Heather Cox Richardson has told this story. (See my review.)
NY Times, Jonathan Kaufman, today: Blame Ronald Reagan
Richardson told of a so-called “liberal consensus” arising out of the post-World War II era that was steadily attacked by conservatives, especially racists and religious right, in the 1960s. This writer finds another key moment.
Often portrayed as a prosperous interlude between the social movements of the 1960s and our anxious, polarized world, the 1980s live on in even more ways than many Americans recognize. When I covered the corporate boardrooms, economic upheavals and political campaigns back then, I thought I was witnessing a temporary political correction. Decades later, when I returned to investigate key moments, I realized how profound the changes were.
We’re not living after the 1980s. We’re living in them, trapped in the invisible architecture built by a clutch of executives, politicians and conservative advocacy groups (that was later abetted by a generation of business-friendly Democrats).
This small group of conservatives, dismayed by the chaos and upheavals of the 1960s and disappointed by the failure of 1970s politicians to roll back big government programs, had carefully planned their attack. Moving beyond their grasp is going to require the same strategic thinking, organizing and patience that these men used so effectively 45 years ago.
Inaugurated in 1981, President Ronald Reagan, aided by conservative Democrats in Congress, devoted two terms to slashing corporate taxes and deregulating industries. This was no standard shift in administration; Mr. Reagan was following a highly coordinated, yearslong blueprint drawn by a network of conservative intellectuals to systematically dismantle the New Deal consensus.
With discussion of C.E.O.s behind the scenes (like GE’s Jack Welch). As Trump is doing now, Reagan dismantled regulations on business and on the news media, notably the Fairness Doctrine, which led to hyper-partisan media like Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. And right-wing Ivy League law students that led to the Federalist society and today’s right-wing Supreme Court.
Even some of the original architects of the 1980s believe things have gone too far. Mr. Welch conceded in 2009 that the single-minded pursuit of profit and shareholder value as a strategy was “the dumbest idea in the world.” Mr. Fowler acknowledges that today’s tech monopolies and social media platforms like Meta and X should be subject to government scrutiny and antitrust laws.
The trend is to advantage the wealthy. (WWJD?)
For liberals and Democrats to wrest this country from the grip of the 1980s, they need to learn from four decades of conservative success.
Namely: rebuild needed protections; support organized labor; reign in social media; play the long game. An example of the last being Gay activists who spent 30 years legalizing same-sex marriage.
Conservatives will cry: free speech! Fewer regulations so that the wealthy can become wealthier! Freedom! But most defenders of the Reagan/Trump world order, it seems to me, simply don’t realize what’s going on outside their daily experience. The world is not getting better for them.
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Quite a day for conservative dissembly, i.e. lying. Apparently they think they can’t succeed on their policies. Or: politics isn’t about telling the truth, or acknowledging reality; it’s about appealing to tribal values.
- JMG, from Phoenix NPR: Turning Point Posts Fake Photos In Arizona Gov Race
- JMG, from Austin NBC: TX Gov Photoshops Trans Flag Into Challenger’s Pic
- JMG, from Wired: MAGA Insiders Wrote “Bogus” Census Bureau Report
- And, of course, Trump’s latest claims about 9/11:
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Music.
Mahler 9, Simon Rattle.
