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A Political Party Unhinged From Truth: Dissecting the Mechanisms of Disinformation
Author: Dr. Anya Sharma, PhD in Political Science, specializing in disinformation campaigns and propaganda analysis. Dr. Sharma has authored several books on the subject, including "The Algorithmic Leviathan: How Social Media Fuels Political Polarization" and "The Language of Lies: Deconstructing Political Deception."
Publisher: Oxford University Press, a renowned academic publisher with a strong track record in political science and social sciences.
Editor: Professor David Miller, PhD, Professor of Political Theory at the University of Oxford, specializing in democratic theory and the impact of misinformation on democratic processes.
Keywords: a political party unhinged from truth, political disinformation, propaganda, misinformation, post-truth politics, fact-checking, media manipulation, political polarization, democratic erosion, combating disinformation.
Abstract: This article explores the multifaceted strategies employed by a political party unhinged from truth to manipulate public opinion and maintain power. It examines various methodologies, including the deliberate dissemination of misinformation, the exploitation of social media algorithms, the weaponization of emotion, and the erosion of trust in legitimate institutions. Understanding these techniques is crucial for safeguarding democratic processes and promoting informed civic engagement.
1. The Anatomy of a Political Party Unhinged From Truth
The rise of "a political party unhinged from truth" represents a significant threat to democratic governance. Such parties actively reject verifiable facts and evidence-based reasoning, instead prioritizing emotional appeals and the propagation of false narratives. This detachment from reality isn't accidental; it's a strategic choice designed to manipulate public opinion and consolidate power. This strategy relies on a sophisticated blend of techniques, skillfully deployed to achieve maximum impact.
2. The Methodology of Misinformation: Seeds of Doubt and the Harvest of Consent
A core element of a political party unhinged from truth is the systematic dissemination of misinformation. This isn't simply the occasional error; it's a deliberate and calculated campaign to plant seeds of doubt and confusion in the minds of the electorate. This often involves:
Manufacturing False Narratives: Creating entirely fabricated stories, often presented with an air of authority and legitimacy. These narratives may target specific groups or institutions, aiming to discredit them and sow division.
Selective Use of Facts: Presenting only those facts that support the desired narrative, while ignoring or downplaying contradictory evidence. This cherry-picking of information creates a distorted and incomplete picture of reality.
Amplifying Misinformation Through Social Media: Leveraging social media platforms to rapidly spread misinformation and reach a wide audience. Sophisticated bots and troll farms can amplify these messages, creating the illusion of widespread support.
Exploiting Algorithmic Bias: Understanding and exploiting the inherent biases in social media algorithms to maximize the reach of misinformation.
3. The Weaponization of Emotion: Bypassing Critical Thinking
A political party unhinged from truth frequently bypasses rational argument by weaponizing emotion. This involves:
Appealing to Fear and Anger: Exploiting primal emotions to bypass critical thinking and encourage impulsive actions. Fear-mongering and inflammatory rhetoric are central to this strategy.
Using Simple Slogans and Catchphrases: Creating memorable but simplistic messages that resonate emotionally, rather than intellectually. These slogans often lack nuance and avoid complex issues.
Creating an "Us vs. Them" Mentality: Fostering division and polarization by portraying the party's opponents as enemies. This strategy creates an "in-group" mentality and fosters loyalty based on tribalism rather than shared values.
4. The Erosion of Trust in Institutions: Undermining Credibility
A political party unhinged from truth actively works to undermine trust in legitimate institutions, including the media, academia, and the judiciary. This is achieved through:
Labeling Legitimate Sources as "Fake News": Dismissing credible sources of information as biased or untrustworthy, regardless of evidence. This tactic discourages critical engagement with verified information.
Promoting Conspiracy Theories: Spreading conspiracy theories to sow distrust in established institutions and create alternative sources of "truth."
Attacking Journalists and Academics: Directly targeting journalists and academics who challenge the party's narrative, attempting to silence dissenting voices.
5. The Role of Propaganda and its Techniques
The techniques employed by a political party unhinged from truth are fundamentally propagandistic. They utilize classic propaganda techniques such as:
Name-calling: Using derogatory labels to discredit opponents and their ideas.
Glittering generalities: Using vague, emotionally appealing terms without substance.
Transfer: Associating the party with positive symbols or figures to enhance its image.
Testimonial: Using endorsements from seemingly credible sources, even if their expertise is irrelevant.
Plain folks: Portraying the party as representing the ordinary person.
Card stacking: Selecting only favorable information and omitting unfavorable aspects.
Bandwagon: Creating the impression of widespread support for the party's ideas.
6. The Impact on Democracy: A Slow Erosion of Trust
The long-term consequences of a political party unhinged from truth are profound. The constant barrage of misinformation and the systematic undermining of trust in institutions erode the foundations of a healthy democracy. This leads to:
Increased Political Polarization: A deepening divide between opposing groups, making constructive dialogue and compromise increasingly difficult.
Decreased Voter Turnout: Apathy and cynicism among voters, leading to lower participation in elections.
Weakening of Democratic Norms: A disregard for facts and evidence undermines the very principles of democratic deliberation and decision-making.
7. Combating the Spread of Disinformation: A Multi-pronged Approach
Combating the influence of a political party unhinged from truth requires a multi-pronged approach:
Promoting Media Literacy: Educating citizens to critically evaluate information and identify misinformation.
Strengthening Fact-Checking Initiatives: Supporting independent organizations dedicated to verifying information and exposing falsehoods.
Holding Social Media Platforms Accountable: Pressuring social media companies to take greater responsibility for the content shared on their platforms.
Supporting Independent Journalism: Protecting and supporting journalists who investigate and report on political disinformation.
Encouraging Civic Engagement: Fostering a culture of informed civic participation, where citizens are actively involved in holding their leaders accountable.
8. Conclusion
A political party unhinged from truth represents a grave threat to democratic societies. Understanding the methodologies and techniques employed by such parties is crucial for safeguarding democratic institutions and protecting the integrity of the public sphere. By promoting media literacy, strengthening fact-checking initiatives, and holding social media platforms accountable, we can work towards a more informed and resilient democracy. The fight against disinformation is ongoing and requires sustained effort from citizens, media organizations, and policymakers alike.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation? Misinformation is the unintentional sharing of false information, while disinformation is the deliberate spread of false information with the intent to deceive.
2. How can I identify misinformation online? Check the source's credibility, look for corroborating evidence from multiple reliable sources, be wary of emotionally charged language, and consider the overall context.
3. What role do social media algorithms play in spreading disinformation? Algorithms often prioritize engagement, meaning sensational and emotionally charged content—even if false—is more likely to be amplified.
4. What is the impact of a post-truth political environment on democracy? It erodes trust in institutions, polarizes society, and makes rational decision-making difficult.
5. How can education combat the spread of disinformation? Media literacy education equips citizens with the skills to critically evaluate information and identify misinformation.
6. What is the role of fact-checking organizations in combating disinformation? They provide independent verification of claims, exposing falsehoods and holding actors accountable.
7. What responsibility do social media companies have in combating disinformation? They have a responsibility to develop and implement policies to prevent the spread of misinformation on their platforms.
8. Can laws effectively combat the spread of disinformation? Legislation can play a role, but it must be carefully designed to avoid infringing on freedom of speech.
9. What is the long-term impact of a political party unhinged from truth on society? It can lead to social unrest, political instability, and a decline in trust in government and institutions.
