This is the tenth in a series of posts considering Amy Goldstein’s Janesville: An American Story. In this post, I’ll cover one chapter of Part Five (2012) of Janesville. Goldstein writes of the broader events of 2012 (the Recall election, Ryan running for vice president) and others that are more intensely individual (a graduate of a retraining program takes her own life…
Politics
Books, Culture, Economy, Janesville, Politics
Considering Janesville: An American Story (Part 9 of 14)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the ninth in a series of posts considering Amy Goldstein’s Janesville: An American Story. In this post, I’ll cover remaining chapters from Part Four (2011) of Janesville. Part of this story is well-known to Wisconsinites: Gov. Walker introduces a Budget Repair Bill (since its enactment into law now-universally called Act 10 by Wisconsinites), Democratic senators leave…
Books, Culture, Economy, Janesville, Politics
Considering Janesville: An American Story (Part 5 of 14)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the fifth in a series of posts considering Amy Goldstein’s Janesville: An American Story. In this post, I’ll cover four chapters from Part Two (2009) of Janesville (Blackhawk, Ahead of the Class, A Plan and Distress Signals, and The Holiday Food Drive). Goldstein’s not polemical, and her descriptions are more subtle than they would be for…
Books, Culture, Economy, Janesville, Politics
Considering Janesville: An American Story (Part 3 of 14)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the third in a series of posts considering Amy Goldstein’s Janesville: An American Story. In this post, I’ll write about five chapters of Janesville (Change in August, To the Renaissance Center, Mom, What Are You Going to Do?, When One Door of Happiness Closes, Another Opens, and The Parker Closet). In chapters 5 through 9, Goldstein…
Books, Culture, Economy, Janesville, Politics
Considering Janesville: An American Story (Part 1 of 14)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the first in a series of posts considering Amy Goldstein’s Janesville: An American Story. Bloggers have the luxury of time, so I’ll happily use that abundance to write at length on Goldstein’s book, one for which many have been waiting these last few years. Before beginning, though, I’ll post an introduction to the book from the…
Culture, Newspapers, Politics, Press
Media Dependency
by JOHN ADAMS •
Concerning national publications, Eliana Johnson describes How Trump Blew Up the Conservative Media. Her observation on this point has local relevancy (both about and apart from Trump). Here’s Johnson’s key observation: “For the 89 percent of Republican voters who cast ballots for Trump, their backing represented a departure from many of the principles that have…
Books, Culture, Economy, Politics, Trump
Considering The Politics of Resentment, Concluding Thoughts (Part 9 of 9)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the ninth in a series of posts considering Katherine Cramer’s Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker. I first thought I’d post, chapter by chapter, on Katherine Cramer’s Politics of Resentment after I read her 11.13.16 article in the Washington Post, “How rural resentment helps explain the surprising victory…
Books, Culture, Economy, Politics, Wisconsin
Considering The Politics of Resentment, ‘We Teach These Things to Each Other’ (Part 8 of 9)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the eighth in a series of posts considering Katherine Cramer’s Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker. Cramer claims in Chapter 8 that Beyond garnering the insight that people use social identities to think about politics, this book also shows how social group divides can operate as the central…
Books, Culture, Economy, Politics, Wisconsin
Considering The Politics of Resentment, ‘Reactions to the Ruckus’ (Part 7 of 9)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the seventh in a series of posts considering Katherine Cramer’s Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker. In Chapter 7, Cramer describes the conditions immediately before, during, & immediately after the Great Recession, with consideration of Obama and Walker’s candidacies. With regard to Barack Obama, there’s much here that…
Books, Culture, Economy, Politics, Wisconsin
Considering The Politics of Resentment, ‘Support for Small Government’ (Part 6 of 9)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the sixth in a series of posts considering Katherine Cramer’s Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker. In Chapter 6, Cramer declares that In this chapter, I am going to make the bold claim that support for small government is more about identity than principle. Cramer explains to readers…
Books, Culture, Economy, Politics, Wisconsin
Considering The Politics of Resentment, ‘Attitudes toward Public Institutions and Public Employees’ (Part 5 of 9)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the fifth in a series of posts considering Katherine Cramer’s Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker. In Chapter 5, Cramer describes conversations she had with rural residents. In the early part of the chapter, she recounts discussions about the university system. Some rural residents tell her they don’t…
Books, Culture, Economy, Politics, Wisconsin
Considering The Politics of Resentment, ‘The Context of Rural Consciousness’ (Part 4 of 9)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the fourth in a series of posts considering Katherine Cramer’s Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker. If in Chapter 3 Cramer sought to provide the contours (outlines) of a rural consciousness, in Chapter 4 she attempts to describe the context (the circumstances around it) of it all. Cramer…
Books, Culture, Economy, Politics, Wisconsin
Considering The Politics of Resentment, ‘The Contours of Rural Consciousness’ (Part 3 of 9)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the third in a series of posts considering Katherine Cramer’s Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker. The simplest way to think about Cramer’s work, by analogy, is to think of it not as a scientific poll of attitudes and preferences, but as a series of considered focus…
Newspapers, Politics
Gazette Editorial Begs Paul Ryan: Call Me Maybe?
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s an editorial at the Janesville Gazette, hometown of Paul Ryan, complaining that Ryan won’t hold a town hall: Paul Ryan, your constituents have waited long enough. It’s time for a town hall, even if it’s only the telephone kind. Something. Anything to show your constituents that you—not only your staff—are hearing their…