"What's the Matter with Kansas?" (book)

"What's the Matter with Kansas?" is a book by Thomas Frank that explores why many working-class voters in Kansas and similar U.S. regions support conservative and Republican candidates despite potentially conflicting economic interests. Frank argues that cultural issues, media influence, and political rhetoric have shifted voter priorities away from economic self-interest towards social identity and moral issues. The book analyzes how this shift has affected American politics, leading to a divergence between workers’ economic needs and their political choices, ultimately questioning the impact of ideological messaging and the decline of class-based voting patterns in shaping electoral behavior.