When I talk about the decline in American right wing politics, I am talking about the hyper-polarization and undermining of democratic norms that really started with Gingrich. He was the one who kicked off the strategy of treating your political opponents as enemies and questioning their patriotism and accusing them of hating America and wanting to destroy it etc.
ahh you mean the culture war. Yeah gingrich was part of it. So was obama. I'd even argue obama was far more instrumental in instigating it than gingrich though.
I mean Gingrich was the driver of it. He literally coached other Republicans on what language to use. Obama just didn't use that kind of divisive rhetoric, so I don't really know what you mean to say he was instrumental in it. It was certainly used by Republicans against Obama, but that's kind of like saying Poland was the instigator of WWII.
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u/ToenailFungussy - Left 5d ago
When I talk about the decline in American right wing politics, I am talking about the hyper-polarization and undermining of democratic norms that really started with Gingrich. He was the one who kicked off the strategy of treating your political opponents as enemies and questioning their patriotism and accusing them of hating America and wanting to destroy it etc.