Oil and gas and nature
One interesting aspect of Blowout is the natural symbolism of the market she investigates. By analyzing the way that oil and gas industries affect our society, both in America and abroad, Maddow finds a synchronous parallel to the effects of those industries on nature. The same corporations work to conceal the damage they cause. What Maddow explains in her book is that the effects of these corporations are not only contrary to the benefits of nature; they are also secretive and oligarchical industries who warp the economy around their interests, she claims.
Oligarchy and secrecy
What does it mean that these companies form an oligarchy of interest? Because oil and gas companies are essentially competing against one another in a game of discovery and refinery, they need that game to be "allowed" by the government. The governments of nations are the referees, which means that there is room for exactly the kind of conspiracy and collusion that Maddow discovers in her research. She urges her reader to consider what this oligarchal connection to government might mean in the future—she suggests a kind of economic apocalypse.
Foreign interests and American politics
America has a unique position in history as a major, powerful nation during this technological era of earth's history. Other major players include Russia and China and the EU. In this book, Maddow explains through motif that there is a trend for American politics to be counted as important to the whole world, because American economy sets the tone in some ways for the capitalism of the West. The book explains this trend and then examines an extreme case; Russian tampering the in 2016 elections.
Russian support of Donald Trump
Maddow suggests that Russian economic or political powers (that line is blurred by the bureaucracy of Russian communism) agreed that Donald Trump's public stances and history of trade with Russia would mean profitable dealings between Russian oil and gas companies (who are often accused by progressive interests of severely harming the planet) and the world. Donald Trump's own potential awareness or involvement in that collusion has been the subject of intense political debate and is the very fodder for Maddow's investigation.
Politics and economy
The grand motif within which this book rests is the motif of money being the true government. Although there is a structured body of organized processes and people which is called "the government," it would be silly to pretend that politicians are not in constant conversations with industry tone-setters in local and worldwide economies. That is obviously the case, and therefore, Maddow's role as a truth-seeker is incredibly important. Without investigating the potential misdoings of the government, a nation could easily slide toward corruption. This motif points toward the importance of the first amendment in American politics.
