The Politics of Hate
What the America First Caucus Means for the Future of Politics
As white nationalism experiences its fastest growth in decades, the America First Caucus looks to cement the ideology into the future of politics
David Duke brought about the novel resurgence of subtle mainstream racism. He marketed himself in what he viewed to be the future of the Ku Klux Klan. Well-groomed and professional in appearance. Duke repeatedly insisted that the KKK was not “anti-Black” and instead was “pro-white” and “pro-Christian”. Duke paved the way for racist political influencers such as Lee Atwater who worked in the Reagan White House and was the campaign manager for George H.W. Bush. Atwater was known for his extensive use of the n-word among other racial epithets.
People like Duke and Atwater, along with their mentors, kicked the doors open to bring modern racism to American politics. Among them were Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Strom Thurmond, Barry Goldwater, and several others for whom Atwater would carry the torch. While Atwater would die in 1991 at the age of 40, the blueprint for the future success of white supremacist policymaking was already in motion. What we are living through now is the future they planned for and they’re not done…
