General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Leftist Values [View all]H2O Man
(73,536 posts)Great post! You hit the nail on the head -- over and over.
The most efficient national hate campaign in recent history would be Nixon's in 1968. I realize he won a close contest, which was followed by a hate landslide in '72. But what he was able to do, to gain re-election, was simply to build on the foundation he created from 1965 to '68. Thus, as repulsive of a human being, and as dangerous a criminal, as Nixon was, it is essential that we learn from him.
Definitely, later republicans did. Lee Atwater and Karl Rove studied Nixonian tactics. One could argue that those cads improved parts of Nixon's style of personal attack; there is no argument that mistakes them for being on his level, however. Nixon used racism, sexism, nationalism, and class-warfare with equal (dis)ease. In fact, he instituted these into the campaign- and political pillars upon which the republican party rests.
These tactics can be countered. That requires the grass roots to become more organized and disciplined than they have been, on a large scale, since the mid-1960s (with the possible exception of 2008). Although the hate tactics are entertainment/theater, intended to distract from serious issues, they must be countered. And, by no coincidence, an organized, self-disciplined grass roots, working in a coordinated manner, is the best and only chance we have to revive our constitutional democracy.
I'm not sure if I was able to communicate that clearly in this post. It's a topic that I might attempt to turn into my next OP in this series. I am very interested in hearing more of your thoughts on the topic.