The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right (2018)
By Max Boot
Conservative columnist and military historian Boot immigrated to the US from the USSR when he was only six. He writes of how he came to love his adopted country, a nation that was anti-communism, supported human rights and seemed optimistic and inclusive. Writing for his school paper, and later the Daily California at Berkeley, Boot used every opportunity to hone his writer's chops and political experience through interviews, opinion pieces, and even work on political campaigns. But the moderate Republican party of Reagan and GHW Bush, which he came to identify with, eventually became too centrist and a far right movement, first as a "Tea Party" in the Obama years, eventually made way for Trumpism. Conservatives liked that Trump would push through a tax cut to benefit them, but Boot was stupefied by evangelical support for some one of Trump's character and politics. Boot weighs the cost of capitulation by the Republican party:
1. Racism - White anxiety about the reality that whites will become a minority in American drove Republicans to vote for a candidate who emphasized reestablishing the status hierarchies of the past.
2. Nativism - Trump rejects immigrants who don't look like him, driving fear of "the other".
3. Collusion - Republicans have been willing to follow Trump wherever he leads, including defending him against charges of colluding with Russia.
4. Rule of law - Trump fires those who put loyalty to country above loyalty to him (e.g., James Comey, Jeff Sessions, Andrew McCabe). He demonized the FBI for doing its job. Republicans endorsed this behavior.
5. Fake news - Trump makes stuff up, and his toadies fall in line. He says something one minute ("I fired Jim Comey over Russia"), then denies it the next. The free press is "the enemy of the people" (Feb 2017) - almost a direct quote of both Hitler and Stalin.
6. Ethics - Corruption far exceeds Teapot Dome, Credit Mobilier, or Watergate. Many cabinet secretaries were ousted for travel or other expense abuse. Many aides (Manafort, Cohen, Flynn, Stone) convicted of crime and imprisoned. Nepotism-Kushners. Trump's tax returns were never exposed - why? Emoluments galore (suggest China was bribing Trump, among other things). Sexual allegations, bribes, misogyny, bullying, name calling...
7. Fiscal irresponsibility - cut taxes in times of prosperity
8. End of Pax Americana - e.g., imposed tariffs and other trade barriers on allies.
While there were precursors (Goldwater-extremist, racist; Phyllis Schafly-against ERA), none were as ignorant or crude. Boot warns that Trump won't be the last, and another right wing extremist could be even worse if he lacks Trump's ignorance and lack of discipline.
An enlightening story - tracing Boot's own immigrant history, education and career - and the rise of the far right.
