Book Review: America's Right Turn by Richard A. Viguerie & David Franke

Rather than a triumphalist book on how the Conservative revival in the US is a good thing, this book tells in great detail how they did it. It is a virtual how-to book on the use of alternative media to effectively promote ideas.

There is little doubt that the resurgence of the Conservative right in the last 25 years is impressive. Their use of direct mail, magazines and newsletters, talk radio and now the internet has been quite successful. This book makes sobering reading for the other part of the right, the libertarians, as it shows quite frankly how the libertarians blew their influence on the right and in the country as a whole. Instead of infighting as the libertarians are wont to do (and continue to do both in the US and the UK), the Conservative movement banded together and focused on some core ideals they wished to see adopted.

One has to remember that when I speak of "Conservatives" I do not mean the Republican Party machine, which has for the most part kept the Conservative movement at bay for the better part of fifty years. Reagan got elected despite the Republican Party machine as did George W. Bush. It goes without saying that these groups had to make an end run around both print and on-air media, who were and still are dominated by centre-left journalists.

Of course, with this rise came the rise of some of the religious right including balmy evangelicals like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. It could be argued that these two men have taken many of the gains of the Conservative movment and reduced them by their idiotic pronoucements post 9/11 (blaming the event not on Islamist terrorism but on "abortionists, homosexuals & feminists..") and since then.

What is most fascinating about this book is just how effective the movement was before the advent of the internet and email. Through the use of direct mail lists and newsletters, groups raised millions of dollars to support their candidates and causes. Much of the initial work was done by writing or typing out mailing lists by hand. The man hours required for such deeds is absolutely staggering. It was not until much later that the Republicans, the Democrats and the left realised what the Conservatives were doing in their direct-to-consumer advertising. It could be argued everyone is still playing catch-up; although libertarians and the left (ie MoveOn.org) were quicker to adopt the newest technology developments.

Article Author: Marty Dodge

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