Pity the Billionaire: The Unexpected Resurgence of the American Right

This book explained to me better than any I have read what the Tea Party is about and why I have been so disappointed with the Democrats response to both the political right and the recession. I doubt many on the right will be able to listen to it all the way through - just as I haven't been able to listen to any extended writings from the radical right. Frank can be very harsh as he is illuminating. The book does not give any solutions but serves as a starting point depicting the Tea Party development and their relationship with the right. I have a much better understanding of how we got here and for the first time in a long time I feel some comradery with the Tea Party even though I still think they have gone down a very dangerous path for America.

I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

It's not loaded with statistics, and doesn't go into too much detail, but Frank's arguments are complete and well-structured. I think he writes assuming that the reader (listener) of his book is well versed in current events and the various positions of the government and media players he talks about. This seems to be a supplement to what we all watch on TV and read in the political press every day. And, as well done as it is, I have to agree that it is indeed more of a "rant" than an academic treatise.

However, it is not all one-sided in its treatment of the two major parties. Those who say it's just a pro-Democrat, anti-Republican screed obviously didn't listen to the whole thing. In my opinion, the best part of the book is Frank's comparison of the last 5 years to the 1929-1934 US response to the great depression. The parallels are unsettling and he is very even-handed in criticizing our government's response to the Great Recession.

one of the best. The author is extremely engaging. His data and research are impeccable.

It is hard to compare Thomas Frank to anybody. He writes differently and researches differently. He really stands in the category by himself. His body of work is different than any other author that I can think of.

if you're a political junkie, this book is a must-read.

And so he should, given the scale of the fraud perpetrated on the 99% by the criminal propertied classes and their lackeys in government. If you like Chris Hedges, read Salon and don't pronounce the word as 'gubmint', then this could be the book for you.

How would I know? The audio edition is moving and insightful, but I haven't read the print version.

Understanding how citizen outrage at profligate government/corporate corruption morphed into the Tea Party reality-rejecting echo chamber. It's a remarkable story of money and manipulation. You certainly can fool some of the people all of the time.

The CEO of Massey Energy (multi-millionare beneficiary of lax safety practices that killed dozens of miners) rallying a crowd of middle class idiots with anti-government rhetoric.

Self-reinforcing nature of faith and politics, not blatant stupidity, precludes people from questioning the beliefs that lead to this mass crazy. Joe the Plumber really believes he's better off under Bush/McCain no matter the evidence to the contrary.

Both entertaining and thoroughly depressing to think that so many American voters lack the critical reasoning skills see through the mendacity of the monied leaders of this Astroturf movement. Our public education system has failed us.

I enjoy Thomas Frank???s mixture of contemporary politics linked to deeper history and his terrific wit. ???Pity the Billionaire??? follows on ???What???s the Matter with Kansas????and ???The Wrecking Crew,??? and continues his excellent streak. This is a short book on the Tea Party and its harnessing of the populist anger in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis for the good of free market economics. I laughed out loud at passages like: ???And harmless snakes have learned over the millennia to frighten predators by shaking their tails in the dead leaves. They are mimic rattlesnakes--not the real deal. Don???t be afraid. Go ahead and tread on them.??? He cracks that joke and then embarks on a razor-sharp depiction of how and why the conservative moment mimics other movements it disparages. Frank narrates quickly and with an occasional chuckle in his voice. His voice is different from the professionals, yet surely listenable since I have listened to parts of the book twice now. Recommended.

The chapter on Ayn Rand was worth the cost of admission.

The book has important insights about how the public has allowed wealth distribution to get so out of whack while doing nothing substantive in order to protect the public.

It's great to hear the author read the book when the author has the charisma that TF has.No one sneers at hyporcrisy so well.

As with all TF books I found myself simultaneously laughing out loud and wanting to wash my eyeballs.

This book provides interesting historical insights into the way the current political stalemate developed. It attacks both major parties (on different grounds). The opinions Mr. Frank provides are backed up well enough by hard facts to make Republicans cringe over the documented failures of laissez-faire, market-driven economics and Democrats ashamed for insensitivity to the shift in American values. Mr. Frank's reading was both more inflammatory and more entertaining than the printed book, not surprisingly. I found his criticism of Ayn Rand's

I actually agree with Frank and am on his side. I appreciate his position of exposing current right wing politics. But! This book is so over the top! It is dramatic (!), too sensational (!), vague (!) and lots of other wasted opportunities (!!). This is more theatrics that a serious discussion that is needed. Sorry, it is just silly. ("El Rushbo" and all!)

Yes, the author's thesis is solid

Simply when he starts introducing the Tea Party, and what their demands were, and how scary, frustrating, and counter-intuitive they were given that they were responding to the financial crisis.

I have not listened to any of his prior works, but I have read the book What's a Matter with Kansas.

This book is one of those cases when the author has a great idea that is meant for a 30 page article. There was no need to make this into a book, and this became clear as the author added filler after filler. Ironically, it works well in an audiobook, because you don't have to be paying close attention, since the argument will be repeated constantly, and interesting anecdotes are scattered throughout the book.