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Conservative persecution complex ca. 1962: "In recent years, we have seen the growth of a far-reaching patriotic movement of average Americans called 'conservatism.' These conservatives represent all classes of American life, especially those of the middle class Americans..."
"...who are motivated by love of God and country and freedom, and are willing to risk persecution in their local communities, misunderstanding, and, in some instances, prosecution, because of their fearless stand for traditional American concepts and Christian principles."
Those sentences appear in this book, published in 1962. But they could have been spoken at the pro-Trump, anti-democracy rally in DC this past weekend.
p.21-2. "the thing that should concern Americans most is...the countless number of Americans who are being influenced by the seed of Soviet philosophy which is sown by columnists of the daily papers, by clever writers in magazine articles, by thousands of school teachers..."
"...by many a college and university professor, by ultra-left clergymen, by the movies, by the television networks, by the radio networks..."
"...If it were not for the manner in which the left-wing press has misled people, Communism would have no possible appeal except perhaps to the destitute, to teh indolent, to those who can be so easily emotionally aroused against the rich."
Chapter VI of this book is entitled "the Enemy Within--The Far Left Press." The chapter is about what most people would have referred to as "the mainstream media" of the time.
http://www.kenrahn.com/JFK/The_critics/Hargis/The_Far_Left/Chap_6.html
http://www.kenrahn.com/JFK/The_critics/Hargis/The_Far_Left/Chap_6.html
"Thank God there are here and there patriotic newspapers that are faithfully presenting the pro-American and anti-Communist positions..."
"...Only by reading responsible dailies and truth magazines such as Christian Crusade, Weekly Crusader, Christian Beacon, Human Events, National Review, American Opinion, Dan Smoot Report, etc., can the floodtides of Communism be dammed in the United States."
It's interesting that Hargis included his own magazine (Christian Crusade), the John Birch Society's magazine (Am Opinion) and the batshit Dan Smoot Report alongside Human Events (Reagan's favorite magazine) and Bill Buckley's National Review.
Anyway, this is a reminder that the cultivation of a right wing echo chamber consisting of like-minded news outlets is not a new phenomenon, it's been a feature of US conservative political culture for decades.
One of Hargis's proteges, David Noebel, went on to influence the thinking of more contemporary conservatives like Michele Bachmann. https://twitter.com/SethCotlar/status/1262806606045052928?s=20
Hargis was associated with some of the most vile segregationists and antisemites of his day, as evidenced by the sort of anticommunist gatherings he organized (and made money off of). https://twitter.com/SethCotlar/status/1264221488644685824?s=20
Note also the presence of Clarence Manion, the dean of Notre Dame law school and a conservative radio host who was arguably the person most responsible for convincing Barry Goldwater to run for the GOP nomination in 1964.
