Wingnuts: Extremism in the Age of Obama

by Perseus

Overview

Wingnuts exist on the extreme edges of the political spectrum. They're the professional polarizers and the unhinged activists, the hardcore haters and the paranoid conspiracy theorists. They're people who always try to divide us instead of unite us. And at a time when the fringe is blurring with the base, they've hijacked American politics.

The Obama era has been a boom-time for Wingnuts, kicked off by a financial collapse and the election America's first black president. For some, losing an election feels like living under tyranny. John Avlon tracks down preachers who pray for the president's death, goes inside the growing "Hatriot" militia movement, and identifies the fright-wing swamp where the Obama "Birthers" and the Bush-era "9/11 Truthers" bubble up.

Wingnuts echo earlier fear-fueled movements in American history. But bolstered by the rise of hyper-partisan media, the Wingnut echo chamber is more influential than ever before and it has led directly to the division and dysfunction in Congress. Avlon asserts that the time has come for the moderate majority of Americans to straighten their civic backbone and hold the extremes accountable while restoring a sense of perspective to our politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780991247615
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	08/12/2014
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	900 KB
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

John Avlon is an author, columnist and editor-in-chief of the Daily Beast.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

A Wingnut Glossary xiv

1 Introducing the Wingnuts 1

2 A Brief History of Extremism in America 7

3 The Rise of the Tea Party 32

4 Obama Derangement Syndrome 49

5 The Birth of White-Minority Politics 81

6 Partisan Media: Polarizing for Profit 109

7 Sarah Palin and the Limbaugh Brigades 145

8 RINOs and DINOs: Hunting for Heretics 169

9 The Big Lie: Birthers and Truthers 202

10 The Hatriots: Armed and Dangerous 219

11 The Kamikaze Caucus 241

12 Conclusion: How to Take America Back from the Lunatic Fringe 261

Acknowledgments 269

Notes 272

Bibliography 306

Index 307

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

President Bill Clinton
"Wingnuts offers a clear and comprehensive review of the forces on the outer edges of the political spectrum that shape and distort our political debate. Shedding more heat than light they drive frustrated alienated citizens away from the reasoned discourse that can produce real solutions to our problems."

 

Editorial Reviews

President Bill Clinton
"Wingnuts offers a clear and comprehensive review of the forces on the outer edges of the political spectrum that shape and distort our political debate. Shedding more heat than light they drive frustrated alienated citizens away from the reasoned discourse that can produce real solutions to our problems."

 

From the Publisher