Despite the griping about liberals I've heard my whole life, I still haven't experienced a truly liberal presidential administration. I guess it's just a favorite slur of the right, mostly devoid of meaning.

Thomas Frank frequently rouses rabbles - I sometimes think that's his main goal, so I have been dismissive of his writing in the past. However, Listen, Liberal is a concise summation of how the Democratic Party abandoned the principles of leftist governing in order to win. At least, initially it seemed to be a ploy to ascend; it now seems the working class is completely absent in the core philosophy of the party.

If you're comfortable imagining the current Democratic establishment represents your best interests and would like to remain comfortable with that, this might not be the book for you. If you're conservative and would like to read about the failures of the supposedly opposition party, you might enjoy some of this. If you sit firmly on the left side of the political spectrum but have trouble putting your finger on what it is that's gone so horribly wrong, this might be your book.