Remembering the Forgotten Man

The Mark Steyn Weekend Show
August 4, 2017

https://www.steynonline.com/8015/remembering-the-forgotten-man

November's US election was, according to Kellyanne Conway, the "Forgotten Man" election. President Trump has returned to this theme from time to time - he did so in West Virginia just last night - and it reminds us (as the "Russia investigation" and Scaramucci/Preibus palace intrigue do not) of just why he won. But the idea of the Forgotten Man has deep roots in American political history, and in this edition of The Mark Steyn Weekend Show Mark explores them with the author of a fine book on the subject. Steyn and Amity Shlaes discuss the evolution of the Forgotten Man from the late 19th century to the Trump era. Click below to watch:

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14 Reader Comments

Mark Matthews • Aug 8, 2017 at 04:19

Loved the interview. But Mark what happened to your Tie. You are usually so smart with matching Tie and Hanky was it a hot day in the studio?

Sam Abbas • Aug 6, 2017 at 23:32

Great interview Mark! Have started reading Amity as a result of your recommendation. Looking forward to the Clubbable. Cheers

Greg Dow • Aug 5, 2017 at 10:23

Amity Shlaes was great....ordering her book.

Paul137

Greg Dow • Aug 5, 2017 at 13:31

The video interview is fine, but Shlaes's book is a wreck. I've been baffled by the accolades it's received, including here from Mark. There's abundant interesting **material** in the book, but the writing is chaotic, a disorganized mess. For example, on page 62, Mary McCarthy is mentioned in one paragraph and then introduced ab initio in the next. Similarly, later on that page and going onto page 63 there's this: "One of Vassar's trustees, Franklin Roosevelt, would shortly run for governor of the state of New York. His wife, Eleanor, was the co-owner of a tiny furniture factory that made colonial reproductions, Val-Kill, and which counted Vassar College among its clients. "But Vassar was not the only refuge. Right in New York City, two progressive educators, Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman, had joined Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin's wife, in purchasing the Todhunter School; ..." There's plenty more careless stuff like that. And there are places where one has to guess that Shlaes is "unclear on the concept," such as [pp. 143 - 144]: "Over lunch, [Marriner] Eccles asked [Stuart] Chase about the brain trusters, and Chase asked Eccles for his views on the economy. Eccles lectured Chase on the need for spending to forestall inflation." Increased spending to prevent INflation?!?! There are also oddball themes that repeat through the book, the inception of Alcoholics Anonymous, for example. What this has to do with the notion of "the forgotten man" is never broached. It strikes me as doubtful that editor(s) had anything to do with this book. They were needed. I'd be interested to learn about Calvin Coolidge, but -- based upon this experience -- am skeptical that reading Shlaes's book on him would be a worthwhile approach.

Skip Engle • Aug 5, 2017 at 02:22

Did you take the RCAF fitness program? You look slimmer, and by that I mean absorutely mahvelous dahling.

Laura Thuijls • Aug 5, 2017 at 01:09

Here in Australia we still use the term dole. It is quite often followed by the word bludger. As in "Sarah is a total dole bludger." On a different note, this conversation about the forgottan man reminds me about the common refrain that governments should be compassionate. But if person A is coercing person B to give money to cause X, can person A ever be considered compassionate, even if cause X is a compassionate cause?

Neil • Aug 4, 2017 at 23:24

The only thing I don't like about these replays of the Mark Steyn Show is that it reminds me how much I enjoyed the shows and looked forward to watching the next one. I can't recall Mark ever having a boring dull guest on his show. It was great being able to listen to engaging conversations with great guests like Amity Shlaes that have passionate encyclopedic knowledge on subjects and can convey that knowledge entertainingly. After the show I bought "The Forgotten Man" and thoroughly enjoyed it.

PK33

Neil • Aug 5, 2017 at 09:11

It is refreshing the way Mark has an actual dialogue with his guests and lets them talk for a while, to give us some background and context. It is rare to see that in other interviews, the format has generally become mostly rapid-fire looking for 15-second talking points. As much as I love to listen to Mark himself talk, his guests are thoughtful, intelligent and well-versed in the subject matter, never preening or condescending. It is a delight to hear these voices too.

PK33

Neil • Aug 5, 2017 at 09:13

Oh yay! Thank you for now keeping the comment page open after clicking "submit", so that I don't have to refresh the page and scroll down again. Now if you could enable up-voting comments, that would be great too.

DJ • Aug 4, 2017 at 19:31

Egad! All this math makes my head hurt!

Eugene Dziadyk • Aug 4, 2017 at 19:12

Mark, I don't know if Real Clear Politics is a big deal or not, but your writings used to pop up there regularly, and even I think referenced occasionally by Drudge. The writing's better than ever, if that's possible, but no Mark there. Are you the "Forgotten Man" in those circles?

James Douglas Wingate • Aug 4, 2017 at 18:56

Here's the index page of the Audio & Transcripts section, y'all: https://www.steynonline.com/section/84/audio-transcripts

Tom Gelsinon • Aug 4, 2017 at 18:13

Will the newsletter be delivered in paper or electronic format?

Mark replies:

Good old-fashioned dead tree.

Wanda Sherratt

Tom Gelsinon • Aug 5, 2017 at 16:27

Excellent! Then "the Clubbable Steyn" can also be "the Collectible Steyn"!