by David Corn
First published 2022
David Corn examines how the Republican Party cultivated relationships with far-right extremists from the 1950s through today. The New York Times bestselling investigative reporter documents the GOP's strategic embrace of bigotry, paranoia, and conspiracy theories as tools for electoral success. Corn traces this pattern from McCarthyism through the John Birch Society, segregationists, the religious right, Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, the militia movement, Fox News, Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, and finally Trumpism. His research reveals how the Party of Lincoln systematically weaponized fear and resentment among right-wing voters. The book argues that Trump's rise and the January 6 Capitol attack represent the culmination of decades-long Republican strategy rather than sudden departures from party norms. Through this thoroughly researched narrative, Corn demonstrates how one major political party deliberately harnessed extremist rage to gain power, ultimately threatening American democratic institutions and poisoning national political discourse.
Genres: history, american, political-science, politics, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism
Setting: Capitol, United States
Period: 1950s, 2020s
388 pages · Hardcover · Twelve
Content warnings: racism