The Radical Right: Whither
By Franklin H. Littell
[Dr. Franklin H. Littell, a Methodist minister, college professor, Holocaust expert, scholar, and world citizen is a frequent contributor to Christian Ethics Today.]
In his membership manual, The Blue Book, the founder of the John Birch Society laid out his strategy for saving the United States from liberalism, communism, and democracy. "Democracy," he had said, "is simply a deceptive phrase, a weapon of demagoguery, and a perpetual fraud." His declared plan of action, so he wrote, was to imitate the communist conspiracy by organizing John Birch Society membership in disciplined cells and through appealing for public support by the use of a number of organizational "fronts." The "`Birchers" have in truth wielded "the organizational weapon" with a zeal that Nikolai Lenin, who invented the phrase and much of the tactics, would have approved.
Beginning in the 1960s the John Birch Society`s campaign gathered momentum, and today the effect of this politics of conspiracy and infiltration is felt at all levels–from local school boards through state legislatures to the rightwing hard core of the Congress of the United States.
Without space in this article to discuss fully the nature of this hard core of the American Radical Right, nor even to point out parallels to other totalitarian movements (Communist, Fascist, and Nazi), a few quotations from Welch`s manual will have to suffice to sketch the picture.
America is so far gone that free citizens cannot save the day: they can resist "only by themselves becoming conspirators against established government." (p. 29)
Affirming "the organizational weapon:" "We are at a stage where the only sure political victories are achieved by non-political organization; by organization which has a surer, more positive, and more permanent in purpose than the immediate political goals that are only means to an end; by organization which has the backbone, and cohesiveness, and strength, and definiteness of direction, which are impossible for the old style political party organization." (p. 111)
"Our only possible chance (to save the country) is dynamic personal leadership." (p. 113) "What is not only needed, but is absolutely imperative, is for some hardboiled, dictatorial, and dynamic boss to come along." (p. 117) And on pages 158, 159: "The John Birch Society is to be a monolithic body….The John Birch Society will operate under completely authoritative control at all levels."
The Radical Right entered the Congress with trumpet calls for a dramatic change in national dialogue and direction. They called for a "revolution," a "return to American values." For a number of reasons their initial impact was muffled. The major reason was President Clinton`s talent as a consensus builder: they could only rarely confront head-on someone as skillful in backing and filling, ducking and weaving, in salvaging 75% rat er than dying for 100%.
The Congressional Radical Right then turned to a more than forty-million dollar fishing expedition by Kenneth Starr, starting at Whitewater but ranging without parameters into anyone`s private life that might-by cunning and strategic (and sometimes clearly illegal) releases to the press–damage the public opinion of the President.
But here they ran up against the common sense of the American people. There were some local and regional issues that colored the subsequent elections. But the over-all national picture is easy to read. Surveys of those exiting the polls (voters) showed percentages comparable to those in the population as a whole. Item: by 61% to 36%, voters disapproved of President Clinton`s personal behavior. Item: Since, however, they were not voting on a Sunday School Superintendent, they give him 54% approval as President. In contrast, the leader of the attack pack in the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, was awarded 57% disapproval for his role as a public leader. Item: Congress, for months directing a program of media attention to a peep show, earned 61% disapproval.
In sum, the Congressional Radical Right fell on its face, leading the Republican party to a rare defeat in an off-year election. Under normal circumstances, they would have picked up enough seats to thwart the Chief Executive by over-riding his vetoes and mangling his programs. What did they lack to carry through their "revolution?"
Whatever the local and regional factors, they fell short at the national level for one great reason: they lacked a single leader of intense charismatic personality. They lacked a man who was a powerful speaker, a veteran with the highest medal for bravery in battle, a proclaimed champion of Christian values, a man praised for his personal life as an austere bachelor and vegetarian and non-smoker.
Sixty five years ago the German Radical Right managed to offer the citizens of the Weimar Republic such a leader, Adolf Hitler. Will the American Radical Right be able in the national elections of 2000 to offer the American Republic such a choice? Or will they be looking around at the rubble of their shattered movement, their trumpeted "revolution" broken on Americans` residual instinct for fair play, due process of law, and patriotic love of our country and its face-
how we appear both in the mirror and abroad?
