Synopses & Reviews
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 Franks Whats the Matter with Kansas?, Kleinknecht explores middle Americastarting with Reagans hometown of Dixon, Illinoisand shows that as the Reagan legend grows, his true legacy continues to decimate middle America.
Synopsis
An award-winning journalist shatters the myth of Ronald Reagan
Synopsis
The myth of Ronald Reagans greatness has reached epic proportions in recent years. The public rates him as one of the most popular presidents, and Republicans everywhere seek to cast themselves in his image.
But, William Kleinknecht reveals, much that has gone wrong in Americaincluding the subprime mortgage crisis and the meltdown of the financial sectorcan be traced directly to Reagans policies. Boom-and-bust cycles, CEO salaries, drug-company scandals, collapsing bridges, plummeting wages for working people, the flight of U.S. manufacturing abroadthese are all products of Reagans free-market zealotry and his gutting of the public sector. The Man Who Sold the World is the first book to explode the Reagan myth.
About the Author
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.