2022 Russian comedians Vovan and Lexus deceived King into believing he was speaking with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During their prank phone call, Vovan and Lexus gently baited King into praising Stepan Bandera, a far-right anti-Jewish Ukrainian nationalist who allied with Nazi Germany. King said, “On the whole, I think Bandera is a great man, and you’re a great man, and Viva Ukraine.”
This example is the most egregious, but Stephen King checks many other neoliberal boxes: Trump derangement syndrome, unconditional loyalty to the Democratic Party’s large corporation-funded candidates, etc.
2. John Grisham
The Democratic Party is our neoliberal party, and John Grisham has long been a loyal partisan. He was a Democrat in the Mississippi State Legislature from 1983 to 1990. Afterward he began his career as an author. Since then he has been a Democratic Party donor and surrogate for several campaigns.
In 2022 I received an email from Cheri Beasley’s campaign for a North Carolina Senate seat. The email was a letter from John Grisham praising Beasley and asking me to donate money to her campaign. These lines stood out to me:
“I know we can trust her to stand up to the special interests that thrive off of Washington gridlock and corruption.
There’s a reason Republicans and their corporate allies are spending tens of millions of dollars to stop her. We need to make clear that we will not allow them to buy this seat.”
Visit Beasley’s OpenSecrets page, and you’ll see a long list of substantial lobbyist donations, also known as legalized bribes. These lobbyists represent a range of industries that don’t need further political representation: Wall Street, fossil fuels, private health insurance and more. The lobbying firms that contributed to Beasley represent massive household name corporations such as Exxon Mobil, JP Morgan Chase, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and General Electric.
Given this corruption, how would Beasley have been able to “stand up to the special interests”? Why is it that Grisham only wants to call out Republicans when they have “corporate allies”?
Part of the American neoliberal worldview is to create a double standard where the Democratic Party can take in corporate capital while attacking the Republic Party for being corrupt.
3. Kurt Andersen
Andersen is both a political nonfiction author and a novelist. In 2017 Andersen and Alec Baldwin co-authored “You Can’t Spell America Without Me: The Really Tremendous Inside Story of My Fantastic First Year as President Donald J. Trump (A So-Called Parody),” a satirical novel imagining Trump’s presidency. Since 2015, hyperfocus on Trump — at the expense of understanding the issues that led to his rise — has been a staple of the neoliberal mindset. Many centrists seemed to believe that making fun of Trump would also make him go away. Maybe a second Trump victory has finally disabused them of that notion.
The Next Neoliberal?
Right now this list is short, so I’m sure there are many contenders who might make it here. Please send me pitches!
Get recommendations on hidden gems from emerging authors, as well as lesser-known titles from literary legends.
