1. Other Aspects about Rule and Ruin of Note
2. Political Past Shown as Prologue
1. Other Aspects about Rule and Ruin of Note
Yes, we realize there is a lot of frothing at the mouth type of hyperventilating outrage out there this week about topics like the IRS’ focus on Tea Party organizations. But you should know by now our focus is not to give you the knee jerk reaction without all the facts. If that’s what you want, you have lots of choices. What you get here is a dispassionate analysis that gives you the perspective you need to keep from riding off in the wrong direction. So, stand by. We’ll have something to say about those topics. Later.
Today’s paragraph two is our review of the book, Rule and Ruin, a history of the Republican Party over the last 60 years. Given space constraints in paragraph two, we wanted to offer you some additional topics and quotes in the book we think make it worthwhile.
p. 273 the impact of Kevin Phillips and his book “The Emerging Republican Majority” which used race as a wedge issue in the aftermath of Civil Rights legislation to leverage Southern voters.
How Nixon distrusted and undermined moderates and smart people p. 321
An amazing story of Donald Rumsfeld’s party first loyalty over personal friendship p. 322
p. 330 Rep Peter McCloskey described Republican principles as “individualism, openness and truth in government, and in human rights and dignity” and bemoaned the drift from those values.
How Watergate destroyed Nixon’s attempt to create a “New Majority” p. 340
How the 1968 Republican convention, based on the 1964 election, slanted delegate representation to favor the South and small states p. 355
How organizations like the Heritage Foundation came to be p. 344
P 345, comment by stalwart Illinois Republican Henry Hyde on banning semi-automatic weapons and concerns about “Saturday Night Specials”. “In those days, there was less pressure on you to take a particular ideological position if the evidence convinced you otherwise.”
p. 350 H. K. “Bud” Crowl, an Ohio party official, speaking of using the local primary to remove Charles W. Whalen (see paragraph two), “We may lose a seat but keep our honor and integrity.” Once Whalen was removed, the Democrats took the seat for the next twenty years.
p. 355 How “Supply side economic theory” gave Republicans an advantage in elections.
p. 377 How Republicans were turned into a party as a mechanism for delivering
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