Robert P. Saldin and Steven M. Teles
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190880446
- eISBN:
- 9780190933173
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190880446.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics, Democratization
This chapter addresses why the Never Trump intellectuals perceive Donald Trump—and increasingly the movement and party that have followed him—through such a dark lens. These are people for whom words ...
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This chapter addresses why the Never Trump intellectuals perceive Donald Trump—and increasingly the movement and party that have followed him—through such a dark lens. These are people for whom words are their stock and trade. They do not view the utterances of the president as simple annoyances that are easily ignored next to a record of conservative governance. They believe words are the raw material of culture and that, in a phrase they use often, politics is downstream from culture. They believe the president's words—as well as his actions—have driven a cultural decline that far outweighs short-term policy victories. For some, the cultural decline they associate with the rise of Trump has led them to reconsider conservatism itself, either because they came to see dark elements on the right that they had previously ignored or because they concluded that the party they thought was committed to conserving the nation's liberal traditions had become irredeemably illiberal. For others, Trump presented a profound and inescapable conflict. Ultimately, most of them have come to feel estranged from the party and the movement that had been at the center of their identity.Less
This chapter addresses why the Never Trump intellectuals perceive Donald Trump—and increasingly the movement and party that have followed him—through such a dark lens. These are people for whom words are their stock and trade. They do not view the utterances of the president as simple annoyances that are easily ignored next to a record of conservative governance. They believe words are the raw material of culture and that, in a phrase they use often, politics is downstream from culture. They believe the president's words—as well as his actions—have driven a cultural decline that far outweighs short-term policy victories. For some, the cultural decline they associate with the rise of Trump has led them to reconsider conservatism itself, either because they came to see dark elements on the right that they had previously ignored or because they concluded that the party they thought was committed to conserving the nation's liberal traditions had become irredeemably illiberal. For others, Trump presented a profound and inescapable conflict. Ultimately, most of them have come to feel estranged from the party and the movement that had been at the center of their identity.
Doug Rossinow
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231169882
- eISBN:
- 9780231538657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231169882.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter describes the manifold crisis that enveloped the “Reagan revolution” from late 1986 through 1988. This was not just a crisis of conservative governance but a crisis of legitimacy for ...
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This chapter describes the manifold crisis that enveloped the “Reagan revolution” from late 1986 through 1988. This was not just a crisis of conservative governance but a crisis of legitimacy for conservatism as a philosophy and movement. The pillars of Reaganism included conservative Christianity and reverence of wealth, the latter often taking the form of cheerleading for financiers. Each of these pillars suffered major blows and showed signs of cracking during the crisis that commenced in late 1986. In November, Ivan Boesky, the high-flying Wall Street arbitrageur, pled guilty to extensive insider trading, and it was revealed that he had cooperated extensively with prosecutors, implicating other figures in American finance. Conservative evangelists were brought low by tawdry sex and corruption scandals. Just as damaging to the politicized version of conservative Christianity was the outcry over the government’s failure to respond to the exploding AIDS crisis. By 1988, a widespread public yearning to turn the page on Reaganite conservatism was palpable.Less
This chapter describes the manifold crisis that enveloped the “Reagan revolution” from late 1986 through 1988. This was not just a crisis of conservative governance but a crisis of legitimacy for conservatism as a philosophy and movement. The pillars of Reaganism included conservative Christianity and reverence of wealth, the latter often taking the form of cheerleading for financiers. Each of these pillars suffered major blows and showed signs of cracking during the crisis that commenced in late 1986. In November, Ivan Boesky, the high-flying Wall Street arbitrageur, pled guilty to extensive insider trading, and it was revealed that he had cooperated extensively with prosecutors, implicating other figures in American finance. Conservative evangelists were brought low by tawdry sex and corruption scandals. Just as damaging to the politicized version of conservative Christianity was the outcry over the government’s failure to respond to the exploding AIDS crisis. By 1988, a widespread public yearning to turn the page on Reaganite conservatism was palpable.
