‘Listen, Liberal’ Review: Democrats vs. the Working Class

Every loyal Democratic Party voter and self-described liberal in the U.S. should read “Listen, Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?” by Thomas Frank. With meticulous research, Frank illustrates how, when and why the Democrats abandoned their working class constituents. The book challenges one of the most powerful propaganda talking points in modern history: that the Democratic Party is unquestionably and always the lesser of two evils in our Democrat-Republican corporate duopoly.

If you already agree with Frank’s assessment and are seeking guidance on whether you should continue voting for national Democrats, don’t waste time and money on this book. The narrative is dedicated only to a diagnosis of the problem. Only two short paragraphs toward the end of the book actually allude to potential actions voters can take.

‘Listen, Liberal’ Summary: A Mixture of History, Opinion and Psychological Analysis

“Listen, Liberal” provides a mixture of history on the post-FDR Democratic Party, opinion on these events and psychological analysis of the stereotypical professional managerial class (PMC) American liberal. Frank defines a liberal person more by class membership and mindset than the behavior of voting only for Democrats. It seems like Frank himself votes only for Democrats, yet he does not necessarily regard himself as a liberal.

On page 29, Frank mentions a comp title, “Death of the Liberal Class” by “radical writer” Chris Hedges. Fence-sitting liberals should start with “Listen, Liberal.” Hardcore leftists should follow Hedges.

Audience and Genre: Thoughtful Political Analysis for White-Collar Liberals Who Vote Blue No Matter Who

Frank wrote this book primarily for people with his pedigree: college-educated loyal Democratic Party voters in white-collar professions. The narrative might resonate a bit more with readers who share aspects of Frank’s demographic background: white, most of your friends are liberals, you were born in the 60s or earlier.

Nonetheless, this book has been life-changing for liberals of all ages and backgrounds. Frank’s reporting is valuable for anyone who wants to become educated on Democratic Party history and political psychology, even for those who will never stop voting for Democrats.

For far leftists such as myself, “Listen Liberal” is a curation of affirmations for why we left the Democratic Party. For some conservatives, there’s anthropological sadism in spectating liberal hypocrisy.

Differing Definitions of a Liberal

In the context of U.S. politics, what is a liberal? Frank seems to perceive liberals primarily as white-collar folks who vote for neoliberal Democrats in general elections and have certain beliefs about the world. In his eyes, voting for neoliberal Democrats doesn’t automatically make you a liberal. It’s just that most self-described liberals happen to vote that way.

Since Picador released the 2017 edition of this book, the discussion on the definition of a “liberal” has changed in some factions of the left. For people in my political community, voting only for neoliberal Democrats in a general election makes you a “liberal,” which we employ as a synonym for “centrist” (meaning not on the left at all). It doesn’t matter if you’re working class, PMC, unemployed, educated, white or born in the U.S. You vote only for Democrats; you are a Democrat.

Having leftist policy positions and ideology does not automatically make someone leftist. We are leftists because we have these ideals and we vote only for left third parties and independents when it comes to general elections. Many of us also focus more on mutual aid and labor than electoral politics.

Alienation of Working Class Readers

Because Frank did not regard working class Democratic Party voters as liberals, the book does not speak to them effectively. “Listen, Liberal,” a book about how the Democratic Party abandoned the working class, is not written for the working class. While lambasting elitism, Frank employs fancy words that even I — a professional writer who loves fancy words — had to constantly look up. Frank’s reporting champions the working class, yet it feels like he doesn’t think any of them will read this book.

Don’t get me wrong. Fancy words are wonderful. People of all classes can enjoy them. They’re part of the beauty of the English language. They just don’t belong in a book about how elitism expelled the working class from a political party.

Three Cs: Compelling, Clear, Concise

Editorial Note: We believe these three factors are important for evaluating general writing quality across every aspect of the book. Before you get into further analysis, here’s a quick breakdown to clarify how we’re using these words:

• Compelling: Does the author consistently write in a way that would make most readers emotionally invested in the book’s content?
• Clear: Are most sentences and parts of the book easy enough to read and understand?
• Concise: Are there sections or many sentences that could be cut? Does the book have pacing problems?

