How resentment became the driving force behind our fractured politics.
Apr 23 2016
It's so personal now. It's not only that there are 'people who believe we should have more government,' or 'people who believe we should have less government,' but the debate now hinges around our notions of who works hard in the population, and who is deserving - basic moral judgements about each other.
Political scientist Kathy Cramer traces the bitterly fractured state of modern American politics to a Reagan-era division over the nature of government itself, and explains how growing economic inequality, widespread distrust of institutions and place-based identities have turned political disagreements into personal conflicts, turning blame away from decision makers, and towards fellow Americans.
Kathy wrote the new book The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker.
Guest
Kathy Cramer
Kathy Cramer is the director of University of Wisconsin-Madison's Morgridge Center for Public Service and a faculty member in the Department of Political Science.
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