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You are absolutely right about the fear of Communism. The fifties and sixties were absolutely batshit crazy that that the Commies might conquer American democracy. (Amazingly, Tocqueville saw the confrontation between Russia and the US coming even in the first half of the 1800s!) But when the Commies came a cropper, Republicans turned to their domestic enemies and started to rail against them.

Without the Commie enemy, it has become increasingly clear that they never were concerned about communism or any other ideology. They are just fearful people who hate all change because they think it means they have to give something up. And they especially fear giving up the perks they have won by power, force, greed, and white privilege.

"Conservatism" always was a smokescreen dreamed up by Russell Kirk and William F. Buckley and Irving Krystol and the like. Liberalism was winning in the first half of the 20th century because it had geniuses providing a solid philosophical grounding for rationalism, scientific problem-solving, and democratic governance, whereas "conservatism" had only fear and grievance. So the smarter "conservatives" came up with things that looked like ideas to compete with the real ideas of Liberals. That's where "states rights" and "free enterprise" and "small government" come from. (Ironically, most of their "ideas" were borrowed from the Anti-federalists who lost the campaign against the Constitution in 1787.)

Anyway, you are probably right about all the evil-doing that has run through the Republican party for many, many decades. We have to hope that it will die when we finally extinguish that party, because even Congressional investigations can't seem to nail the evildoers behind the scenes.

Thanks so much!

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Howdy! I have thumbed through both Corn's book and Kendzior's, but I haven't given them the time they deserve. I think they don't go back quite far enough. The Republican rot was already in place while FDR was president, and it festered all through the post-war period right up to Kennedy, where Corn gets started. And you can trace the FDR-haters back to the KKK, and that came right out of the Lost Cause. So the whole Republican sh•tfest really goes back to the Civil War. Decent America has always been up against a huge crowd of horribles hiding just below the surface of the swamp. They stick their heads up every now and then, forcing us to push them back under water until the next time. It would be nice if they would drown under there, but the seem to be water monsters. Have a great day!

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Scott, it is really hard to fathom these Fascist loving Republicans, but recently I’ve been reading two books that have really brought home just how long and we have dealt with what historian of the 80’s Richard Hostadter coined as “The paranoid style” in Republican dogma.

The books that I am now reading both cover a lot of the genesis of that style; American Psychosis: A Historical Investigation - David Corn and They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent - Sara Kendzior.

Corn’s book takes you on a journey beginning in 1964 with Nelson Rockefeller desperately trying to fend off Goldwater and his Orc mob of John Birchers. Seriously, you can not appreciate 1/6/21 for what it is without this insight. Trust me there’s so much more in this landscape awash with Theocrats, Racists, and Neo-Nazis all are in the big cesspool that is Republican politics.

Sarah Kendzior, - What can I say except that she brings a refreshing insight into this cancer that has now metastasized into a global crime enterprise. No, it is not one with 12 foot reptiles and pedophile cults. Who needs that crap when you had Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell.

Please let me know if you read either or both of these. I think you’ll find them both as they say, enlightening.

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