The Conservative Ascendancy: How the GOP Right Made Political History

Whether you are Liberal or Conservative, Democrat or Republican, if you are a political junkie, you will like a book I just finished: “The Conservative Ascendancy: How the GOP Right Made Political History" by Donald T. Critchlow. This is a history of political maneuvering of individuals interested in countering Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and confronting Communism.

Critchlow documents show how these ideas drew various interest groups, many of whom were not Republicans, together. It follows the nomination of Barry Goldwater for President of the United States, support of Richard Nixon, the first big Conservative triumph of Ronald Reagan and on to the election George W. Bush.

This history covers the losses as well as triumphs of American Conservatives. It covers issues that brought them to power, that cost them elections and issues that divided the Republican Party itself. I think that anyone interested in politics will not be able to put this book down.

Myths About the Great Depression

With the recent financial meltdown and the election of Barack Obama, there is a lot of discussion of Franklin Roosevelt and bringing back "New Deal" type programs. Let's not forget that what should have been a two to three year recession turned into a ten year depression. A recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece "Five Myths About the Great Depression" gives some insight into the cause of the "depression" and reasons for its extension.

Also read "The Forgotten Man" by Amity Shales. This book gets to the truth about the Great Depression and explains why people were forced into misery by the Roosevelt administration. If we do not learn our lesson of history, we will be doomed to relive it.

Liberal Fascism

In light of our current economic situation and the election of Barack Obama, I highly recommend reading "Liberal Fascism" by Jonah Goldberg. This is a great historical look back at politics of the last hundred years and can give insight into the future.

In an interview, Goldberg states about his definition of fascism: "I’ve got a long definition in the book, but a short one would be an instinctual religious impulse - usually gussied-up as a secular or modern ideology - that seeks to impose uniformity in thought and action throughout the entire society. All oars in a fascistic society must pull together. The personal is political because everything goes together. Political correctness is one name we give to such efforts in civil society. "