Thom Hartmann
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Thomas Carl Hartmann (born May 7, 1951) is an American radio personality, author, former
psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...
, businessman, and progressive
political commentator A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...
. Hartmann has been hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, ''The Thom Hartmann Program'', since 2003 and hosted a nightly television show, '' The Big Picture'', between 2010 and 2017.


Early life

Hartmann was born in
Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
,"Thom Hartmann". ''Who's Who in America'', 63rd Edition. one of four children of Jean and Carl Thomas Hartmann. His paternal grandparents were from
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, and his other ancestry includes Welsh and English. He lived in Detroit at age two, and later grew up in
Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...
. ''The Thom Hartmann Program'': July 25, 2013. Interested in politics from a young age, he was raised in a conservative, Midwestern household with a right-wing point of view. He campaigned with his staunch-Republican father for
Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...
during the 1964 presidential election when he was thirteen. Although a "gifted" student, Hartmann was expelled from high school during tenth grade for starting a paper that protested the Vietnam War. He later earned a
GED The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...
. (Hartmann describes being expelled from high school for publishing a news paper that protested the Vietnam War according to Thom Heartman himself on the Thom Heartman Program aired on August 31st, 2021, at the 0:15 mark and describes being in his school's gifted student program at the 1:35 mark.) Hartmann enrolled at
Lansing Community College Lansing Community College is a public community college with its main campus in Lansing, Michigan. Founded in 1957, the college's main campus is located on an urban, site in downtown Lansing spanning seven city blocks approximately two block ...
and transferred to
Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
, majoring in
electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
. In 1968, Hartmann opened his first business, a repair shop named "The Electronics Joint" located next to Michigan State University and became a part-time disc jockey at local country music station WITL-FM.Thom Hartmann,
Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture
'.
With
Students for a Democratic Society Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a national student activist organization in the United States during the 1960s, and was one of the principal representations of the New Left. Disdaining permanent leaders, hierarchical relationships ...
(SDS), Hartmann protested against the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. Hartmann had been interested in consciousness and spirituality since childhood, and by 1969 his interest evolved from
hippie subculture A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
to
Christian mysticism Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative presence of God" ...
. During that year, he met the head of the Coptic Center, Master Stanley. An excerpt from ''The Prophet's Way''. In 1971 he was ordained as a Minister with Coptic Fellowship International. He has been a keynote speaker at many Coptic Conferences nationally. In 1973, Hartmann returned to Detroit to work as an engineer with
RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
.


Business career

Hartmann began his business career in the early 1970s while in his 20s, co-founding The Woodley Herber Company. Woodley Herber sold herbal products, potpourris and teas, and operated until 1978. During this time, Hartmann obtained three degrees in herbology and homeopathic medicine. Hartmann moved to New Hampshire to start The New England Salem Children's Village, which still operates in
Rumney, New Hampshire Rumney is a New England town, town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,498 at the 2020 census. The town is located at the southern edge of the White Mountain National Forest. History ...
. He was its Executive Director for five years, and on the board of directors for more than 25 years. NESCT's child-care model was based on the German
Salem International SALEM International gemeinnützige GmbH is a German charitable company with limited liability based in Stadtsteinach. It describes itself as an international non-denominational Christian non-profit welfare organisation. Its guiding principles in ...
organization, and through his affiliation with that group, he helped start international relief programs in
Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
,
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, Russia, Israel,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Australia, and several other countries between 1979 and today. Hartmann founded International Wholesale Travel and its retail subsidiary Sprayberry Travel in Atlanta in 1983, a business which in the intervening years generated over a quarter of a billion dollars in revenue. According to their website, Sprayberry Travel was lauded by the Wall Street Journal in 1984 as one of the early adopters of frequent travel programs analogous to the recent frequent flyer programs of the airline industry. He sold his share in the business in 1986, and retired with his family to Germany to work with the international relief organization Salem International. In the late 1970s, he was a trainer in advertising and marketing for The American Marketing Centers (now defunct), and in 1987, after returning from Germany, founded the Atlanta advertising agency Chandler, MacDonald, Stout, Schneiderman & Poe, Inc., doing business as The Newsletter Factory. He sold his interest in that company in 1996, and re-retired to Vermont.


