1st Edition
Eliminationists How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right
<i>The Eliminationists</i> describes the malignant influence of right-wing hate talk on the American conservative movement. Tracing much of this vitriol to the dank corners of the para-fascist right, award-winning reporter David Neiwert documents persistent ideas and rhetoric that champion the elimination of opposition groups. As a result of this hateful discourse, Neiwert argues, the broader conservative movement has metastasized into something not truly conservative, but decidedly right-wing and potentially dangerous.
<br>
<br>By tapping into the eliminationism latent in the American psyche, the mainstream conservative movement has emboldened groups that have inhabited the fringes of the far right for decades. With the Obama victory, their voices may once again raise the specter of deadly domestic terrorism that characterized the far Right in the 1990s. How well Americans face this challenge will depend on how strongly we repudiate the politics of hate and repair the damage it has wrought.
Biography
David Neiwert
“For over a decade, David Neiwert has been America’s canary in the coal mine—our national early-warning system on the spread of corrosive, eliminationist, right-wing hatred in our midst. His latest book is a reality-based antidote to Jonah Goldberg, notable for both its clarity and moral force.
—Rick Perlstein, Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America
“David Neiwert is one of the most knowledgeable and careful reporters on the far right in America. The Eliminationists irrefutably documents the connection between extremist word and extremist deed. As Neiwert demonstrates, absolutist language corrupts absolutely. The shocking history he presents is undeniable, but it is not a matter of the past. The danger is clear and present.”
—Sidney Blumenthal, former senior adviser to President Clinton and Hillary Clinton
“David Neiwert is among the most astute analysts of the contemporary right. Read The Eliminationists to learn why he worries about a resurgence of the most violent and dangerous elements in our politics.”
—Joe Conason, Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth
“The core observation of David Neiwert’s The Eliminationists—that the mainstream right increasingly deploys “eliminationist” rhetoric against its enemies—is indisputable. Neiwert traces this demonization and its deadly consequences to argue that fascist elements are present in our political system and could, given a serious social crisis, rise to real power.”
—Mark Potok, Southern Poverty Law Center
“David Neiwert picks up where post-war theories of fascism left off, indicting the violent rhetoric of the Bush-Cheney era in fearless terms. The Eliminationists will send chills down your spine and ignite your civic conscience.”
—Jeffrey Feldman, Outright Barbarous: How the Violent Language of the Right Poisons American Democracy
