10. Hofstadter: Populists were bigoted, rural loons out of touch with modernity. Nugent/Goodwyn & many others: populists no more bigoted than elites they opposed & they had detailed, intelligent response to real problems.
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11.Hofstadter: McCarthyism grew out of populist tradition. Michael Rogin & others; Cold War liberalism prepared groundwork for McCarthyism & McCarthy himself supported by mid-western business elite.
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12. Hofstadter: paranoid flourish on radical fringes of society. American history as a whole: um: how do you explain J. Edgar Hoover, Richard Nixon or (post-Hofstadter) Donald Trump.
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13. Let's ponder more the paranoid style theory point: what have been the most destructive conspiracy theories in recent USA history?
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14. J. Edgar Hoover's paranoid war against radicalism & civil rights had elite support from Palmer Raids till Nixon.
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15. Conspiracy theory that North Vietnam was pawn of Red China (and not motivated by nationalism) was held by elites in JFK & LBJ administration & led to war.
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16. Conspiracy theories that led to Iraq War (Axis of Evil, Saddam-AQ connection, WMDs) all fostered by elites.
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17. If you want to see conspiracy theories go read editorial page of Bret Stephens old newspaper Wall Street Journal on climate change or Vince Foster.
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18. Ultimately, the appeal of Hofstadter is that he provides the comforting idea of a sensible center, relegating discontent & error to the margins. That's a false view of history.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
I think he did a good job explaining Calhouns political philosophy in Am Pol Trad, and he did acknowledge conflict more than a dyed in the wool consensus historian would. And don't forget that he attacked FDR from the left.
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American Political Tradition is his best work.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
Chapter on Bryan is the worst one. I think it inspired Kazin' s A Godly Hero as a rebuttal. That book is excellent, btw.
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