Related Articles:
1. The Rise of Populism and the Erosion of Truth: An examination of the relationship between populist movements and the spread of disinformation.
2. The Algorithmic Amplification of Political Lies: A deep dive into how social media algorithms contribute to the spread of misinformation.
3. Fact-Checking in the Age of Misinformation: A look at the challenges and successes of fact-checking organizations.
4. The Psychology of Disinformation: Why We Believe Falsehoods: An exploration of the cognitive biases that make us susceptible to misinformation.
5. Combating Disinformation: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach: An analysis of different strategies for combating the spread of false information.
6. The Impact of Misinformation on Elections: A study on how disinformation influences voter behavior and election outcomes.
7. The Role of Foreign Actors in Spreading Disinformation: An investigation into the involvement of foreign governments in interfering with democratic processes through disinformation campaigns.
8. The Legal Challenges of Regulating Disinformation: An analysis of the legal and ethical complexities of regulating speech online.
9. The Future of Truth in a Digital Age: A discussion of the ongoing challenges and potential solutions to the spread of misinformation in the digital age.
| a political party unhinged from truth: Unhinged Michelle Malkin, 2013-02-05 Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild is Michelle Malkin's unrestrained and uncensored exposé of hate-mongering Leftists. With wit, wisdom, and a bullet-proof vest, Malkin ruthlessly and raucously skewers the myths of liberal tolerance, peace, and civility while responding to the incendiary insults and vile slurs directed at her and other conservatives. With infuriating details that are not for the faint of heart, Malkin chronicles the bizarre world of foaming-at-the-mouth Leftists in their natural habitats: the mainstream media, academia, Hollywood, and Washington. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Conscience of a Conservative Jeff Flake, 2017-08-01 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A thoughtful defense of traditional conservatism and a thorough assault on the way Donald Trump is betraying it.”—David Brooks, in his New York Times column In a bold act of conscience, Republican Senator Jeff Flake takes his party to task for embracing nationalism, populism, xenophobia, and the anomalous Trump presidency. The book is an urgent call for a return to bedrock conservative principle and a cry to once again put country before party. Dear Reader, I am a conservative. I believe that there are limits to what government can and should do, that there are some problems that government cannot solve, and that human initiative is best when left unfettered, free from government interference or coercion. I believe that these ideas, tested by time, offer the most freedom and best outcomes in the lives of the most people. But today, the American conservative movement has lost its way. Given the state of our politics, it is no exaggeration to say that this is an urgent matter. The Republican party used to play to a broader audience, one that demanded that we accomplish something. But in this era of dysfunction, our primary accomplishment has been constructing the argument that we’re not to blame. We have decided that it is better to build and maintain a majority by using the levers of power rather than the art of persuasion and the battle of ideas. We’ve decided that putting party over country is okay. There are many on both sides of the aisle who think this a good model on which to build a political career—destroying, not building. And all the while, our country burns, our institutions are undermined, and our values are compromised. We have become so estranged from our principles that we no longer know what principle is. America is not just a collection of transactions. America is also a collection of ideas and values. And these are our values. These are our principles. They are not subject to change, owing to political fashion or cult of personality. I believe that we desperately need to get back to the rigorous, fact-based arguments that made us conservatives in the first place. We need to realize that the stakes are simply too high to remain silent and fall in line. That is why I have written this book and am taking this stand. —Jeff Flake |
| a political party unhinged from truth: American Marxism Mark R. Levin, 2021-07-13 Fox News personality and radio talk show host Levin explains how the dangers he warned against have come to pass-- |
| a political party unhinged from truth: The Party Is Over Mike Lofgren, 2012-08-02 The New York Times bestselling exposé of what passes for business as usual in Washington today There was a time, not so very long ago, when perfectly rational people ran the Republican Party. So how did the party of Lincoln become the party of lunatics? That is what this book aims to answer. Fear not, the Dems come in for their share of tough talk— they are zombies, a party of the living dead. Mike Lofgren came to Washington in the early eighties—those halcyon, post–Nixonian glory days—for what he imagined would be a short stint on Capitol Hill. He has witnessed quite a few low points in his twenty-eight years on the Hill—but none quite so pitiful as the antics of the current crop of legislators whom we appear to have elected. Based on the explosive article Lofgren wrote when he resigned in disgust after the debt ceiling crisis, The Party Is Over is a funny and impassioned exposé of everything that is wrong with Washington. Obama and his tired cohorts are no angels but they have nothing on the Republicans, whose wily strategists are bankrupting the country one craven vote at a time. Be prepared for some fireworks. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: All the Truth Is Out Matt Bai, 2014-09-30 Now a major motion picture The Front Runner starring Hugh Jackman An NPR Best Book of the Year In May 1987, Colorado Senator Gary Hart—a dashing, reform-minded Democrat—seemed a lock for the party’s presidential nomination and led George H. W. Bush by double digits in the polls. Then, in one tumultuous week, rumors of marital infidelity and a newspaper’s stakeout of Hart’s home resulted in a media frenzy the likes of which had never been seen before. Through the spellbindingly reported story of the Senator’s fall from grace, Matt Bai, Yahoo News columnist and former chief political correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, shows the Hart affair to be far more than one man’s tragedy: rather, it marked a crucial turning point in the ethos of political media, and the new norms of life in the public eye. All the Truth Is Out is a tour de force portrait of the American way of politics at the highest level, one that changes our understanding of how we elect our presidents and how the bedrock of American values has shifted under our feet. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Rigged Mollie Hemingway, 2021-10-12 FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER JUSTICE ON TRIAL Stunned by the turbulence of the 2020 election, millions of Americans are asking the forbidden question: what really happened? It was a devastating triple punch. Capping their four-year campaign to destroy the Trump presidency, the media portrayed a Democratic victory as necessary and inevitable. Big Tech, wielding unprecedented powers, vaporized dissent and erased damning reports about the Biden family's corruption. And Democratic operatives, exploiting a public health crisis, shamelessly manipulated the voting process itself. Silenced and subjected, the American people lost their faith in the system. RIGGED is the definitive account of the 2020 election. Based on Mollie Hemingway's exclusive interviews with campaign officials, reporters, Supreme Court justices, and President Trump himself, it exposes the fraud and cynicism behind the Democrats' historic power-grab. Rewriting history is a specialty of the radical left, now in control of America's political and cultural heights. But they will have to contend with the determination, insight, and eloquence of Mollie Hemingway. RIGGED is a reminder for weary patriots that truth is still the most powerful weapon. The stakes for our democracy have never been higher. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Unhinged Omarosa Manigault Newman, 2018-08-14 The former Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison in the Trump White House provides a jaw-dropping look into the corruption and controversy of the current administration. Few have been a member of Donald Trump’s inner orbit longer than Omarosa Manigault Newman. Their relationship has spanned fifteen years—through four television shows, a presidential campaign, and a year by his side in the most chaotic, outrageous White House in history. But that relationship has come to a decisive and definitive end, and Omarosa is finally ready to share her side of the story in this explosive, jaw-dropping account. A stunning tell-all and takedown from a strong, intelligent woman who took every name and number, Unhinged is a must-read for any concerned citizen. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Slander Ann Coulter, 2003-09-16 The hottest and most controversial book of the year! Find out who really controls the media in America. “[Ann Coulter] is never in doubt. And that, along with her bright writing, sense of irony and outrage, and her relish at finally hitting back at political opponents (especially in the media) is what makes Slander such refreshing and provocative reading.” —Los Angeles Times “[Ann Coulter] is a fluent polemicist with a gift for Menckenesque invective . . . and she can harness such language to subtle, syllogistic argument.” —Washington Post Book World “The most popular nonfiction book in America.”—New York Times “The real value of Slander . . . is not in the jokes or devastating exposés of liberal politicians and their allies, but the serious and scholarly study of just how entrenched the media prejudice is against anyone whose politics are even faintly conservative.” —New York Sun “Written with a great deal of passion . . . the real source of its strength—and its usefulness—was its painstaking marshalling of evidence . . . More important than [High Crimes and Misdemeanors] because it addresses a much broader issue, and one of lasting significance.”—National Review |
