Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right

by David Neiwert

Overview

The Eliminationists 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. 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138467873
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/21/2017
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; Chapter 1 The Politics of the Personal; Chapter 2 The Transmission Belt; Chapter 3 The Transmitters; Chapter 4 A Black and White World; Chapter 5 The Conservative Movement and Its Morph; Chapter 6 Understanding Fascism; Chapter 7 Proto-Fascism, Para-Fascism, and the Real Thing; Chapter 8 Eliminationism in America: A Brief History; Chapter 9 The Ongoing Legacy of Eliminationism; Chapter 10 It Can Happen Here;

Editorial Reviews

Neiwert (Strawberry Days), founder of the political blog Orcinus, links the proliferation of radical conservative ideas in the political mainstream to the looming specter of "eliminationism," an ideology rejecting dialogue and debate "in favor of the pursuit of outright elimination of the opposing side, either through suppression, exile, and eviction, or extermination." Eliminationism has taken many forms in American history, from the attitudes of early settlers toward the Native Americans they displaced and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan to the establishment of "Sundown Towns" that banned nonwhite residents and the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. In recent years, the eliminationist urge, articulated by conservative fringe groups associated with the Christian Patriot movement, has emerged in talk radio, news networks and national press outlets providing a platform for attacks on immigrants, Muslims, homosexuals and liberals. In these efforts, the author discerns a nascent American fascism, an argument that is by turns frightening and overwrought. Rich in historical and journalistic detail, the book offers a fine overview of the uglier strains in American politics. However, those looking for concrete solutions will find the author's call for ever-increasing vigilance somewhat less than fortifying. (May)

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Publishers Weekly

Vile, slanderous attacks in politics are not new. But their distribution via modern technology is. Neiwert sees the language of Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Anne Coulter, Michael Savage, and others on the Right as paving the way for American fascism, claiming that these individuals are the successors to lynch mobs and the Klan. Unfortunately, the links and parallels Neiwart draws are not credible; he does not establish a valid historical connection between earlier varieties of group hate in America and today's provocative right-wing personalities. Nonetheless, some readers may be attracted to his book, with its clearly written text and well-laid-out research, in the interest of sparking debate and conversation on a worthy topic.
—Michael O. Eshleman

Library Journal

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

From the Publisher