1. One strong tendency in Republican Party right now is that it's intensifying two seemingly contradictory tendencies: rhetorical populism ("we're a worker's party") & attempts to gain power as minoritarian party (via voter suppression, gerrymandering, electoral college etc.)
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2. Minoritarianism, in various forms, has more of a history in America than I think is commonly acknowledged: the claim that a minority not only has rights to protected from majority but should (by dint of superior culture) govern majority.
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3. Right-wing populism of various forms - Tom Watson(s), Coughlin, Wallace - typically squared the circle simply by imagining "the people" in a specific way (as white Christian). But has rarely had truck with the more institutional forms of minority rule (courts, bureaucracy)
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4. One reason I'm fascinated by the nearly forgotten figure of Willmoore Kendall (the mentor of William F. Buckley) is he tried to merge the two minoriarianisms: racist populism & institutional gridlock. That makes him seem a prophetic figure.pic.twitter.com/rWZosVFOEz
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5. Kendall was a prophet of the Trumpized GOP. We're in a Kendall revival, with 2 biographies in the work along with strong work by
@mkazin,@Joshua_A_Tait,@lioneltrolling. Building on them, I argue for Kendall as a major figure:https://jeetheer.substack.com/p/racism-and-the-paradox-of-anti-democratic?r=bh54&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=twitter …4 replies 4 retweets 55 likesShow this thread -
I think you're going to be interested in my book, Jeet: http://www.uapress.ua.edu/product/I-the-People,7685.aspx …
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Will take a look -- seems very relevant!
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