| a political party unhinged from truth: I Alone Can Fix It Carol Leonnig, Philip Rucker, 2021-07-20 The instant #1 New York Times bestseller | A Washington Post Notable Book | One of NPR's Best Books of 2021 The definitive behind-the-scenes story of Trump's final year in office, by Phil Rucker and Carol Leonnig, the Pulitzer-Prize winning reporters and authors of A Very Stable Genius. “Chilling.” – Anderson Cooper “Jaw-dropping.” – John Berman “Shocking.” – John Heilemann “Explosive.” – Hallie Jackson “Blockbuster new reporting.” – Nicolle Wallace “Bracing new revelations.” – Brian Williams “Bombshell reporting.” – David Muir The true story of what took place in Donald Trump’s White House during a disastrous 2020 has never before been told in full. What was really going on around the president, as the government failed to contain the coronavirus and over half a million Americans perished? Who was influencing Trump after he refused to concede an election he had clearly lost and spread lies about election fraud? To answer these questions, Phil Rucker and Carol Leonnig reveal a dysfunctional and bumbling presidency’s inner workings in unprecedented, stunning detail. Focused on Trump and the key players around him—the doctors, generals, senior advisers, and Trump family members— Rucker and Leonnig provide a forensic account of the most devastating year in a presidency like no other. Their sources were in the room as time and time again Trump put his personal gain ahead of the good of the country. These witnesses to history tell the story of him longing to deploy the military to the streets of American cities to crush the protest movement in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, all to bolster his image of strength ahead of the election. These sources saw firsthand his refusal to take the threat of the coronavirus seriously—even to the point of allowing himself and those around him to be infected. This is a story of a nation sabotaged—economically, medically, and politically—by its own leader, culminating with a groundbreaking, minute-by-minute account of exactly what went on in the Capitol building on January 6, as Trump’s supporters so easily breached the most sacred halls of American democracy, and how the president reacted. With unparalleled access, Rucker and Leonnig explain and expose exactly who enabled—and who foiled—Trump as he sought desperately to cling to power. A classic and heart-racing work of investigative reporting, this book is destined to be read and studied by citizens and historians alike for decades to come. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump Bandy X. Lee, 2019-03-19 As this bestseller predicted, Trump has only grown more erratic and dangerous as the pressures on him mount. This new edition includes new essays bringing the book up to date—because this is still not normal. Originally released in fall 2017, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump was a runaway bestseller. Alarmed Americans and international onlookers wanted to know: What is wrong with him? That question still plagues us. The Trump administration has proven as chaotic and destructive as its opponents feared, and the man at the center of it all remains a cipher. Constrained by the APA’s “Goldwater rule,” which inhibits mental health professionals from diagnosing public figures they have not personally examined, many of those qualified to weigh in on the issue have shied away from discussing it at all. The public has thus been left to wonder whether he is mad, bad, or both. The prestigious mental health experts who have contributed to the revised and updated version of The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump argue that their moral and civic duty to warn supersedes professional neutrality. Whatever affects him, affects the nation: From the trauma people have experienced under the Trump administration to the cult-like characteristics of his followers, he has created unprecedented mental health consequences across our nation and beyond. With eight new essays (about one hundred pages of new material), this edition will cover the dangerous ramifications of Trump's unnatural state. It’s not all in our heads. It’s in his. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: The War Before the War Andrew Delbanco, 2019-11-05 A New York Times Notable Book Selection Winner of the Mark Lynton History Prize Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award Winner of the Lionel Trilling Book Award A New York Times Critics' Best Book Excellent... stunning.—Ta-Nehisi Coates This book tells the story of America’s original sin—slavery—through politics, law, literature, and above all, through the eyes of enslavedblack people who risked their lives to flee from bondage, thereby forcing the nation to confront the truth about itself. The struggle over slavery divided not only the American nation but also the hearts and minds of individual citizens faced with the timeless problem of when to submit to unjust laws and when to resist. The War Before the War illuminates what brought us to war with ourselves and the terrible legacies of slavery that are with us still. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Frederick Douglass David W. Blight, 2020-01-07 * Selected as One of the Best Books of the 21st Century by The New York Times * Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History * “Extraordinary…a great American biography” (The New Yorker) of the most important African American of the 19th century: Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave who became the greatest orator of his day and one of the leading abolitionists and writers of the era. As a young man Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. His very existence gave the lie to slave owners: with dignity and great intelligence he bore witness to the brutality of slavery. Initially mentored by William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass spoke widely, using his own story to condemn slavery. By the Civil War, Douglass had become the most famed and widely travelled orator in the nation. In his unique and eloquent voice, written and spoken, Douglass was a fierce critic of the United States as well as a radical patriot. After the war he sometimes argued politically with younger African Americans, but he never forsook either the Republican party or the cause of black civil and political rights. In this “cinematic and deeply engaging” (The New York Times Book Review) biography, David Blight has drawn on new information held in a private collection that few other historian have consulted, as well as recently discovered issues of Douglass’s newspapers. “Absorbing and even moving…a brilliant book that speaks to our own time as well as Douglass’s” (The Wall Street Journal), Blight’s biography tells the fascinating story of Douglass’s two marriages and his complex extended family. “David Blight has written the definitive biography of Frederick Douglass…a powerful portrait of one of the most important American voices of the nineteenth century” (The Boston Globe). In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Frederick Douglass won the Bancroft, Parkman, Los Angeles Times (biography), Lincoln, Plutarch, and Christopher awards and was named one of the Best Books of 2018 by The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Time. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: True Crimes and Misdemeanors Jeffrey Toobin, 2020-08-04 From CNN chief legal analyst and bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin, a real-life legal thriller about the prosecutors and congressional investigators pursuing the truth about Donald Trump's complicity in several crimes--and why they failed. Donald Trump's campaign chairman went to jail. So did his personal lawyer. His long-time political consigliere was convicted of serious federal crimes, and his national security advisor pled guilty to others. Several Russian spies were indicted in absentia. Career intelligence agents and military officers were alarmed enough by the president's actions that they alerted senior government officials and ignited the impeachment process. Yet despite all this, a years-long inquiry led by special counsel Robert Mueller, and the third impeachment of a president in American history, Donald Trump survived to run for re-election. Why? Jeffrey Toobin's highly entertaining definitive account of the Mueller investigation and the impeachment of the president takes readers behind the scenes of the epic legal and political struggle to call Trump to account for his misdeeds. With his superb storytelling and analytic skills Toobin recounts all the mind-boggling twists and turns in the case--Trump's son met with a Russian operative promising Kremlin support! Trump paid a porn star $130,000 to hush up an affair! Rudy Giuliani and a pair of shady Ukrainian-American businessmen got the Justice Department to look at Russian-created conspiracy theories! Toobin shows how Trump's canny lawyers used Mueller's famous integrity against him, and how Trump's bullying and bluster cowed Republican legislators into ignoring the clear evidence of the impeachment hearings. Based on dozens of interviews with prosecutors in Mueller's office, Trump's legal team, Congressional investigators, White House staffers, and several of the key players, including some who are now in prison, True Crimes and Misdemeanors is a revelatory narrative that makes sense of the seemingly endless chaos of the Trump years. Filled with never-before-reported details of the high-stakes legal battles and political machinations, the book weaves a tale of a rogue president guilty of historic misconduct, and how he got away with it. