Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Trump Has Exposed the Dark Underbelly of American Conservatism
"How historians missed the angry, violent, racist side of the conservative movement."(Interview)
Jon Wiener: Theres been a consensus among historians of American politics about the rise of conservatism in postwar America. Youve pointed out that it worked pretty welluntil Trump won.
Rick Perlstein: What we call the modern conservative movement was seen to have emerged in the mid-1950s, when it was believed that conservatism was dead in American life. Then a group of high-minded intellectuals, largely around the National Review and its editor William F. Buckley, hashed out a fusion of various conservative traditions that had existed only in tatters at that point. They purged the conspiracy theorists, the anti-Semites, and the militia types. Maybe you had run-ins with the Ku Klux Klan, and white supremacists, and crazy conspiracy theorists, but they were seen as marginal to the main story. You emerged with a conservative movement that was safe to take home to mother. That paved the way for Reagan in California, and then his presidency.
Once Trump comes into view, a couple things happen. First of all, hes a crazy conspiracy theorist. Second, the sort of dog-whistle conservatism that weve become so familiar with gets thrown aside for a train-whistle conservatism, in which you are allowed to talk about very racist ideas in quite flagrant ways. Talking about how Mexico is sending us their rapists is not dog-whistle conservatism.
Then you have the very people who saw themselves as the guardians of this polite conservative tradition, even the National Review, reversing course and embracing Donald Trump. I realized that wed been much too polite to this movement that chose Trump as their apotheosis....
Rick Perlstein: What we call the modern conservative movement was seen to have emerged in the mid-1950s, when it was believed that conservatism was dead in American life. Then a group of high-minded intellectuals, largely around the National Review and its editor William F. Buckley, hashed out a fusion of various conservative traditions that had existed only in tatters at that point. They purged the conspiracy theorists, the anti-Semites, and the militia types. Maybe you had run-ins with the Ku Klux Klan, and white supremacists, and crazy conspiracy theorists, but they were seen as marginal to the main story. You emerged with a conservative movement that was safe to take home to mother. That paved the way for Reagan in California, and then his presidency.
Once Trump comes into view, a couple things happen. First of all, hes a crazy conspiracy theorist. Second, the sort of dog-whistle conservatism that weve become so familiar with gets thrown aside for a train-whistle conservatism, in which you are allowed to talk about very racist ideas in quite flagrant ways. Talking about how Mexico is sending us their rapists is not dog-whistle conservatism.
Then you have the very people who saw themselves as the guardians of this polite conservative tradition, even the National Review, reversing course and embracing Donald Trump. I realized that wed been much too polite to this movement that chose Trump as their apotheosis....
AND:
JW: Trump grows up in Queens in the 50s and 60s, and you have very wisely opened our eyes to the dark side of politics in this era in New York City.
RP: Theres a real line of continuity between the Trump family and Donald Trump himself in this kind of alternate, angry, violent, right-wing genealogy. Theres the fact that his father, Fred Trump, was arrested at a Klan rally in Queens. He was released. We dont know whether he was an associate of the Klan or not. Thats kind of in dispute. What isnt in dispute was that he ran a very racist organization. Fred Trump built housing for the lower middle class, but it was whites only. They were sued by the Justice Department. Donald Trump was working in the organization at the time. He was named in the suit. Thats how he met Roy Cohnwho of course had been Joe McCarthys right-hand manwho came up with the brilliant defense that they werent discriminating against black people; they were discriminating against welfare recipientswhich was BS.
RP: Theres a real line of continuity between the Trump family and Donald Trump himself in this kind of alternate, angry, violent, right-wing genealogy. Theres the fact that his father, Fred Trump, was arrested at a Klan rally in Queens. He was released. We dont know whether he was an associate of the Klan or not. Thats kind of in dispute. What isnt in dispute was that he ran a very racist organization. Fred Trump built housing for the lower middle class, but it was whites only. They were sued by the Justice Department. Donald Trump was working in the organization at the time. He was named in the suit. Thats how he met Roy Cohnwho of course had been Joe McCarthys right-hand manwho came up with the brilliant defense that they werent discriminating against black people; they were discriminating against welfare recipientswhich was BS.
MORE:
https://www.thenation.com/article/rick-perlstein-trump-has-exposed-the-dark-underbelly-of-american-conservatism/
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
5 replies, 6769 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (12)
ReplyReply to this post
5 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Trump Has Exposed the Dark Underbelly of American Conservatism (Original Post)
PsychoBabble
May 2017
OP
Me.
(35,454 posts)1. Historians May've Missed It
I bet a lot of people on this board did not. Just as we knew what was up with W in the beginning.
The fact that it is now being full out exposed is good for as we know in the end conservatism kills itself and progressive ideas move forward.
wcast
(595 posts)3. Message deleted by DU the Administrators
yurbud
(39,405 posts)4. a possibly polyanna view of what's going on: in the 50's they could survive w/o racists & cranks
today, that's all they got left and where the real passion is.