Pro-Power: How the Far Right Stole America | Katherine Stewart
Pro-Power: How the Far Right Stole America | Katherine Stewart
And how to steal it back
Appears in this episode
Katherine Stewart is an investigative reporter and author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism. She’s spent the past 12 years investigating how USA’s far right got organised after the original Roe vs Wade ruling, using abortion to polarize political debate in the USA and unite a multi-denominational movement to enact their vision of white ethno-nationalism.
She joins me to explain how abortion became key to their rise to power; how they’ve spent the past 50 years inserting themselves into education, legislature, and government; the deep network of funders, organisations and individuals whose sole wish is to take power back from the Left.
These people aren’t pro-life. They’re pro-power. And to claw it back from them, Katherine says we need to begin organising with the same vigilance and determination they exhibit.
Pro-Power: How the Far Right Stole America | Katherine Stewart
Finance professional here with a philosophy background. You can't argue with the fact that the right-wing won by a grass-roots recruitment of evangelicals and middle-class workers to enforce its financialist goals under social cover--they have working on this angle for fifty years. I'm glad you noted this. I work with these folks and while one might be tempted to think otherwise--this development is less about "family values" than it is about power. They have an all encompassing vision for a "christian nation"--even though the idea has no reality in it. The left needs to finally admit that the right are better organized, well-funded and well, smart people at the top taking advantage of people's naivete. While plenty of people might not like that--the Dems need to organize better and work their voting ranks instead of wasting time on petty identity politics that most of the population do not relate to. The right is winning. They have the "doers + donors". The left has nothing like this. You will also note a big shift towards libertarianism which puts individual autonomy as the only real priority--balanced with reasonable social safety nets like gun control, healthcare and education. The right wing is relying on American apathy and falsely flying its virtue flag. Great interview. Great points.
Scary stuff this...I remember Frank Zappa commenting in the 80's "the biggest threat to America today is not communism. It’s moving America toward a fascist theocracy." Turns out he wasn't far off the mark. The trouble is, the left are so late to the game in terms of this sort of far reaching organisation, and should they even be using the same twisted tactics. Would you be comfortable with an equivalent left biased misinformation media in the same vein as Fox News?
Also, playing the long game...can we afford to?
Despite the dark content, Katherine was an amazing guest, thanks.