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Chaos in the Liberal Order Robert Jervis, Francis J. Gavin, Joshua Rovner, Diane N. Labrosse, 2018-07-17 Donald Trump’s election has called into question many fundamental assumptions about politics and society. Should the forty-fifth president of the United States make us reconsider the nature and future of the global order? Collecting a wide range of perspectives from leading political scientists, historians, and international-relations scholars, Chaos in the Liberal Order explores the global trends that led to Trump’s stunning victory and the impact his presidency will have on the international political landscape. Contributors situate Trump among past foreign policy upheavals and enduring models for global governance, seeking to understand how and why he departs from precedents and norms. The book considers key issues, such as what Trump means for America’s role in the world; the relationship between domestic and international politics; and Trump’s place in the rise of the far right worldwide. It poses challenging questions, including: Does Trump’s election signal the downfall of the liberal order or unveil its resilience? What is the importance of individual leaders for the international system, and to what extent is Trump an outlier? Is there a Trump doctrine, or is America’s president fundamentally impulsive and scattershot? The book considers the effects of Trump’s presidency on trends in human rights, international alliances, and regional conflicts. With provocative contributions from prominent figures such as Stephen M. Walt, Andrew J. Bacevich, and Samuel Moyn, this timely collection brings much-needed expert perspectives on our tumultuous era. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: The Cruelty Is the Point Adam Serwer, 2021-06-29 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From an award-winning journalist at The Atlantic, these searing essays make a powerful case that “real hope lies not in a sunny nostalgia for American greatness but in seeing this history plain—in all of its brutality, unadorned by euphemism” (The New York Times). NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • “No writer better demonstrates how American dreams are so often sabotaged by American history. Adam Serwer is essential.”—Ta-Nehisi Coates To many, our most shocking political crises appear unprecedented—un-American, even. But they are not, writes The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer in this prescient essay collection, which dissects the most devastating moments in recent memory to reveal deeply entrenched dynamics, patterns as old as the country itself. The January 6 insurrection, anti-immigrant sentiment, and American authoritarianism all have historic roots that explain their continued power with or without President Donald Trump—a fact borne out by what has happened since his departure from the White House. Serwer argues that Trump is not the cause, he is a symptom. Serwer’s phrase “the cruelty is the point” became among the most-used descriptions of Trump’s era, but as this book demonstrates, it resonates across centuries. The essays here combine revelatory reporting, searing analysis, and a clarity that’s bracing. In this new, expanded version of his bestselling debut, Serwer elegantly dissects white supremacy’s profound influence on our political system, looking at the persistence of the Lost Cause, the past and present of police unions, the mythology of migration, and the many faces of anti-Semitism. In so doing, he offers abundant proof that our past is present and demonstrates the devastating costs of continuing to pretend it’s not. The Cruelty Is the Point dares us, the reader, to not look away. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Suburban Warriors Lisa McGirr, 2015-06-02 In the early 1960s, American conservatives seemed to have fallen on hard times. McCarthyism was on the run, and movements on the political left were grabbing headlines. The media lampooned John Birchers's accusations that Dwight Eisenhower was a communist puppet. Mainstream America snickered at warnings by California Congressman James B. Utt that barefooted Africans were training in Georgia to help the United Nations take over the country. Yet, in Utt's home district of Orange County, thousands of middle-class suburbanites proceeded to organize a powerful conservative movement that would land Ronald Reagan in the White House and redefine the spectrum of acceptable politics into the next century. Suburban Warriors introduces us to these people: women hosting coffee klatches for Barry Goldwater in their tract houses; members of anticommunist reading groups organizing against sex education; pro-life Democrats gradually drawn into conservative circles; and new arrivals finding work in defense companies and a sense of community in Orange County's mushrooming evangelical churches. We learn what motivated them and how they interpreted their political activity. Lisa McGirr shows that their movement was not one of marginal people suffering from status anxiety, but rather one formed by successful entrepreneurial types with modern lifestyles and bright futures. She describes how these suburban pioneers created new political and social philosophies anchored in a fusion of Christian fundamentalism, xenophobic nationalism, and western libertarianism. While introducing these rank-and-file activists, McGirr chronicles Orange County's rise from nut country to political vanguard. Through this history, she traces the evolution of the New Right from a virulent anticommunist, anti-establishment fringe to a broad national movement nourished by evangelical Protestantism. Her original contribution to the social history of politics broadens—and often upsets—our understanding of the deep and tenacious roots of popular conservatism in America. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: The Paranoid Style in American Politics Richard Hofstadter, 2008-06-10 This timely reissue of Richard Hofstadter's classic work on the fringe groups that influence American electoral politics offers an invaluable perspective on contemporary domestic affairs.In The Paranoid Style in American Politics, acclaimed historian Richard Hofstadter examines the competing forces in American political discourse and how fringe groups can influence — and derail — the larger agendas of a political party. He investigates the politics of the irrational, shedding light on how the behavior of individuals can seem out of proportion with actual political issues, and how such behavior impacts larger groups. With such other classic essays as “Free Silver and the Mind of 'Coin' Harvey” and “What Happened to the Antitrust Movement?, ” The Paranoid Style in American Politics remains both a seminal text of political history and a vital analysis of the ways in which political groups function in the United States. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: The Deep State Mike Lofgren, 2016-01-05 The New York Times bestselling author of The Party Is Over delivers a no-holds-barred exposé of who really wields power in Washington Every Four years, tempers are tested and marriages fray as Americans head to the polls to cast their votes. But does anyone really care what we think? Has our vaunted political system become one big, expensive, painfully scriped reality TV show? In this cringe-inducing expose of the sins and excesses of Beltwayland, a longtime Republican party insider argues that we have become an oligarchy in form if not in name. Hooked on war, genuflecting to big donors, in thrall to discredited economic theories and utterly bereft of a moral compass, America’s governing classes are selling their souls to entrenched interest while our bridges collapse, wages, stagnate, and our water is increasingly undrinkable. Drawing on sinsights gleaned over three decades on Capitol Hill, much of it on the Budget Committee, Lofgren paints a gripping portrait of the dismal swamp on the Potomac and the revolution it will take to reclaim our government and set us back on course. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: The Case for Trump Victor Davis Hanson, 2019-03-05 This New York Times bestselling Trump biography from a major American intellectual explains how a renegade businessman became one of the most successful -- and necessary -- presidents of all time. In The Case for Trump, award-winning historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson explains how a celebrity businessman with no political or military experience triumphed over sixteen well-qualified Republican rivals, a Democrat with a quarter-billion-dollar war chest, and a hostile media and Washington establishment to become president of the United States -- and an extremely successful president. Trump alone saw a political opportunity in defending the working people of America's interior whom the coastal elite of both parties had come to scorn, Hanson argues. And Trump alone had the instincts and energy to pursue this opening to victory, dismantle a corrupt old order, and bring long-overdue policy changes at home and abroad. We could not survive a series of presidencies as volatile as Trump's. But after decades of drift, America needs the outsider Trump to do what normal politicians would not and could not do. