Description:
A bold assessment of America's populist turn--and a roadmap for rebuilding faith in liberal democracy
In his final book, former Congressman Barney Frank offers a timely analysis of how liberals in the United States and other democracies lost support to xenophobic populism--and how they can find their way back. He argues that this shift stems from two critical failures of the Left: first, ignoring rising economic inequality, and second, failing to disassociate itself from the politically toxic social agenda of "the left wing of the left wing's left"--especially on immigration, policing, and sexual identity. These errors led many voters to believe that the Left was either indifferent or hostile to their interests.
Combining history and policy insight with his characteristic humor, Frank offers a strategic path toward reclaiming a just and democratic future by decreasing economic inequality and addressing social problems without alienating the majority of voters.
Review Quotes: "This terse essay underscores Barney Frank's reputation as a clear-eyed, tough-minded liberal who is willing to criticize members of his own coalition for their self-defeating policies and tactics. Grounded in solid historical and political analysis, Frank's thesis blazes a path for the opponents of right-wing populist nationalism and clarifies internal disagreements that this coalition can no longer avoid."--William A. Galston, senior fellow, Brookings Institution
"When neoliberalism failed, Democrats made a fatal mistake by splitting over cultural issues instead of uniting around shared prosperity. Now MAGA's failure gives them a second chance, and Barney Frank shows how to seize it. Every big-D Democrat--and also every small-d democrat--should read his book."--Jonathan Rauch, author of Cross Purposes "We need more people like Barney Frank. The Hard Path to Unity provides much-needed advice on how to recapture our democracy."--Steven B. Smith, author of On Statesmanship