Compelling: Only If You’re Open to a Critical View of the Democratic Party

If you care about the working class and want the Democratic Party to change, you’ll get a lot out of reading this book. You may feel compelled to publicly criticize the Democratic Party and educate liberals in your life.

Perhaps you’ll consider the progressive Democratic Party reform strategy that has become popular since AOC was elected. Then there’s the far leftist path: Some people, including known commentators Katie Halper and Briahna Joy Gray have cited this book as one of the main reasons they no longer vote for corporate Democrats in general elections. These people have moved on to voting for left third party and left independent candidates.

Clear: Excellent Writing, But Do You Like Fancy Words?

Frank is a masterful writer and journalist. Every sentence was clear. Few were unnecessarily long. No typos. It was easy to tell when he wanted his tone to be blunt, sarcastic, mournful, angry or hopeful.

It’s up to you, the reader, to decide whether Frank’s excessive fancy words are a clarity issue. To me, the overall meaning of the sentences were still crystal clear even before I Googled the words. If you enjoy the process of learning vocabulary words, get ready for a treat. If not, I think you’ll be fine.

Concise: Not As Long As It Appears, But A Lot of Repetition

Depending on how you approach this book, it’s not as long as it appears. The Amazon page for the paperback edition says it’s 352 pages. I don’t know where they got this number. I ordered my paperback from Amazon. It’s 334 pages. The hardcover is supposedly 320 pages.

In the paperback I ordered, 259 to 283 is a post-Trump victory afterword for the 2017 edition. 285 to 319 are notes, which are only worth browsing if you don’t trust Frank as a journalist. 321 to 322 is acknowledgements, and the last pages are an index. After getting through the copyright and promo pages, etc. page 1 to 13 is the introduction, which is interesting for context but not strictly necessary. So, if you want to read this book as fast as possible while still digesting the meat, it’s less than 250 pages for both the paperback and ebook.

I haven’t listened to the Audiobook version, but Amazon says it’s around 8 hours. This timeframe feels comparable to how long it would take most people to read the book. Frank is the narrator. Released in March, 2016, we can safely assume it doesn’t have the Trump victory afterword.

Normally I wouldn’t dedicate this much of a review to discussing length, but a lot of readers have justifiably complained about the book repeating several points, especially ones related to elitism and liberal psychology. If you truncate the reading a bit, you might not experience as much repetition.

Revisiting the Fancy Words Issue From a Length Perspective

For readers who appreciate fancy words and want to learn their meaning, the vocabulary in “Listen, Liberal” means an increase in reading time. Each of these words took me a few minutes to look up, digest and recontextualize: demurrals, sclerotic, locution, mugwump, vituperation, Thermidor, cosmogony, helot, telos, spake, climes, maudlin, curlicues, livery and topiary. That’s not even the full list.

Prose Style: Political Essay Collection, Lack of Second Person That Doesn’t Fit the Title

For a book called “Listen, Liberal,” there is only a modicum of second person perspective (where the author speaks directly to the reader by writing, “you,” etc.) Instead the work reads like a bookified collection of political essays and journalistic pieces because, well, it kind of is. A paragraph in the copyright page provides transparency:

“The introduction to Listen, Liberal incorporates several passages about income inequality that were published over the course of 2014 in Salon, the online magazine, as well as passages that appeared in columns for Harper’s magazine, one from September 2012 and one from September 2013. Chapter Seven includes bits of an essay that appeared in Bookforum in the fall of 2013 and also expands on Salon essays that appeared in March 2014, August 2014, and January 2015. Chapter Eight incorporates part of a Harper’s magazine column for September 2012. The Afterword includes passages from articles published in 2016 in The Guardian, Le Monde diplomatique, and Harper’s magazine.”

So long as the work includes this type of disclosure and has received permission from the media outlets, it’s perfectly legal, ethical and reasonable for writers to milk money out of their articles by incorporating them into books. If Frank had written the book more separately from his articles, however, I wonder if the narrative would’ve contained less redundant pages.

