The Conscience of a Conservative

Goldwater, Barry M.

doi:10.2307/j.ctv1jk0jvb

Cited by 23 publications

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“…118 The chapter "States' Rights" starts with a condemnation of federal matching funds as a system of "blackmail and bribery" that wrests decision making power from the states. 119 influence at the federal level. Goldwater continued, "they thereby become the forgotten Americans despite the fact that they constitute the majority of our people."…”

Section: Anti-communist Populismmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From Class War to Race War: Historicizing the Devolution from New Deal Populism to “Trumpism”.

King¹

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This thesis historicizes the seemingly aberrant case of White working-class support for Donald Trump. Specifically, the debate focuses on three major tropes that recurred throughout Trump's speeches and campaign materials: an ongoing attack on a nebulous group of "special interests," an attendant demand for a return to "law and order," and a celebratory appeal to an undefined "silent majority". Using Ernesto Laclau's theorization of "floating signifiers" to frame my debate, this thesis analyzes campaign materials, polling evidence, and secondary sources to judge how said populist tropes gravitated away from their progressive connotations of class warfare during the latter half of the 20 th century. The following project finds that Trump and his reactionary forebearers used these formerly progressive signifiers to channel post-Civil Rights White backlash towards a conspiratorial "special interest" network of liberal Washington elites that had overlooked a victimized "silent majority" of workers in favor of racially marginalized citizens through an "unfair" tax-and-spend agenda.iii Acknowledgements I am deeply indebted to the support and guidance of my two supervisors. As accomplished academics in their respective fields, both Professor Melissa Haussman and Professor Andrew Johnston provided me with invaluable input throughout the entire drafting process. Without Professor Johnston's deep understanding of post-modern political theory, or Professor Haussman's seemingly endless knowledge of U.S. politics and political institutions, this project would have never realized its objectives. Before this project, I had never undertaken an independent research project, and the relative enormity of the task discouraged me at times. It was during these periods of intense imposter syndrome, that Professor Haussman and Professor Johnston gave me the encouragement that I needed to forge ahead.Furthermore, I would like to thank Professor Justin Paulson and Professor Karen Hébert for their support during the initial steps of the drafting process. The initial assistance and instruction that they provided for my project when it was still in its drawing board phase was crucial.And finally, I want to acknowledge the never-ending encouragement and reassurance that my mother, Kate, gave to me during my studies at Carleton. These past two years, she never failed to give me the confidence I needed to overcome the challenges or roadblocks that confronted me throughout my graduate education. No matter the task at hand, she always assures me that I can achieve anything I set my mind and effort to. It is these words of encouragement that have and continue to motivate me during times of uncertainty.

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Section: Anti-communist Populismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Race and the Politics of Welfare Reform, Eds Sanford F. Schram, Joe Soss, and Richard C. Fording. 110.473 Ibid.,[118][119][120][121]…”

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confidence: 99%