The current right-wing movement dominating our politics, one led by President Donald Trump that seeks to reshape America into its image at all costs, did not form overnight. Any attempt to stop this political upheaval, to redirect this country toward a better future won’t materialize quickly either.
To find a way forward in this political moment, we must learn from the mistakes and successes of the past. To resist this authoritarian plea for power, let’s borrow some lessons from the right’s playbook.
How did we get from a hopeful path of progress on many fronts over the past few decades to the resentful, nativist and exclusionary politics of Donald Trump?
The answer is a story told not over months or even years, but decades. The regressive onslaught against the New Deal political order and the mid-20th century Civil Rights movement, which promised a true democracy in this country for the first time ever, began as soon as these progressive measures succeeded.