My Theory on Why the Book’s Title and Prose Style Don’t Match

If The Rauch Review becomes big enough to secure an interview with Frank some day, I’ll simply ask him about this issue. For now here is my theory about how the book’s title developed and why it doesn’t match Frank’s tone.

I think Frank wanted to call the book, “What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?” That’s it. This title is similar to “What’s the Matter with Kansas?,” the book mentioned toward the bottom of the cover and the one many readers believe is his best.

After he had already finished a solid draft, editors pushed for “Listen, Liberal” to be the main part of the title, but not for the draft to change accordingly. The result was “Listen, Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?”

Setting: Rich Descriptions of Elite Liberal Gatherings and Areas

Normally I don’t include our setting section in political nonfiction book reviews, but Frank does an amazing job describing his personal and professional experiences with liberal areas and elite liberal gatherings such as South by Southwest. The conclusion chapter, before the afterword, is about how Martha’s Vineyard has morphed from a working class fishing area to a microcosm of neoliberal elitism and corruption. Frank’s field notes remind us that he is a seasoned journalist and on-the-ground reporter, not only a commentator.

Rhetoric: Very Specific and Compelling, Beyond the Usual ‘Democrats Suck’

Using his excellent reporting and sharp wit, Frank deconstructs the classism of the modern Democratic Party. Below are some key points, some of which I thought were particularly interesting. Those curious about the details should read the book.

• For decades after FDR, the Democratic Party still catered significantly to the working class.
• Liberals allowed themselves to be alienated from the working class because they increasingly valued ideas of professionalism (as in a career), management, meritocracy, rewards of capitalism, elite academic institutions, consensus for the sake of it, etc.
• Professionalism reinforces obedience to trends in a field. This obedience mindset carries over to voting behavior.
• Professional communities create spaces where people are not easily punished for being wrong about important issues.
• The New Deal working class coalition deteriorated in favor of well-educated professionals who had more money.
• Labor leaders were once treated as Democratic Party elites. Now they have lost power.
• For many Democratic Party leaders, abandoning the working class was an intentional decision.
• Meanwhile the media increasingly portrayed the white working class as bigoted and unsympathetic.
• Some Dem leaders opposed unions because they viewed them as not sufficiently meritocratic.
• Many Dem leaders told the working class to get used to globalism instead of expecting help from politicians.
• The positive myths of Bill Clinton and the 90s pale in comparison to the harsh reality of deregulation, NAFTA, mass incarceration and welfare reduction.
• Clinton leveraged his Democratic brand to succeed where Bush Sr. failed.
• Because liberals view the Clinton years as amazing, they are inclined to repeat them.
• Corporations became entangled with both counterculture and the Democratic Party.

Cultural and Political Significance: Always Relevant, Especially When a Lesser-of-Two-Evils Choice is Looming

Unless the Democratic Party returns to its working class roots, this book will always be relevant. The latest edition may be from 2017, but it was an important book going into 2020 as well because millions of liberals viewed Biden as yet another lesser-of-two-evils choice. Few liberals voted affirmatively for Biden, who is as corporate, corrupt and anti-working class as Hillary. It was all about stopping Trump by any means necessary. Now we are approaching November, 2024, and Biden is going to be on the ballot again.

The definition of a liberal may be subject to change, but the history in “Listen, Liberal” will always be important. Recommend this book to anyone interested in U.S. politics, regardless of how they politically identify.

Authenticity/Credibility: Does Frank’s Vote for Hillary Make Him a Liberal?

The definition of a liberal is subjective. All of us politics buffs are going to debate it eternally.

If you’re going to write a book and consent to it being titled “Listen, Liberal,” however, it’s best if people can’t easily argue that the finger on the cover should be pointing at you. Regardless of whether Frank agrees, one of the most common definitions of a liberal — one I subscribe to — is a person who votes only for Democrats in general elections.