Talk radio career

Having worked as a DJ and news director at Lansing radio stations from 1968 to 1978, Hartmann started a radio show in February 2003 on a local station in Vermont; a month later it was picked up on the
I.E. America Radio Network i.e. America Radio Network was a Detroit-based radio network consisting primarily of liberal talk and lifestyle shows. They were owned by the United Auto Workers (UAW) and broadcast nationally from 1996 to 2004, via radio stations and a webca ...
and on
Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Sirius ...
. In 2005, he moved from Vermont to Oregon and, in addition to continuing his national show, also co-hosted a local talk show in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
(with Carl Wolfson, the late Heidi Tauber, and later Christine Alexander), from 2005 until early 2007 on
KPOJ KPOJ (620 AM) is a radio station serving the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon and neighboring Washington. It airs a sports format, and is affiliated with Fox Sports Radio. Its transmitter is located in Sunnyside, Or ...
, initially an affiliate of
Air America Radio Air America (formerly Air America Radio and Air America Media) was an radio in the United States, American radio network specializing in progressive talk radio. It was on the air from March 2004 to January 2010. The network was founded as a left ...
owned by
Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
. But KPOJ now (March 2013) airs a sports talk format, and is affiliated with Fox Sports Radio. Hartmann's national program, on the air since 2003 and now in the noon to 3 pm. ET daypart, was chosen by Air America to replace
Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He gained fame as a writer and performer on the television comed ...
on most Air America affiliates in 2007. From 2008 to 2011, ''
Talkers Magazine ''Talkers Magazine'' is a trade-industry publication related to talk radio in the United States. Its slogan is "The Bible of Talk Radio and the New Talk Media". In addition to radio, it also covers talk shows on broadcast and cable television, a ...
'' rated Hartmann the most popular liberal talk show host in America, rising from number 10 among all talk show hosts in 2008 to number 8 in 2011 and 2015. According to his then-syndicator Dial Global, more people listened to Hartmann's show on more stations than any other progressive talk show in America. ''The Thom Hartmann Program'' is estimated by industry magazine ''Talkers'' to have 7 million unique listeners per week. As of March 2016, the show was carried on 80 terrestrial radio stations in 37 states, as well as on SiriusXM Progress channel 127. A community radio station in Africa, Radio Builsa in
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, also broadcasts the show. Various local cable TV stations simulcast the program. In addition to
Westwood One Westwood One is an American radio network There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass-media entertainment, and ...
, the show is now also offered via Pacifica Audioport to non-profit stations in a non-profit compliant format and is simulcast on
Dish Network DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling TV. A ...
channel 9415 and
DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. It ...
channel 348 via Free Speech TV. The program also airs in London, England. Many guests appear on the show expressing a variety of points of view on diverse social and political topics. Some guests proffer progressive views similar to Hartmann's, but more than half are
conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
,
libertarians Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's enc ...
, or
Ayn Rand Institute The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism, commonly known as the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank in Santa Ana, California, that promotes Objectivism, the philosophy developed by Ayn Rand ...
members who espouse opposing views. Due to his eagerness to invite people who disagree with him, vigorous discussion and debate between the host and guests usually ensues; "My goal in my conversations with conservatives is not to create a spectacle, and not to win the argument, not to prove that I'm the smartest guy in the room or that I'm a tough warrior and I can smack down people." For many years, Sen.
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
(I-VT) appeared every Friday for the "Brunch with Bernie" segment. Other regular phone-in guests include Congressmen
Mark Pocan Mark William Pocan ( ; born August 14, 1964) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district since 2013. The district is based in the state capital, Madison. A member of th ...
(Mid-day with Mark) and
Ro Khanna Rohit Khanna (; born September 13, 1976) is an American politician, lawyer, and academic serving as the U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated eight-term incu ...
, both members of the
Congressional Progressive Caucus The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most Left-wing politics, left-leaning faction of the ...
.
Ellen Ratner Ellen Ratner (born in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American news analyst who formerly appeared on the Fox News Channel and appeared on ''The Strategy Room'' and '' The Long and Short of It''. She is a retired White House correspondent and former bure ...
of the Talk Radio News Service provides Washington commentary daily. Victoria Jones who is the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
correspondent for Talk Radio News Service appears occasionally, as does
Ravi Batra Raveendra Nath "Ravi" Batra (born June 27, 1943) is an Indian-American economist, author, and professor at Southern Methodist University. Batra is the author of six bestselling books, two of which appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, ...
, an economics professor at SMU.Broadcasting from the Belly of the Beast
''The American Prospect''; Paul Waldman; February 16, 2012
Like most talk radio shows, ''The Thom Hartmann Program'' takes calls from listeners. When callers asked Hartmann how he was, he used to reply, "I'm great, but I'll get better." But after a time, callers would regularly try to elicit this response, so he's stopped replying this way routinely. Hartmann ends each show with the phrase, "Activism begins with you, democracy begins with you. Get out there, get active! Tag, you're it!" Michael Harrison, publisher of radio industry trade magazine ''Talkers'', offered this appraisal of Hartmann:


TV program

Hartmann hosted a one-hour daily TV show at 7 pm. ET Monday to Friday, ''
The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
,'' which was editorially directed by his wife and was broadcast from the Washington, D.C., studios of the
RT America RT America was a U.S.-based news channel headquartered in Washington, D.C. Owned by TV Novosti and operated by production company T&RProductions, it was a part of the RT (TV network), RT network, a global multilingual television news network base ...
news network. The show featured many conservative guests who routinely sparred with Hartmann. Hartmann co-produced the program with RT, who provided studio and carriage, while Hartmann retained full editorial control of his programming. The RT network aired the program via Dish Network, DirecTV, and on selected local-origination and
public-access television Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was creat ...
cable TV channels globally. After hosting the program for seven years, Hartmann announced his departure as host on September 29, 2017.


