Thom Hartmann did not disappoint. He told the unfortunate truth about America’s destructive path to neoliberalism and how to get out.
Thom Hartmann on Neoliberalism
Thom Hartmann visited us once again to discuss his latest book in his “The Thom Hartmann Hidden History” series. “The Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America and How to Restore Its Greatness” is likely the most important read in his series, along with his book on our fraudulent healthcare system.
America’s most popular progressive radio host and New York Times bestselling author Thom Hartmann reveals how and why neoliberalism became so prevalent in the United States and why it’s time for us to turn our backs on it.
With four decades of neoliberal rule coming to an end, America is at a crossroads. In this powerful and accessible book, Thom Hartmann demystifies neoliberalism and explains how we can use this pivotal point in time to create a more positive future.
This book traces the history of neoliberalism, a set of capitalistic philosophies favoring free trade, low taxes on the rich, financial austerity, and the deregulation of big business up to the present day. Hartmann explains how neoliberalism was sold as a cure for wars and the Great Depression. He outlines the destructive impact that it has had on America, looking at how it has increased poverty, damaged the middle class, and corrupted our nation’s politics.
America is standing on the edge of a new progressive era. We can continue down the road to a neoliberal oligarchy, as supported by many of the nation’s billionaires and giant corporations. Or we can choose to return to Keynesian economics and Alexander Hamilton’s American Plan by raising taxes on the rich, reversing free trade, and building a society that works for all.
As usual, Hartmann was always on point and showed a command of the material. Before reading the book I placed most of the blame for the execution of neoliberalism on the Ronald Reagan clan. While they knowingly destroyed the economy from a middle-class perspective, the genesis of the policies was decades in the meeting by capitalist economists who believed the economy had too many variables and could not be controlled through the government, which many saw as inherently corrupt. Does that sound familiar>
Thom Hartmann’s new book completely deconstructs their failure. More importantly, he provides solutions.