The Man Who Sold the World: Ronald Reagan and the Betrayal of Main Street America

by Kleinknecht, William

• ISBN13: 9781568584102
• ISBN10: 1568584105
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-02-02
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group

Summary

Since Ronald Reagan left officeand particularly after his deathhis shadow has loomed large over American politics: Republicans and many Democrats have waxed nostalgic, extolling the Republican tradition he embodied, the optimism he espoused, and his abilities as a communicator.This carefully calibrated image is complete fiction, argues award-winning journalist William Kleinknecht. The Reagan presidency was epoch shattering, but notas his propagandists would have itbecause it invigorated private enterprise or made America feel strong again. His real legacy was the dismantling of an eight-decade period of reform in which working people were given an unprecedented sway over our politics, our economy, and our culture. Reagan halted this almost overnight.In the tradition of Thomas Frank'sWhat's the Matter with Kansas?, Kleinknecht explores middle Americastarting with Reagan's hometown of Dixon, Illinoisand shows that as the Reagan legend grows, his true legacy continues to decimate middle America.

Author Biography

William Kleinknecht is a veteran crime correspondent for the Newark Star-Ledger. He previously covered the crime beat for the New York Daily News. The winner of awards from the Associated Press and the American Society of Professional Journalists, he has contributed to American Journalism Review, National Law Journal, and the Boston Phoenix. The author of New Ethnic Mobs: The Changing Face of Organized Crime in America, he lives in Glen Rock, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. ix
Forgotten Roots	p. 1
Two Views of America	p. 21
The Invasion	p. 53
Year Zero	p. 71
The Looting of America	p. 103
Merger Mania	p. 135
The Effluvia of Commerce	p. 155
The Spoils of Revolution	p. 189
The Great Enabler	p. 205
"The Man with the Badge"	p. 225
The Second-Rate Society	p. 259
Acknowledgments	p. 271
Notes	p. 273
Index	p. 299
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