Theory of Change #043: Nicole Hemmer on how right-wing media holds American reaction together

Politics in the United States have been so incredibly erratic since 2015 when Donald Trump began his political career in earnest. His Much has been written and spoken about how Trump has transformed the Republican Party by empowering its large extremist faction, but it’s also the case that Donald Trump transformed the complex and large advocacy media apparatus that the American right has been building for itself since the 1940s.

In fact, could argue that while more than a few Republican politicians are trying to copy Trump’s angry and conspiratorial rhetoric, his political ascent in the GOP actually had more of an impact on the right-wing media. While conspiracy websites, talk hosts, and writers have always found some success among American conservatives, the ultra-reactionary dynamic that now prevails in right-wing media is unparalleled in our history.

Joining the show to discuss all this is Nicole Hemmer, she’s a historian of American media who wrote a terrific book called “Messengers of the Right” about the emergence of right-wing media. She’s also a contributor to a new book that just came out called “The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: A First Historical Assessment.” And she has another book that will be released soon called “Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s.”

FULL AUDIO TRANSCRIPT
https://flux.community/matthew-sheffield/2022/07/how-right-wing-media-became-the-glue-that-holds-the-republican-party-together/

GUEST INFO
Nicole Hemmer on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/pastpunditry

BOOK LIST
"Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s"
https://bookshop.org/books/partisans-the-conservative-revolutionaries-who-remade-american-politics-in-the-1990s/9781541646889

"Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics"
https://bookshop.org/books/messengers-of-the-right-conservative-media-and-the-transformation-of-american-politics/9780812224306

"The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: A First Historical Assessment"
https://bookshop.org/books/the-presidency-of-donald-j-trump-a-first-historical-assessment-9780691228945/9780691228945

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Theory of Change is hosted by Matthew Sheffield and is part of the Flux network, a new content community of podcasters and writers. Please visit us at https://flux.community to learn more and to tell us about what you're doing. We're constantly growing and learning from the great people we meet.

Theory of Change website:
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Matthew Sheffield on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/mattsheffield

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