I’ve read Frank and this framing assumes there is an objective definition of self interest usually economic and that other priorities like culture autonomy or distrust of institutions are just manipulation. What stands out is the asymmetry where rural voters are described as being worked while poor urban voters making similar tradeoffs are explained through structure or lived experience.

Frank himself later pulled back some of the book’s claims and shifted more blame toward party strategy and elite failure rather than voter pathology. Everyone is influenced by elites and narratives but only some voters are treated as lacking agency when they choose differently.