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: The Broken Branch Thomas E. Mann, Norman J. Ornstein, 2008 Two nationally renowned congressional scholars review the evolution of Congress from the early days of the republic to 2006, arguing that extreme partisanship and a disregard for institutional procedures are responsible for the institution's current state of dysfunction. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Fantasyland Kurt Andersen, 2017-09-05 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “The single most important explanation, and the fullest explanation, of how Donald Trump became president of the United States . . . nothing less than the most important book that I have read this year.”—Lawrence O’Donnell How did we get here? In this sweeping, eloquent history of America, Kurt Andersen shows that what’s happening in our country today—this post-factual, “fake news” moment we’re all living through—is not something new, but rather the ultimate expression of our national character. America was founded by wishful dreamers, magical thinkers, and true believers, by hucksters and their suckers. Fantasy is deeply embedded in our DNA. Over the course of five centuries—from the Salem witch trials to Scientology to the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, from P. T. Barnum to Hollywood and the anything-goes, wild-and-crazy sixties, from conspiracy theories to our fetish for guns and obsession with extraterrestrials—our love of the fantastic has made America exceptional in a way that we've never fully acknowledged. From the start, our ultra-individualism was attached to epic dreams and epic fantasies—every citizen was free to believe absolutely anything, or to pretend to be absolutely anybody. With the gleeful erudition and tell-it-like-it-is ferocity of a Christopher Hitchens, Andersen explores whether the great American experiment in liberty has gone off the rails. Fantasyland could not appear at a more perfect moment. If you want to understand Donald Trump and the culture of twenty-first-century America, if you want to know how the lines between reality and illusion have become dangerously blurred, you must read this book. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE “This is a blockbuster of a book. Take a deep breath and dive in.”—Tom Brokaw “[An] absorbing, must-read polemic . . . a provocative new study of America’s cultural history.”—Newsday “Compelling and totally unnerving.”—The Village Voice “A frighteningly convincing and sometimes uproarious picture of a country in steep, perhaps terminal decline that would have the founding fathers weeping into their beards.”—The Guardian “This is an important book—the indispensable book—for understanding America in the age of Trump.”—Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci |
| a political party unhinged from truth: The Death of Truth Michiko Kakutani, 2018-07-17 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize–winning critic comes an impassioned critique of America’s retreat from reason We live in a time when the very idea of objective truth is mocked and discounted by the occupants of the White House. Discredited conspiracy theories and ideologies have resurfaced, proven science is once more up for debate, and Russian propaganda floods our screens. The wisdom of the crowd has usurped research and expertise, and we are each left clinging to the beliefs that best confirm our biases. How did truth become an endangered species in contemporary America? This decline began decades ago, and in The Death of Truth, former New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani takes a penetrating look at the cultural forces that contributed to this gathering storm. In social media and literature, television, academia, and politics, Kakutani identifies the trends—originating on both the right and the left—that have combined to elevate subjectivity over factuality, science, and common values. And she returns us to the words of the great critics of authoritarianism, writers like George Orwell and Hannah Arendt, whose work is newly and eerily relevant. With remarkable erudition and insight, Kakutani offers a provocative diagnosis of our current condition and points toward a new path for our truth-challenged times. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: A Higher Loyalty James Comey, 2018-04-17 #1 New York Times Bestseller now in paperback with new material The inspiration for The Comey Rule, the Showtime limited series starring Jeff Daniels premiering September 2020 In his book, former FBI director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions. His journey provides an unprecedented entry into the corridors of power, and a remarkable lesson in what makes an effective leader. Mr. Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 to 2017, appointed to the post by President Barack Obama. He previously served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the U.S. deputy attorney general in the administration of President George W. Bush. From prosecuting the Mafia and Martha Stewart to helping change the Bush administration's policies on torture and electronic surveillance, overseeing the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation as well as ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Comey has been involved in some of the most consequential cases and policies of recent history. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Night of Camp David Fletcher Knebel, 1965 The dilemma of a junior senator, who, while being groomed for the office of Vice President, discovers that the President is a paranoise and shortly will have an important meeting with the Russians. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: The Disinformation Age W. Lance Bennett, Steven Livingston, 2020-10-15 This book shows how disinformation spread by partisan organizations and media platforms undermines institutional legitimacy on which authoritative information depends. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Thank You for Your Servitude Mark Leibovich, 2022-07-12 The #1 New York Times Bestseller “He’s one of the best chroniclers of politics today.” –Jake Tapper “This is a really funny book.” –Kara Swisher “His writing is so damn good.” –John Berman “Really fascinating...There are so many revelations.” –Anderson Cooper “The new must read summer book.” –Stephanie Ruhle From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller This Town, the eyewitness account of how the GOP collaborated with Donald Trump to transform Washington’s “swamp” into a gold-plated hot tub—and a onetime party of rugged individualists into a sycophantic personality cult. In the early months of Trump’s candidacy, the Republican Party’s most important figures, people such as Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Lindsey Graham, were united—and loud—in their scorn and contempt. Even more, in their outrage: Trump was a menace and an affront to our democracy. Then, awkwardly, Trump won. Thank You for Your Servitude is Mark Leibovich’s unflinching account of the moral rout of a major American political party, tracking the transformation of Rubio, Cruz, Graham, and their ilk into the administration’s chief enablers, and the swamp’s lesser lights into frantic chasers of the grift. What would these politicos do to preserve their place in the sun, or at least the orbit of the spray tan? What would they do to preserve their “relevance”? Almost anything, it turns out. Trump’s savage bullying of everyone in his circle, along with his singular command of his political base, created a dangerous culture of submission in the Republican Party. Meanwhile, many of the most alpha of the lapdogs happily conceded to Mark Leibovich that they were “in on the joke.” As Lindsey Graham told the author, his supporters in South Carolina generally don’t read The New York Times, and they won’t read this book, either. All that cynicism, shading into nihilism, led to a country truly unhinged from reality, and to the events of January 6, 2021. It’s a vista that makes the Washington of This Town seem like a comedy of manners in comparison. Thank You for Your Servitude isn’t another view from the Oval Office: it’s the view from the Trump Hotel. We can check out any time we want, but only time will tell if we can ever leave. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Last Best Hope George Packer, 2021-06-15 One of The New York Times's 100 notable books of 2021 [George Packer's] account of America’s decline into destructive tribalism is always illuminating and often dazzling. —William Galston, The Washington Post Acclaimed National Book Award-winning author George Packer diagnoses America’s descent into a failed state, and envisions a path toward overcoming our injustices, paralyses, and divides In the year 2020, Americans suffered one rude blow after another to their health, livelihoods, and collective self-esteem. A ruthless pandemic, an inept and malign government response, polarizing protests, and an election marred by conspiracy theories left many citizens in despair about their country and its democratic experiment. With pitiless precision, the year exposed the nation’s underlying conditions—discredited elites, weakened institutions, blatant inequalities—and how difficult they are to remedy. In Last Best Hope, George Packer traces the shocks back to their sources. He explores the four narratives that now dominate American life: Free America, which imagines a nation of separate individuals and serves the interests of corporations and the wealthy; Smart America, the world view of Silicon Valley and the professional elite; Real America, the white Christian nationalism of the heartland; and Just America, which sees citizens as members of identity groups that inflict or suffer oppression. In lively and biting prose, Packer shows that none of these narratives can sustain a democracy. To point a more hopeful way forward, he looks for a common American identity and finds it in the passion for equality—the “hidden code”—that Americans of diverse persuasions have held for centuries. Today, we are challenged again to fight for equality and renew what Alexis de Tocqueville called “the art” of self-government. In its strong voice and trenchant analysis, Last Best Hope is an essential contribution to the literature of national renewal. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Empire of Resentment Lawrence Rosenthal, 2020-09-08 From a leading scholar on conservatism, the extraordinary chronicle of how the transformation of the American far right made the Trump presidency possible—and what it portends for the future Since Trump's victory and the UK's Brexit vote, much of the commentary on the populist epidemic has focused on the emergence of populism. But, Lawrence Rosenthal argues, what is happening globally is not the emergence but the transformation of right-wing populism. Rosenthal, the founder of UC Berkeley's Center for Right-Wing Studies, suggests right-wing populism is a protean force whose prime mover is the resentment felt toward perceived cultural elites, and whose abiding feature is its ideological flexibility, which now takes the form of xenophobic nationalism. In 2016, American right-wing populists migrated from the free marketeering Tea Party to Donald Trump's hard hat, anti-immigrant, America-First nationalism. This was the most important single factor in Trump's electoral victory and it has been at work across the globe. In Italy, for example, the Northern League reinvented itself in 2018 as an all-Italy party, switching its fury from southerners to immigrants, and came to power. Rosenthal paints a vivid sociological, political, and psychological picture of the transnational quality of this movement, which is now in power in at least a dozen countries, creating a de facto Nationalist International. In America and abroad, the current mobilization of right-wing populism has given life to long marginalized threats like white supremacy. The future of democratic politics in the United States and abroad depends on whether the liberal and left parties have the political capacity to mobilize with a progressive agenda of their own. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: A Warning Anonymous, 2019-11-19 #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller: An unprecedented behind-the-scenes portrait of the Trump presidency from the anonymous senior official whose first words of warning about the president rocked the nation's capital. On September 5, 2018, the New York Times published a bombshell essay and took the rare step of granting its writer anonymity. Described only as a senior official in the Trump administration, the author provided eyewitness insight into White House chaos, administration instability, and the people working to keep Donald Trump's reckless impulses in check. With the 2020 election on the horizon, Anonymous is speaking out once again. In this book, the original author pulls back the curtain even further, offering a first-of-its-kind look at the president and his record -- a must-read before Election Day. It will surprise and challenge both Democrats and Republicans, motivate them to consider how we judge our nation's leaders, and illuminate the consequences of re-electing a commander in chief unfit for the role. This book is a sobering assessment of the man in the Oval Office and a warning about something even more important -- who we are as a people. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Frankly, We Did Win This Election Michael C. Bender, 2021-07-13 THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Michael C. Bender, senior White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal, presents a deeply reported account of the 2020 presidential campaign that details how Donald J. Trump became the first incumbent in three decades to lose reelection—and the only one whose defeat culminated in a violent insurrection. Beginning with President Trump’s first impeachment and ending with his second, FRANKLY, WE DID WIN THIS ELECTION chronicles the inside-the-room deliberations between Trump and his campaign team as they opened 2020 with a sleek political operation built to harness a surge of momentum from a bullish economy, a unified Republican Party, and a string of domestic and foreign policy successes—only to watch everything unravel when fortunes suddenly turned. With first-rate sourcing cultivated from five years of covering Trump in the White House and both of his campaigns, Bender brings readers inside the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and into the front row of the movement’s signature mega-rallies for the story of an epic election-year convergence of COVID, economic collapse, and civil rights upheaval—and an unorthodox president’s attempt to battle it all. Fresh interviews with Trump, key campaign advisers, and senior administration officials are paired with an exclusive collection of internal campaign memos, emails, and text messages for scores of never-before-reported details about the campaign. FRANKLY, WE DID WIN THIS ELECTION is the inside story of how Trump lost, and the definitive account of his final year in office that draws a straight line from the president’s repeated insistence that he would never lose to the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol that imperiled one of his most loyal lieutenants—his own vice president. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Design Mom Gabrielle Stanley Blair, 2015-04-07 New York Times best seller Ever since Gabrielle Stanley Blair became a parent, she’s believed that a thoughtfully designed home is one of the greatest gifts we can give our families, and that the objects and decor we choose to surround ourselves with tell our family’s story. In this, her first book, Blair offers a room-by-room guide to keeping things sane, organized, creative, and stylish. She provides advice on getting the most out of even the smallest spaces; simple fixes that make it easy for little ones to help out around the house; ingenious storage solutions for the never-ending stream of kid stuff; rainy-day DIY projects; and much, much more. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Landslide Michael Wolff, 2021-07-13 An instant New York Times bestseller. Critics agree: Michael Wolff’s Landslide is THE book on Trump. “Landslide . . . is the one to leap upon. Smart, vivid and intrepid . . .” —The New York Times “I inhaled Landslide, gobbled it up.” —Slate “Wow. Just wow . . .” —Evening Standard “Cruel, unforgiving, muckraking, scandalous. I couldn’t stop reading it.”—The Telegraph We all witnessed some of the most shocking and confounding political events of our lifetime: the careening last stage of Donald J. Trump’s reelection campaign, the president’s audacious election challenge, the harrowing mayhem of January 6, the buffoonery of the second impeachment trial. But what was really going on in the inner sanctum of the White House during these calamitous events? What did the president and his dwindling cadre of loyalists actually believe? And what were they planning? Michael Wolff pulled back the curtain on the Trump presidency with his #1 bestselling blockbuster Fire and Fury. Now, in Landslide, he closes the door on the presidency with a final, astonishingly candid account. Wolff embedded himself in the White House in 2017 and gave us a vivid picture of the chaos that had descended on Washington. Almost four years later, Wolff finds the Oval Office even more chaotic and bizarre, a kind of Star Wars bar scene. At all times of the day, Trump, behind the Resolute desk, is surrounded by schemers and unqualified sycophants who spoon-feed him the “alternative facts” he hungers to hear—about COVID-19, Black Lives Matter protests, and, most of all, his chance of winning reelection. Once again, Wolff has gotten top-level access and takes us front row as Trump’s circle of plotters whittles down to the most enabling and the president reaches beyond the bounds of democracy as he entertains the idea of martial law and balks at calling off the insurrectionist mob that threatens the institution of democracy itself. As the Trump presidency’s hold over the country spiraled out of control, an untold and human account of desperation, duplicity, and delusion was unfolding within the West Wing. Landslide is that story as only Michael Wolff can tell it. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Irreversible Damage Abigail Shrier, 2020-06-30 NAMED A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE ECONOMIST AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2021 BY THE TIMES AND THE SUNDAY TIMES Irreversible Damage . . . has caused a storm. Abigail Shrier, a Wall Street Journal writer, does something simple yet devastating: she rigorously lays out the facts. —Janice Turner, The Times of London Until just a few years ago, gender dysphoria—severe discomfort in one’s biological sex—was vanishingly rare. It was typically found in less than .01 percent of the population, emerged in early childhood, and afflicted males almost exclusively. But today whole groups of female friends in colleges, high schools, and even middle schools across the country are coming out as “transgender.” These are girls who had never experienced any discomfort in their biological sex until they heard a coming-out story from a speaker at a school assembly or discovered the internet community of trans “influencers.” Unsuspecting parents are awakening to find their daughters in thrall to hip trans YouTube stars and “gender-affirming” educators and therapists who push life-changing interventions on young girls—including medically unnecessary double mastectomies and puberty blockers that can cause permanent infertility. Abigail Shrier, a writer for the Wall Street Journal, has dug deep into the trans epidemic, talking to the girls, their agonized parents, and the counselors and doctors who enable gender transitions, as well as to “detransitioners”—young women who bitterly regret what they have done to themselves. Coming out as transgender immediately boosts these girls’ social status, Shrier finds, but once they take the first steps of transition, it is not easy to walk back. She offers urgently needed advice about how parents can protect their daughters. A generation of girls is at risk. Abigail Shrier’s essential book will help you understand what the trans craze is and how you can inoculate your child against it—or how to retrieve her from this dangerous path. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Insurgency Jeremy W. Peters, 2022-02-08 NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • How did the party of Lincoln become the party of Trump? From an acclaimed political reporter for The New York Times comes the definitive story of the mutiny that shattered American politics. “A bracing account of how the party of Lincoln and Reagan was hijacked by gadflies and grifters who reshaped their movement into becoming an anti-democratic cancer that attacked the U.S. Capitol.”—Joe Scarborough An epic narrative chronicling the fracturing of the Republican Party, Jeremy Peters’s Insurgency is the story of a party establishment that believed it could control the dark energy it helped foment—right up until it suddenly couldn’t. How, Peters asks, did conservative values that Republicans claimed to cherish, like small government, fiscal responsibility, and morality in public service, get completely eroded as an unshakable faith in Donald Trump grew to define the party? The answer is a tale traced across three decades—with new reporting and firsthand accounts from the people who were there—of populist uprisings that destabilized the party. The signs of conflict were plainly evident for anyone who cared to look. After Barack Obama’s election convinced many Republicans that they faced an existential demographics crossroads, many believed the only way to save the party was to create a more inclusive and diverse coalition. But party leaders underestimated the energy and popular appeal of those who would pull the party in the opposite direction. They failed to see how the right-wing media they hailed as truth-telling was warping the reality in which their voters lived. And they did not understand the complicated moral framework by which many conservatives would view Trump, leading evangelicals and one-issue voters to shed Republican orthodoxy if it delivered a Supreme Court that would undo Roe v. Wade. In this sweeping history, Peters details key junctures and episodes to unfurl the story of a revolution from within. Its architects had little interest in the America of the new century but a deep understanding of the iron will of a shrinking minority. With Trump as their polestar, their gamble paid greater dividends than they’d ever imagined, extending the life of far-right conservatism in United States domestic policy into the next half century. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Win Bigly Scott Adams, 2017-10-31 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The New York Times bestseller that explains one of the most important perceptual shifts in the history of humankind Scott Adams was one of the earliest public figures to predict Donald Trump’s election. The mainstream media regarded Trump as a lucky clown, but Adams – best known as “the guy who created Dilbert” -- recognized a level of persuasion you only see once in a generation. We’re hardwired to respond to emotion, not reason, and Trump knew exactly which emotional buttons to push. The point isn’t whether Trump was right or wrong, good or bad. Adams goes beyond politics to look at persuasion tools that can work in any setting—the same ones Adams saw in Steve Jobs when he invested in Apple decades ago. Win Bigly is a field guide for persuading others in any situation—or resisting the tactics of emotional persuasion when they’re used on you. This revised edition features a bonus chapter that assesses just how well Adams foresaw the outcomes of Trump’s tactics with North Korea, the NFL protesters, Congress, and more. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Trump is F*cking Crazy Keith Olbermann, 2017-10-17 Witty, acerbic, hard-hitting, and timely, Keith Olbermann's Donald Trump commentaries come adapted from his hit GQ series The Resistance. Since Donald Trump's presidential nomination, Keith Olbermann has emerged as one of the web's most popular anti-Trump screedists—each installment of his GQ web series The Resistance receives nearly four million views, and his fiercely progressive monologues have garnered a new generation of fans and followers. In TRUMP IS F*CKING CRAZY, Olbermann takes our Commander in Chief and his politics apart with journalistic acuity and his classic in-your-face humor. With more than 50 individual essays adapted from his GQ commentaries, including new up-to-the-minute material, TRUMP IS F*CKING CRAZY is essential reading for concerned citizens who—like Olbermann—refuse to normalize or accept our new political reality. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Political Realism Jonathan Rauch, 2015-05-01 A free eBook that asks hard questions about why politics once worked, and how today’s politics do not. What if idealistic reform itself is a culprit? In Political Realism, Jonathan Rauch argues that well-meaning efforts to stem corruption and increase participation have stripped political leaders and organizations of the tools they need to forge compromises and make them stick. Fortunately, he argues, much of the damage can be undone by rediscovering political realism. Instead of trying to drive private money away out of politics, how about channeling it to strengthen parties and leaders? Instead of doubling down on direct democracy, how about giving political professionals more influence over candidate nominations? Rauch shows how a new generation of realist thinkers is using timetested truths about politics and government to build reforms for our time. Rich with contrarian insights and fresh thinking, Political Realism is an eye-opening challenge to today’s conventional wisdom about what ails American government and politics. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Destiny of the Republic Candice Millard, 2011-09-20 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The extraordinary account of James Garfield's rise from poverty to the American presidency, and the dramatic history of his assassination and legacy, from the bestselling author of The River of Doubt. Crisp, concise and revealing history.... A fresh narrative that plumbs some of the most dramatic days in U.S. presidential history. —The Washington Post James Abram Garfield was one of the most extraordinary men ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, a renowned congressman, and a reluctant presidential candidate who took on the nation's corrupt political establishment. But four months after Garfield's inauguration in 1881, he was shot in the back by a deranged office-seeker named Charles Guiteau. Garfield survived the attack, but become the object of bitter, behind-the-scenes struggles for power—over his administration, over the nation's future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care. Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic brings alive a forgotten chapter of U.S. history. Look for Candice Millard’s latest book, River of the Gods. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: It's Even Worse Than It Looks Thomas E. Mann, Norman J. Ornstein, 2016-04-05 Acrimony and hyperpartisanship have seeped into every part of the political process. Congress is deadlocked and its approval ratings are at record lows. America's two main political parties have given up their traditions of compromise, endangering our very system of constitutional democracy. And one of these parties has taken on the role of insurgent outlier; the Republicans have become ideologically extreme, scornful of compromise, and ardently opposed to the established social and economic policy regime.In It's Even Worse Than It Looks, congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein identify two overriding problems that have led Congress -- and the United States -- to the brink of institutional collapse. The first is the serious mismatch between our political parties, which have become as vehemently adversarial as parliamentary parties, and a governing system that, unlike a parliamentary democracy, makes it extremely difficult for majorities to act. Second, while both parties participate in tribal warfare, both sides are not equally culpable. The political system faces what the authors call &asymmetric polarization, with the Republican Party implacably refusing to allow anything that might help the Democrats politically, no matter the cost.With dysfunction rooted in long-term political trends, a coarsened political culture and a new partisan media, the authors conclude that there is no &silver bullet; reform that can solve everything. But they offer a panoply of useful ideas and reforms, endorsing some solutions, like greater public participation and institutional restructuring of the House and Senate, while debunking others, like independent or third-party candidates. Above all, they call on the media as well as the public at large to focus on the true causes of dysfunction rather than just throwing the bums out every election cycle. Until voters learn to act strategically to reward problem solving and punish obstruction, American democracy will remain in serious danger. |