Other areas of notability

Hartmann is a writer, publishing more than twenty books on diverse topics. The title with the most critical acclaim is ''The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight''. In 1999, he was invited by the
Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
to spend a week in
Dharamsala Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855. Th ...
after the Dalai Lama finished reading this book. Hartmann won the Project Censored Award in 2004 for ''Unequal Protection''. As a result of a book on
spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
, ''The Prophet's Way'', he was invited in 1998 to meet
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
. Trained in the 1970s in
Neuro-Linguistic Programming Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a pseudoscientific approach to communication, personal development and psychotherapy, that first appeared in Richard Bandler and John Grinder's 1975 book ''The Structure of Magic I''. NLP claims that th ...
by
Richard Bandler Richard Wayne Bandler (born 1950) is an American consultant in the field of self-help. With John Grinder, he founded the neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) approach to psychotherapy in the 1970s. Education and background Bandler was born in Te ...
(Hartmann is licensed by Bandler's Society of NLP as both an NLP Practitioner and an NLP Trainer, and Bandler wrote the foreword to his book ''Healing ADD''), Hartmann popularized some of its concepts in ''Cracking the Code'' (2007), arguing
Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U ...
and
Frank Luntz Frank Ian Luntz (born February 23, 1962) is an American political and communications consultant and pollster, best known for developing talking points and other messaging for Republican causes. His work has included assistance with messagin ...
made use of them in the 1980s and 1990s for Republican Party causes, and advocates using them to advance liberalism. His book ''Healing ADD'' also leans heavily on NLP techniques. Co-authored with
Lamar Waldron Lamar Waldron (born 1954) is an American writer and historian who often writes about conspiracies and cover-ups. Education Waldron studied at Georgia State University. He has two degrees from Georgia State, including a Masters in Counseling/Psyc ...
, Hartmann's ''Ultimate Sacrifice'' released in 2005 states the Mafia ordered the assassination of John F. Kennedy and
Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...
was a CIA agent and patsy. Hartmann was one of several contributors to ''Air America, the Playbook'', a 300-plus page collection of essays, transcripts, and interviews by liberal radio personalities. It was published shortly before the 2006 Congressional elections, and was on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller List for October 8, 2006. Leonardo DiCaprio made a web movie titled ''Before The Flood'', inspired by ''The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight''. Hartmann appears in DiCaprio's 2007 documentary '' The 11th Hour'', as well as the feature documentary film ''
Dalai Lama Renaissance ''Dalai Lama Renaissance'' is a 2007 feature-length documentary film, produced and directed by Khashyar Darvich, and narrated by actor Harrison Ford. The film documents the Dalai Lama's meeting with the self-titled "Synthesis" group, made up of 4 ...
'' (with
Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...
), and '' Crude Impact''. In 2010, Warner Brothers and Leonardo DiCaprio announced they are making a motion picture based on the book ''Legacy of Secrecy'', authored by Lamar Waldron and Hartmann. Hartmann also narrated the 2011 documentary film '' Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?'' In September 2013, Hartmann was granted an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from
Goddard College Goddard College is a progressive education private liberal arts low-residency college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle, Washington. The college offers undergraduate and gra ...
in Port Townsend, Washington. According to President Barbara Vacarr, "Thom's work as a journalist, author, and community activist is a living example of the very mission of Goddard College, and what our students are committed to—advancing cultures of rigorous inquiry, collaboration, and lifelong-learning, where individuals take imaginative and responsible action." Hartmann served on the board of Voqal, a collaboration of EBS licensees working to advance social equity.


