You might be interested in this article from the era of McCarthy:
" As a member of the avant-garde who is capable of perceiving the conspiracy before it is fully obvious to an as yet unaroused public, the paranoid is a militant leader. He does not see social conflict as something to be mediated and compromised, in the manner of the working politician. Since what is at stake is always a conflict between absolute good and absolute evil, what is necessary is not compromise but the will to fight things out to a finish. Since the enemy is thought of as being totally evil and totally unappeasable, he must be totally eliminated—if not from the world, at least from the theatre of operations to which the paranoid directs his attention. This demand for total triumph leads to the formulation of hopelessly unrealistic goals, and since these goals are not even remotely attainable, failure constantly heightens the paranoid’s sense of frustration. Even partial success leaves him with the same feeling of powerlessness with which he began, and this in turn only strengthens his awareness of the vast and terrifying quality of the enemy he opposes."
It ends with this analysis:
"We are all sufferers from history, but the paranoid is a double sufferer, since he is afflicted not only by the real world, with the rest of us, but by his fantasies as well."
Richard Hofstadter
Harper’s Magazine, November 1964, pp. 77-86
The Paranoid Style in American Politics
And, just for fun I include this Scorecard of Evil:
Scorecard of Evil
1 comment:
Old Luddite,
Sometimes I cannot resist the temptation to delve into a person's character. This is a poor way to be persuasive and I should stick to evaluating results. There is plenty of fodder there.
Nuclear,
You may want to add "Had Enough?" by James Carville to your list if you want to look at the other side. Franken's book is entertaining and a good read, but James Carville proposes as much as he opposes. He doesn't mince any words, though, and might be tough to stomach if you're Republican. If you're reading Ann Coulter, however, you must be able to handle a bit of trash talking.
While Franken's book takes on Rush and Ann and Hannity it does not put forth a policy vision. It is that vision which will put you in touch with how the other side thinks.
FYI: Clicking on the link from my blog generates kick-back to me.
Post a Comment