Not only did Frank vote for Hillary in the 2016 general election, he did so for one of the most shallow and stereotypically liberal reasons I’ve heard. Here’s a quote from page 243 of the 2017-updated paperback edition: “She had much to recommend for the nation’s highest office—for one thing, her knowledge of Washington; for another, the Republican vendetta against her, which was so vindictive and so unfair that I myself voted for her just to show what I thought of it.”

Really? That’s why you voted for Hillary? Because Republicans were mean to her? I have heard much better arguments.

Generally speaking, I don’t judge people for their votes, especially not Hillary or Biden voters. After all, I voted for Hillary in the general election, after voting for Bernie in the primary. According to my own definition, I was a liberal at the time. Between 2017 and 2020, I transitioned firmly into being a leftist/populist. Had I known in 2016 what I know now, I would’ve voted for Jill Stein.

Editorial Note: If you haven’t already, I suggest you read my article, “A Friendly Open Letter to Liberal Readers Who May Disagree With Me.”

Again, I’m being hard on Frank specifically because he wrote this book and seems unwilling to discuss or seriously consider left alternatives to the Democratic Party. I would bet $1,000 that he voted for Biden in the 2020 general election and plans to do so again in 2024. During a 2021 interview with Bad Fatih host and former Bernie campaign press secretary Briahna Joy Gray, Frank was very defensive of Biden’s performance.

Nonetheless, Frank’s weakness on this issue doesn’t tarnish his amazing reporting and problem analysis. Perhaps solution creativity is a different part of the mind. There is only so much talent a man can be blessed with.

A Confusing Amazon Author Page Bio

In Frank’s Amazon author page bio, there is a “Questions frequently asked Thomas Frank.” section that includes this question: “Aren’t you one of these liberals that you’re always scolding?” The wording is confusing. I’m not sure how involved Frank is in the maintenance of this page. He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would leave a typo such as “Questions frequently asked Thomas Frank.” Conversely, the wording of all the questions very much reads like Frank’s style. Perhaps he wrote those questions and sent them to the publisher. It’s common for commercially successful traditionally published authors to be oblivious to many aspects of their online presence.

If Frank did write that question, he’s aware of the “but you’re a liberal” criticism. Again, if I can ever secure an interview with him, I think our conversation will be illuminating.

Critiquing the Critics: Would Liberal Outlets Praise a Book Like This Post-Trump?

The book itself shows off heaps of praise from liberal publications such as The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post and The Huffington Post. My theory is that these outlets were willing to praise “Listen, Liberal” during its pre-November 2016 release because Trump hadn’t won yet, and they didn’t think he would. In our post-Trump era, I can’t imagine liberal publications cosigning a book like this. Their editors would be too scared of attacking the Democratic Party in a way that might contribute to a second Trump victory.

Consumer Attitudes: Some Liberals Are Listening

In terms of consumer reviews, there are pretty much two types out there:

1. Positive reviews from liberals, independents, leftists and conservatives who agree with Frank’s analysis
2. Negative or mixed reviews from liberals (including some of the stereotypical elites Frank criticizes) who think he’s being too hard on the Democratic Party and liberals

As a former liberal who wants to push people left — from liberalism/centrism to leftism/populism — it’s wonderful to see reviews with lines like this: “I have to admit that this book helped me challenge my own perspective on my so-called liberalism.”

Is It a Polemic?

While browsing reviews, I saw the word, “polemic,” for the first time, so I looked it up. Here’s the definition from Cambridge Dictionary: “a piece of writing or a speech in which a person strongly attacks or defends a particular opinion, person, idea, or set of beliefs.”

The word came up in this line from a high-ranking 5-star Goodreads review: “I pretty much agree with most (heck all!) of Franks’ analysis, although he veers into a full blown sarcastic polemic.”

I also saw it in this Amazon review: “In this polemic, Frank paints a grim picture of the evolving Democratic Party and how it has abandoned its natural working class constituency, which stems back to FDR’s New Deal and beyond.”

“Listen, Liberal” is definitely a polemic against the stereotypical elitist professional managerial class liberal mindset. It is not a polemic against liberalism or the Vote Blue No Matter Who mindset. Frank is sympathetic to non-elite liberals.