| a political party unhinged from truth: Hoax Brian Stelter, 2020-08-25 INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An NPR Best Book of the Year “A thorough and damning exploration of the incestuous relationship between Trump and his favorite channel.” —The New York Times “A Rosetta Stone for stuff about this presidency that doesn’t otherwise make sense to normal humans.” —Rachel Maddow, MSNBC “Stelter’s critique goes beyond salacious tidbits about extramarital affairs (though there are plenty of those) to expose a collusion that threatens the pillars of our democracy.” —The Washington Post The urgent and untold story of the collusion between Fox News and Donald Trump from the New York Times bestselling author of Top of the Morning. While other leaders were marshaling resources to combat the greatest pandemic in modern history, President Donald Trump was watching TV. Trump watches over six hours of Fox News a day, a habit his staff refers to as “executive time.” In January 2020, when Fox News began to downplay COVID-19, the President was quick to agree. In March, as the deadly virus spiraled out of control, Sean Hannity mocked “coronavirus hysteria” as a “new hoax” from the left. Millions of Americans took Hannity and Trump's words as truth—until some of them started to get sick. In Hoax, CNN anchor and chief media correspondent Brian Stelter tells the twisted story of the relationship between Donald Trump and Fox News. From the moment Trump glided down the golden escalator to announce his candidacy in the 2016 presidential election to his acquittal on two articles of impeachment in early 2020, Fox hosts spread his lies and smeared his enemies. Over the course of two years, Stelter spoke with over 250 current and former Fox insiders in an effort to understand the inner workings of Rupert Murdoch's multibillion-dollar media empire. Some of the confessions are alarming. “We don't really believe all this stuff,” a producer says. “We just tell other people to believe it.” At the center of the story lies Sean Hannity, a college dropout who, following the death of Fox News mastermind Roger Ailes, reigns supreme at the network that pays him $30 million a year. Stelter describes the raging tensions inside Fox between the Trump loyalists and the few remaining journalists. He reveals why former chief news anchor Shep Smith resigned in disgust in 2019; why a former anchor said “if I stay here I’ll get cancer;” and how Trump has exploited the leadership vacuum at the top to effectively seize control of the network. Including never before reported details, Hoax exposes the media personalities who, though morally bankrupt, profit outrageously by promoting the President’s propaganda and radicalizing the American right. It is a book for anyone who reads the news and wonders: How did this happen? |
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A Political Party Unhinged From Truth WJ Hussar. A Political Party Unhinged From Truth: Unhinged Michelle Malkin,2013-02-05 Unhinged Exposing Liberals Gone Wild is Michelle …
A Reckless Disregard for the Truth? The Constitutional Right …
In 2012, in the midst of the discussion surrounding the negative or untrue campaign speech, the United States Supreme Court quietly denied certiorari to a case that held one such law …
Reason, Politics, and the Politics of Truth: How Science Is Both ...
Reason, Politics, and the Politics of Truth: How Science Is Both Autonomous and Dependent* RICHARD HARVEY BROWN AND ELIZABETH L. MALONE University of Maryland, College …
Political Body: Ring of Truth Political Party - California
Pursuant to Elections Code section 5002, this notice serves to inform you that the Secretary of State received formal notification from the Ring of Truth Political Party of their intent to qualify …
A Political Party Unhinged From The Truth (book)
a political party unhinged from the truth: Conscience of a Conservative Jeff Flake, 2017-08-01 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A thoughtful defense of traditional conservatism and a …
A Political Party Unhinged From The Truth (Download Only)
Unhinged Omarosa Manigault Newman,2018-08-14 The former Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison in the Trump White House provides …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth (PDF)
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth: Fantasyland Kurt Andersen,2017-09-05 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The single most important explanation and the fullest explanation of how …
A Political Party Unhinged From The Truth (book) - x-plane.com
A Political Party Unhinged From The Truth: Unhinged Omarosa Manigault Newman,2018-08-14 The former Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the Office of Public …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth [PDF]
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth: Fantasyland Kurt Andersen,2017-09-05 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The single most important explanation and the fullest explanation of how …
A Political Party Unhinged From The Truth (2024) - x …
The rise of a political party unhinged from the truth represents a significant threat to democratic institutions and societal well-being. The deliberate manipulation of information, the cultivation …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth (PDF)
a bold act of conscience Republican Senator Jeff Flake takes his party to task for embracing nationalism populism xenophobia and the anomalous Trump presidency The book is an urgent …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth Copy
A political party unhinged from truth poses a severe threat to democracy. The deliberate dissemination of misinformation, the cultivation of distrust, and the manipulation of emotions
A Political Party Unhinged From The Truth (2024)
Unhinged Omarosa Manigault Newman,2018-08-14 The former Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison in the Trump White House provides …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth Full PDF
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth Conscience of a Conservative Jeff Flake,2017-08-01 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A thoughtful defense of traditional conservatism and a thorough …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth (2024) - x-plane.com
A political party unhinged from truth frequently bypasses rational argument by weaponizing emotion. This involves: Appealing to Fear and Anger: Exploiting primal emotions to bypass …
Media Manipulation And Propaganda In The Post-Truth Era
Debates concerning the deficit of truth in the internet era and the issue of post-truth have become ubiquitous in the search for possible causes and consequences of the aforementioned …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth (PDF)
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth: The Party Is Over Mike Lofgren,2012-08-02 The New York Times bestselling expos of what passes for business as usual in Washington today There was …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth (PDF) - x-plane.com
A political party unhinged from truth frequently bypasses rational argument by weaponizing emotion. This involves: Appealing to Fear and Anger: Exploiting primal emotions to bypass …
Arendt on truth and politics - Archive.org
Arendt’s essay surveys types of truth and hones in on one kind – factual truth – that she argues is particularly vulnerable to abuse by those enabled to wield political power. Passages from …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth (PDF)
Within the captivating pages of A Political Party Unhinged From Truth a literary masterpiece penned with a renowned author, readers attempt a transformative journey, unlocking the …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth Copy
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth WJ Hussar. A Political Party Unhinged From Truth: Unhinged Michelle Malkin,2013-02-05 Unhinged Exposing Liberals Gone Wild is Michelle …
A Reckless Disregard for the Truth? The Constitutional Right …
In 2012, in the midst of the discussion surrounding the negative or untrue campaign speech, the United States Supreme Court quietly denied certiorari to a case that held one such law …
Reason, Politics, and the Politics of Truth: How Science Is Both ...
Reason, Politics, and the Politics of Truth: How Science Is Both Autonomous and Dependent* RICHARD HARVEY BROWN AND ELIZABETH L. MALONE University of Maryland, College …
Political Body: Ring of Truth Political Party - California
Pursuant to Elections Code section 5002, this notice serves to inform you that the Secretary of State received formal notification from the Ring of Truth Political Party of their intent to qualify …
A Political Party Unhinged From The Truth (book)
a political party unhinged from the truth: Conscience of a Conservative Jeff Flake, 2017-08-01 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A thoughtful defense of traditional conservatism and a …
A Political Party Unhinged From The Truth (Download Only)
Unhinged Omarosa Manigault Newman,2018-08-14 The former Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison in the Trump White House provides …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth (PDF)
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth: Fantasyland Kurt Andersen,2017-09-05 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The single most important explanation and the fullest explanation of …
A Political Party Unhinged From The Truth (book) - x …
A Political Party Unhinged From The Truth: Unhinged Omarosa Manigault Newman,2018-08-14 The former Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the Office of Public …
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth [PDF]
A Political Party Unhinged From Truth: Fantasyland Kurt Andersen,2017-09-05 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The single most important explanation and the fullest explanation of …