Political views

Hartmann is considered to have progressive/
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
politics, although he describes himself as part of the
radical middle Radical centrism (also called the radical center, the radical centre or the radical middle) is a concept that arose in Western nations in the late 20th century. The ''radical'' in the term refers to a willingness on the part of most radical cen ...
. His books include '' Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights'', in which he argues that the 1886
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
decision in '' Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company'' (118 U.S. 394) did not actually grant
corporate personhood Corporate personhood or juridical personality is the legal notion that a juridical person such as a corporation, separately from its associated human beings (like owners, managers, or employees), has at least some of the legal rights and respons ...
, and that this doctrine derives from a mistaken interpretation of a Supreme Court clerk's notes. Hartmann considers this a clear contradiction of the intent of the
Founding Fathers of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, known simply as the Founding Fathers or Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the Am ...
. He has also written on the
separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...
, drawing upon ''
The Federalist Papers ''The Federalist Papers'' is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. The co ...
'' to argue that the Founding Fathers warned against the notion of the United States being a Christian nation. He contends that the 2000 American election and 2004 American election were stolen through electronic tampering, denial of the voting franchise by rigged voting lists, and limiting availability of voting machines in selected precincts. He also accused the Bush administration of eroding democracy and
individual freedom Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-reli ...
s. Hartmann is a vocal critic of the effects of neoliberal
globalization Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...
on the U.S. economy, claiming that economic policies enacted during and since the presidency of
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
have led, in large part, to many American industrial enterprises' being acquired by multinational firms based in overseas countries, leading in many cases to manufacturing jobs—once considered a major foundation of the U.S. economy—being relocated to countries in Asia and other areas where the costs of labor are lower than in the U.S. and the concurrent reversal of the United States' traditional role of a leading exporter of finished manufactured goods to that of a primary importer of finished manufactured goods (exemplified by massive trade deficits with countries such as China). Hartmann argues that this phenomenon is leading to the erosion of the
American middle class Though the American middle class does not have a definitive definition, contemporary social scientists have put forward several ostensibly congruent theories on it. Depending on the class model used, the middle class constitutes anywhere from 25% ...
, whose survival Hartmann deems critical to the survival of American democracy. This argument is expressed in Hartmann's 2006 book, ''Screwed: The Undeclared War Against The Middle Class and What We Can Do About It.'' One of the book's main arguments is that media
deregulation Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...
leads to corporate media's shifting the American consensus towards the acceptance of
privatization Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
and massive corporate profits—which causes the shrinking of the middle class. In a 2013 interview with ''
Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'', Hartmann described his political philosophy as
democratic socialism Democratic socialism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self- ...
:


Personal life

Hartmann has three children with his wife Louise. Hartmann has been a vegetarian since he was a teenager.


Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Hartmann has written about
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inappr ...
(ADHD) and adult attention-deficit disorder (AADD), and has proposed (in 1978, published in 1992) the
hunter vs. farmer hypothesis The hunter versus farmer hypothesis is a proposed explanation of the nature of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) first suggested by radio host Thom Hartmann in his book ''Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perception''. This hypo ...
, suggesting that ADHD is an expected evolutionary adaptation to hunting lifestyles where individuals have the ability to rapidly shift focus and external attention, while holding multiple trains of thought. This ability, Hartmann theorizes, causes difficulties for those who live and work in cultures in which "farming"—planned, predictable, organized, repetitive behaviors—is typical. His first book on the disorder, ''Attention Deficit Disorder: a Different Perception'' was described by ''
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it i ...
'' as "innovative and fresh". Hartmann has established specialized schools for children with ADHD, such as The Hunter School in
Rumney, New Hampshire Rumney is a New England town, town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,498 at the 2020 census. The town is located at the southern edge of the White Mountain National Forest. History ...
, which he co-founded with his wife Louise. He also operated the "ADD Forum" and "DeskTop Publishing Forum", along with several others, on
CompuServe CompuServe (CompuServe Information Service, also known by its initialism CIS) was an American online service provider, the first major commercial one in the world – described in 1994 as "the oldest of the Big Three information services (the oth ...
.Thom Hartmann – Biography
ADD-Holistic Mailing List


Bibliography

* 1992 (first edition): * 1993: * 1994: * 1994: * 1995: * 1996: * 1996: by Thom Hartmann and Jane Bowman, with Susan Burgess * 1997 (2004 revised ed.): * 1998 (2004 revised ed.): * 1998: * 2000: * 2000: * 2003: * 2004: * 2004: * 2004 (revised ed.): * 2005: by Lamar Waldron, with Thom Hartmann * 2006: * 2006: * 2007: * 2008: * 2009: * 2010 (second edition): * 2011: * 2013: * 2013: * 2019
''The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment''
Penguin Random House * 2019: * 2020
''The Hidden History of the War on Voting: Who Stole Your Vote and How to Get It Back''
Berrett-Koehler Publishers * 2020: * 2021: * 2021:


References


External links

* . Includes information on and streaming of the radio and TV shows, essays, chatroom, and a discussion board.
Episodes of ''The Big Picture''
on YouTube

Videos made during the filming of the documentary ''Dalai Lama Renaissance''.
"When Democracy Fails"
Podcast on Google Video. * *
C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Hartmann, February 7, 2010
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