It sparked a rush of critical praise for Frank, a longtime cultural critic and former academic who semi-jokingly wishes he could get “a friend of mine to sort of act my part on these publicity tours.” He could then reserve more of his focus for his heavily researched, deftly written books, which intersperse anecdotes about Washington and his own life with damning evidence of Republican corruption.
This election year, Frank’s new book, The Wrecking Crew, examines how under decades of conservative rule, especially the Bush administration, privatization and corrupt contracting processes have become the rule. They’re subjects that might seem as dull as a values voter. Just wait and see how important they become.
How bad did things get under the Republicans? Local businesses stopped selling cheap beer to the masses. That’s about as undemocratic as you can get, and with Frank’s lead, we might begin to pay attention to such problems (and perhaps more serious ones) in the upcoming election.
Thomas Frank will appear at the Denver Newspaper Agency on August 18 at 8 a.m. in an event co-sponsored by the Denver Press Club. Go to www.denverpressclub.org for more info. You must pre-register for this event at www.blacktie-colorado.com. He will also appear at the LoDo Tattered Cover at 7:30 p.m. that night, in an event open to anyone. Go to www.tatteredcover.com for more info.
Mon., Aug. 18, 8 a.m., 2008
