Thomas Frank is one of the most preeminent writers on the left, and heavy is the head that wears that particular crown. We get in to how he rises above being bitter about being boxed out of American media in Part 2.

But Part 1 starts off with a fascinating history of healthcare and populism, which he researched for the new afterword in the paperback run of his latest book, "The People, No!". Then, we take it back to his days growing up in Kansas where one of the ways he was able to explore life outside of his squeaky clean suburban life was through bbq!

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