Perlstein is 1000% about the endgame theory/right wing ratchet, in my opinion.
The linear quality of McCarthyism - John Birch Society - Goldwater - Reagan - Buchanan - Gingrich - Tea Party - Trump is difficult to deny.
The GOP was still putting decent men up as their presidential nominees into the 21st Century, up through 2012 - but every one of them had to contort themselves to ply the culture war & appeal to the nascent MAGA base.
Mitt Romney, for example, while he was running for president, publicly sounded a lot more like a conservative media personality than the reasonable, moderate politician we know now.
I can easily deny your linear list. If you were to remove Goldwater and Reagan, you might have something. Goldwater actually colluded with Buckley to kill the influence of the John Birch Society.
Perlstein is 1000% about the endgame theory/right wing ratchet, in my opinion.
The linear quality of McCarthyism - John Birch Society - Goldwater - Reagan - Buchanan - Gingrich - Tea Party - Trump is difficult to deny.
The GOP was still putting decent men up as their presidential nominees into the 21st Century, up through 2012 - but every one of them had to contort themselves to ply the culture war & appeal to the nascent MAGA base.
Mitt Romney, for example, while he was running for president, publicly sounded a lot more like a conservative media personality than the reasonable, moderate politician we know now.
I can easily deny your linear list. If you were to remove Goldwater and Reagan, you might have something. Goldwater actually colluded with Buckley to kill the influence of the John Birch Society.
An even more direct line: McCarthy, Roy Cohn, Trump.