No, I won't shut up about Thomas Frank

For those of you who haven't read What's the Matter with Kansas? yet, here is a much shorter essay presenting the same basic case (link via II).

We all know the sorry economic conditions brought on by right-wing policies. Why then do the victims, who happen to adhere to “the old-time religion,” meekly support their oppressors? And why does Jesus’ admonition to the rich man – “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” (Matt. 19:21) – not apply to their political leaders, or, for that matter, their “spiritual leaders”?

Note there's one sentence I would disagree with -- or at least be sceptical of:

It is a safe bet that the socio-economic-educational status of the average fundamentalist is markedly below that of average American citizens. This means that many fundamentalist families are one paycheck or one serious family illness away from financial disaster.

These days, I suspect the 'average', 'middle-class' family is teetering on the brink of financial collapse.