The Republican strategist may have felt long ago that Socialists within
the United States government were undermining us. Many Republicans felt
that the Democrats were "soft on Communism" and all too willing to let
the Socialists move America in a direction the Democrats favored. They
called Democrats Socialists in political campaigns. In the 1950s Senator
Joseph McCarthy tried to smear the Liberals as "fellow travelers". I
recently heard the phrase again and the idea hasn't died. The Right have
labeled ALL Democrats as Socialists repeatedly and have won many
elections using that tactic. But, it has also meant that in the mind of
many Americans there is only the Right, right or wrong, and that the
Left in America isn't "moderate", but all radical Socialists who would
destroy America. They believe that despite many Democrat-led governments
which have not destroyed America in any way. They believe the lie
because it's convenient to not challenge their own political leaders --
to call them out for their lies.
This tactic has also led to the Right becoming more and more radical,
moving from Eisenhower in the 1950s to Nixon, to Barry Goldwater (the
first "Mavericky" Republican), the Bush family, and on to Trump. Most
Republicans have continued to vote for these candidates and their
Congressional counterparts without fail. It led all the way to January
6th, 2021 when the Trump mob tried to overthrow our government. Even
today, many Republicans simply refuse to admit that is what happened.
The convenient lie to win elections is killing America.
