{"id":34094,"date":"2017-07-28T15:31:56","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T19:31:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sidebarforplaintiffs.naomifein.net\/?p=34094"},"modified":"2017-07-28T15:31:56","modified_gmt":"2017-07-28T19:31:56","slug":"the-ideologues-who-want-to-destroy-democracy-to-save-capitalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sidebarforplaintiffs.naomifein.net\/?p=34094","title":{"rendered":"“The Ideologues Who Want to Destroy Democracy to Save Capitalism”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remember years ago, when Hillary Clinton said a vast right-wing conspiracy was out to destroy the Clintons? <\/a><\/p>\n

The usual suspects, i.e., surrogates for that vast right-wing conspiracy, mocked her. Like many people, though, I’d read enough from credible journalists to know that she was right then and she is right now.<\/p>\n

There is<\/em> a vast conspiracy and it has been working for more than half a century to destroy not simply the Clintons but American democracy.<\/p>\n

The Koch Bros have become the avatars,<\/a> the contemporary faces of this radical revolution, as Nancy MacLean describes in her deeply researched history, Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan For America, <\/em>mostly because their efforts to keep their conclaves secret have been thwarted by precisely what they’re trying to kill: a curious and investigative free press in a democratic society.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m reading Democracy In Chains<\/em> now. I probably shouldn’t be reading it at night; it’s scary enough in full daylight. It pulls together all of the elements–which a lot of us figured were disparate–into one huge force. Ergo, the word “conspiracy.”<\/p>\n

The only thing I don’t particularly like about the book is its title, with its whiff of melodrama, which itself can draw attacks, no matter how unsubstantial and Orwellian. But I suppose in an age when best sellers sport hair-on-fire titles, MacLean’s editors figured this book better have one, too.<\/p>\n

When I finish it, I’m going to quote from it, as well as quoting from the remarkably hysterical attack on it coming from the “libertarian” Volokh Conspiracy blog.<\/p>\n

In fact, I’ve been clipping and pasting a complete collection of Volokh assaults on MacLean and her book over the past several weeks. When I tweeted something about how this attack was “male ‘libertarian’ hysteria,” I in turn got attacked on Twitter by some, well, hysterical males, presumably “libertarians.”<\/p>\n

One Randy Barat tweeted succinctly, “Systematic dismantling is not hysterical attack.” I responded that since I can systematically dismantle the attacks, I’ll stick with calling them hysterical. (I never studied logic and suspect there is a term for Barat’s statement. The word “tautology” cropped up in my mind. I looked it up. Wrong. So today I’m thinking “logical fallacy.” Is that right? Help!)<\/p>\n

I suspect men, especially “libertarians,” don’t like being called hysterical, can’t figure out why. If you can, let me know.<\/p>\n

Anyway, until I finish the book and digest what MacLean is telling us, please read this, from BillMoyers.com: The Ideologues Who Want to Destroy Democracy to Save Capitalism<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Especially you’ll want to read the entire George Monbiot article from The Guardian. His summary of the ideology of this so-called revolution will chill your soul.<\/p>\n

Then we, the majority–and never forget we are<\/em> the majority–must figure out how to enter this war using fact and intelligence to save our civilization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Remember years ago, when Hillary Clinton said a vast right-wing conspiracy was out to destroy the Clintons? The usual suspects, i.e., surrogates for that vast right-wing conspiracy, mocked her. Like many people, though, I’d read enough from credible journalists to … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[636,1095,1175],"tags":[1666,1663,1665,1669,1162,1671,1028,1664,1670,1667,1668],"class_list":["post-34094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-koch-bros-final-solution-to-democracy","category-politics","category-the-facts-of-life","tag-libertarians","tag-bill-moyers","tag-democracy-in-chains","tag-george-monbiot","tag-hillary-clinton","tag-james-buchanan","tag-koch-bros","tag-nancy-maclean","tag-the-guardian","tag-vast-right-wing-conspiracy","tag-volokh-conspiracy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t