The word, polemic, tends to refer to books with much more aggressive, controversial and potentially offensive opinions. If you Google search polemic books, the first result is a Goodreads page that includes these titles:

• “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins
• “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything” by Christopher Hitchens
• “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race” by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Compared to these books, “Listen, Liberal” is barely a polemic, which is perhaps why only a few reviewers regard it as such.

Book Aesthetic: Eye-Catching But Easy to Misunderstand

For a moment, let’s pretend we haven’t heard of Thomas Frank or any of his books. We’re walking through a bookstore, and we see “Listen, Liberal” on a display shelf alongside other political thought leadership titles. We’re too far away to see “What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?” The clearly visible elements are “Listen, Liberal,” the author’s name and that big, white, knuckled hand with an index finger outstretched toward us — literal finger pointing.

I don’t know about you, but I would think the book is one of those conservative thought leadership titles on how liberals are wrong about everything, how they’re ruining the country. I wouldn’t take it seriously. I wouldn’t even approach it closely enough to read the subheading portion of the title.

“Listen, Liberal” may be catchier and simpler than “What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?”, but the latter would be much more effective for referring the book to liberals. I have yet to successfully refer this book to a liberal loved one. It’s obvious that the title is a barrier for them. Instead of a finger pointing, something like a blue donkey could have ensured people understood the Democratic Party subject matter.

Reviewer’s Personal Opinion: I Thought It Would Dissuade A Lot of People From Voting for National Democrats. I Was Wrong.

I’m pretty sure Jimmy Dore was the first person I heard mention this book. Then I saw Briahna Joy Gray interview Thomas Frank, and later Katie Halper mentioned the book during a conversation with Briahna Joy Gray. I consider all three of these commentators members of my far left political faction because they vote outside the two-party system and share most of my beliefs. Whenever they mentioned the title, the context was combatting lesser-of-two-evils/Vote Blue No Matter Who logic, a ubiquitous topic in our community.

Because of this context, I incorrectly assumed “Listen, Liberal” would guide a large number of liberals on why and how to strategically withhold their votes from the Democratic Party. At The Rauch Review, we promote a leftist agenda in a liberal space, the world of books. We explore the intersection of literature and politics. “Listen, Liberal” seemed like the perfect title.

Once I finished reading the book, I realized I had relearned a hard lesson: If your goal is to invite people to join you in a leftward exodus from the Democratic Party, it’s often not enough to show them how corrupt and evil the party is. I’m going to be searching for books that handle the other half of the equation: why left-leaning people should vote for left third parties and independent candidates as much as they can. Please send me recommendations! In the meantime I hope you’ll listen to my own logic.

On a related note, my frustration with Frank resurfaced this question: Is there a point in educating people on a topic if you don’t also attempt persuasion to an outcome that is different than what they would have done without the education? Leading by example is a crucial part of persuasion. If you, the creator of the argument, are behaving the same way as the people you’re reaching out to, why would they change?

‘Listen, Liberal’: Pretend the Title is Just ‘What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?’

Frank isn’t trying to scold or advise liberals; he only wants to educate them. If you’re a white-collar liberal, feel free to ignore that big finger pointing at you. Before reading the first sentence, pretend the title is “What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?” The tone of this title aligns perfectly with the actual reading experience.

A big part of how we evaluate books is whether the author’s intentions can be perceived easily, whether these intentions work as a reading experience and whether the author succeeds with these intentions. I gave this book four out of five stars because Frank succeeds in his main mission of educating white-collar liberals on the history of the Democratic Party’s abandonment of the working class. The problems that bump it down a star are excessive repetition and a confusing title/cover (which interferes with the intention perception issue mentioned above).

It wouldn’t be fair to knock off more stars simply because we disagree with Frank on what it means to be a liberal. This opinion has nothing to do with his writing quality.

Buying Options

E-Commerce Text and Audio Purchases

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• 2016 edition from Macmillan
• Moon Palace Books

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