How do you know that? I've listened to Barone on many occasions and he never came across as anything other than a political scientist of the highest caliber with conservative instincts and an encyclopedic knowledge of how this country works. What would possibly lead you to believe he is a nancy-boy? Are smart people automatically nancy-boys to you?
In any case, your criticism indicates that you don't understand what the book is about. "Hard America" is not Barone's way of describing "manly men." He's talking about free markets and competition in business, where "manly men" contrary to your bias, do not run the show. Even the top dogs in many of the biggest corporations in America are not overtly "manly." Ever heard of Bill Gates? Testosterone levels in business vary with the skills of the business men and women involved, skills which run the gamut from mathletes to advertising gurus to R&D engineers, many of whom, you can be certain, are not manly men.
The "manly men" tend to be changing the light bulbs or fixing a heating duct in the boss's office.
nice post!
great article!
can't wait to read the book.