In this episode, we discuss liberal historian Richard Hofstadter’s famous essay “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” originally published in Harper’s Magazine in 1964. We break down what the paranoid style is, its long history in American politics, and its evolution since Hofstadter’s essay first surfaced. In particular, we emphasize the prominent place the paranoid style has occupied in the Republican party throughout American history, and the ways in which it has increasingly dominated Republican politics in recent decades.
Show Notes
Thomas Frank’s 2014 retrospective on Hofstadter’s essay
2013 CAP study titled “Inside the GOP: Report on Focus Groups with Evangelical, Tea Party, and Moderate Republicans”
Sean Wilentz’s 2021 talk: “The Paranoid Style, Past and Present”
2020 study: “The Paranoid Style in American Politics Revisited: An Ideological Asymmetry in Conspiratorial Thinking”
Paul Krugman: “The Paranoid Style in G.O.P. Politics”
Credits
The podcast’s theme music was made by our youngest brother Tate.
Cover art by Arthur Santoro.
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