Know Your Enemy
The State of the American Right (w/ Daniel Denvir)
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Shift from alt-right to extremist voices within GOP reflects evolving dynamics.
- Institutional legacies of Cold War era continue to influence current rightist landscape.
- Young individuals transition from libertarianism to new right for state-focused approaches.
- Religious right evolves into MAGA politics, emphasizing personal faith over institutional teachings.
- Masculinity dynamics and gender politics play significant roles in reactionary right movements.
Deep dives
Shift in the Right's Focus
The right has experienced a marked shift away from the alt-right figures that dominated early Trump coverage like Milo Yiannopoulos and Richard Spencer. While these figures have faded in relevance, there is now a more extreme element within the Republican Party epitomized by figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert. The alt-right's decline may be attributed to reactions like Charlottesville and deplatforming. This shift indicates a heightened presence of more radical voices within the Republican Party.
Return to Traditional Rightist Politics
The trajectory of the right over the past six years reveals a return to traditional rightist politics after the Cold War order. The cold war facilitated a nationalist project while aiming to combat communism, and once it ended, figures like Trump led to a resurgence of natural rightist inclinations within the conservative movement. Fissures between paleoconservatives and neoconservatives also became more apparent, highlighting a shift towards the root ideologies of American conservatism.
Influence of Cold War and Institutions
The Cold War era and the institutional structures it engendered, particularly in the national security state, have impacted the trajectory of the right in recent times. Despite ideological shifts, the institutional legacies of the Cold War era, like the national security state and alliances, still exert influence. This interplay between past institutional frameworks and evolving ideological stances shapes the current landscape of the right.
Republican Party's Fringe Elements
The decline of the alt-right has paved the way for more extreme elements in the Republican Party, featuring individuals like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert. This shift towards fringe figures reflects a broader trend in the right where unconventional voices gain prominence within the party. While the alt-right's relevance has waned, the emergence of 'crazy' elements within the GOP contributes to a new dynamic in rightist politics.
Shift from Libertarianism to The New Right
The discourse highlights the shift of young individuals from libertarianism to the new right. Former libertarians now question the adequacy of libertarian ideals which focused on free speech and personal expression. The new right movement, influenced by elements like economic nationalism, proposes a more state-oriented approach to address societal issues. The evolution depicts a transition from libertarian principles to a quest for political power and state control as a means to combat perceived societal decadence and ideological shifts.
Religious Right's Transformation into MAGA Politics
The analysis delves into the transformation of the religious right into MAGA politics, notably exemplified by figures like gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano. Unlike traditional religious activism, the current religious right aligns more with individualism and personal beliefs rather than institutionalized religious teachings. This evolution signifies a fusion of personal interpretations of faith with political ideologies, where the politician serves as a unifying figure integrating diverse beliefs to create a personalized spirituality and belief system.
Gender and Masculinity Nexus in Reactionary Right Movements
Gender dynamics, particularly masculinity, are pivotal in various reactionary right movements, echoing sentiments of emasculation and lack of traditional masculinity due to liberal influences. Themes of emasculating American males are recurrent, positing that egalitarian values undermine traditional masculinity, leading to movements like Bronze Age Pervert promoting Greco-Roman masculinity ideals. This psychosexual narrative deeply resonates with segments of the right, reflecting underlying challenges and frustrations surrounding gender norms and male identity.
The Shift in Rules of Engagement on Campus
The discussion highlights the new rules of engagement regarding sex on campuses, emphasizing the constant potential accusation of rape for college-aged men. It delves into the redefined dynamics that perpetually place individuals in jeopardy and lacking empowerment. The offered solution by Bronze Age Pervert advocates a reactionary vitalism - to focus on physical strength and dominance, ignoring woke ideologies and preserving one's vital life force, ultimately opposing the submissive doctrine of wokeness or feminism.
Republican Party and the Threat to Democracy
The episode explores the Republican Party's increasing denialism post the 2020 election and the risk it poses to the country's flawed representative institutions. It delves into the dangers of leveraging counter-majoritarian features to challenge election results and the insidious tactics to invalidate outcomes. The discussion emphasizes the importance of combating anti-authoritarianism and the feckless liberal response, highlighting the party's intent to gain electoral majorities through illiberal tactics and the potential erosion of democratic norms.
Today we're sharing a special "Dig Your Enemy" crossover event, as Daniel Denvir of Jacobin magazine's The Dig podcast puts Matt and Sam in the hot seat. We answer all of Dan's excellent questions about the state of the American right, including: the return of isolationism, the New Right, Peter Thiel, Curtis Yarvin, Blake Masters, Doug Mastriano, the prospects for a multi-racial conservative majority, the "groomer" panic, masculinity and gender politics, MAGA, authoritarianism, NYC's new reactionary "downtown scene," and the bad dialectic between racial liberalism and the anti-woke reactionaries. Enjoy!
This episode was originally posted by The Dig; find the rest of their excellent podcasts here: https://thedigradio.com/
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