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Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party (Studies in Postwar American Political Development) Reprint Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 123 ratings

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The chaotic events leading up to Mitt Romney's defeat in the 2012 election indicated how far the Republican Party had rocketed rightward away from the center of public opinion. Republicans in Congress threatened to shut down the government and force a U.S. debt default. Tea Party activists mounted primary challenges against Republican officeholders who appeared to exhibit too much pragmatism or independence. Moderation and compromise were dirty words in the Republican presidential debates. The GOP, it seemed, had suddenly become a party of ideological purity.

Except this development is not new at all. In
Rule and Ruin, Geoffrey Kabaservice reveals that the moderate Republicans' downfall began not with the rise of the Tea Party but about the time of President Dwight Eisenhower's farewell address. Even in the 1960s, when left-wing radicalism and right-wing backlash commanded headlines, Republican moderates and progressives formed a powerful movement, supporting pro-civil rights politicians like Nelson Rockefeller and William Scranton, battling big-government liberals and conservative extremists alike. But the Republican civil war ended with the overthrow of the moderate ideas, heroes, and causes that had comprised the core of the GOP since its formation. In hindsight, it is today's conservatives who are "Republicans in Name Only."

Writing with passionate sympathy for a bygone tradition of moderation, Kabaservice recaptures a time when fiscal restraint was matched with social engagement; when a cohort of leading Republicans opposed the Vietnam war; when George Romney--father of Mitt Romney--conducted a nationwide tour of American poverty, from Appalachia to Watts, calling on society to "listen to the voices from the ghetto." Rule and Ruin is an epic, deeply researched history that reorients our understanding of our political past and present.

Today, following the Republicans' loss of the popular vote in five of the last six presidential contests, moderates remain marginalized in the GOP and progressives are all but nonexistent. In this insightful and elegantly argued book, Kabaservice contends that their decline has left Republicans less capable of governing responsibly, with dire consequences for all Americans. He has added a new afterword that considers the fallout from the 2012 elections.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In Rule and Ruin, his wonderfully detailed new history of moderate Republicanism, Geoffrey Kabaservice makes a strong case that moderate Republicanism was hardier than we remember." --Timothy Noah, The New York Times Book Review

"The good guys lost; the bad guys won. That's the story Kabaservice sets out to tell in Rule and Ruin. He tells it in strong and engaging prose, often with a literary flair." --The National Interest

"Kabaservice is a wonderfully straightforward historian who does not layer on a lot of interpretive gloss...Rule and Ruin is a wonderful reminder of what was once -- not very long ago -- a vital tradition in American politics." --The New Republic

"An audacious and important history that rediscovers a great political tradition at exactly the moment when it is again needed most." --David Frum, author of Comeback: Conservatism that Can Win Again

"The radical turn of the Republican Party into a voice of right-wing extremism is one of the major themes of modern American political history. Rule and Ruin tells the whole story in stunning detail, and in prose that is as balanced as it is lucid. No study of our recent politics could possibly be more timely on the eve of the 2012 elections." --Sean Wilentz, Princeton University, author of The Age of Reagan

"Meticulously researched and compellingly written, Rule and Ruin is more than an account of the demise of moderate Republicans; it is a penetrating history of the modern Republican Party over the past half century. This is an exceptional book, and must reading for anyone who will follow with interest (or dread) the Republican race to a presidential nomination in 2012." --Norman J. Ornstein, Resident Scholar, The American Enterprise Institute

"In this timely work, Geoffrey Kabaservice successfully combines thorough historical research and a gripping narrative. The result is a comprehensive account of an ideological and political contest which, played out over half a century, has had a profound influence on the Republican Party and modern American politics." --Strobe Talbott, President, Brookings Institution

"Kabaservice's book is a painstaking and well-argued attempt to resurrect the losers in the GOP's fratricidal war, the liberal and moderate Republicans, including many from the northeastern states where today their influence still lingers." --Sam Tanenhaus, The New York Review of Books

"Kabaservice ably narrates the Republican Party's fifty-year conversion from a diverse political organization into an exclusively conservative 'ideological vehicle.'...Kabaservice is
as moderate as his subject matter; he resists proposing an implausibly easy solution. He believes that third-party projects are likely "foredoomed to failure," and redistricting reforms will be "a slow process" at best." --
Commonwealth

Book Description

An insightful account of the long decline of Republican moderates, from the post-Eisenhower era to today's Tea Party ideologues

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (November 1, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 492 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199975515
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199975518
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 123 ratings

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Geoffrey M. Kabaservice
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4.4 out of 5 stars
123 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-researched and informative. They describe it as a great read with an engaging prose style. Readers appreciate the balanced and comprehensive summary of the rightward movement.

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26 customers mention "Research quality"26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's research quality high. They say it's an informative account of the Republican Party's formation and evolution, providing significant thoughts and insights. The book is praised for its clear writing style and thorough research. Readers appreciate the author's deep historical understanding and astute political science knowledge.

"...Although this is a scholarly work it reads as easily as a novel, and author Geoffrey Kabaservice has an elegant style that incorporates both wit and..." Read more

"...remarkable account of their party's true history, for it reveals in painful detail how the party of Abraham Lincoln became the party of Rush Limbaugh." Read more

"...I found the book very interesting and informative." Read more

"...The antiseptic, matter-of-fact style in which it meters out bad news, clearly defines the psychosis of Conservatism movement to either rule the..." Read more

18 customers mention "Readability"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They describe it as a well-researched work that reads like a novel. Readers say it's a must-read for anyone interested in world politics.

"...Although this is a scholarly work it reads as easily as a novel, and author Geoffrey Kabaservice has an elegant style that incorporates both wit and..." Read more

"...I found the book very interesting and informative." Read more

"...Why I gave it 3 stars. That part was though, accurate and good reading...." Read more

"...It makes for fascinating reading and Kabaservice has done in-depth research using a wide variety of resources...." Read more

9 customers mention "Writing quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and sourced. They appreciate the clear, well-documented account of how the GOP got into its current state. The book provides a balanced and comprehensive summary of the rightward movement. It describes the people and organizations involved in detail, with interviews with figures.

"...Kabasevice even goes into oral histories and has conducted interviews with figures who would have ordinarily been long lost to history...." Read more

"...Well-documented and thoroughly researched, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand how our parties became so polarized, and how..." Read more

"...and there is a ton of random name dropping, but in the end its very well written and sourced...." Read more

"...No matter what your position on the political spectrum, this thoughtfully written book will give you a much firmer understanding of the massive..." Read more

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"...reads as easily as a novel, and author Geoffrey Kabaservice has an elegant style that incorporates both wit and depth...." Read more

"This book contains an amazingly detailed look at the recent ideological changes in the previously pluralistic Republican party, and I found it to be..." Read more

"Extremely well written and exhaustively researched look at how we arrived at the stark idealogical landscape of the current Republican Party...." Read more

"Awesome look at this group of thugs..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2012
    I loved this book, to the point where I can't stop talking about it and will corner anyone who appears even mildly receptive and launch into a detailed description of some aspect of the book - for example, the differences between moderate Republican George Romney (who features prominently in this work) and his son, Mitt Romney, or the fact that Republicans Eisenhower and Nixon, if they were in office today, would be regarded by some conservatives as dangerously left-leaning. This book has given me a whole new level of insight into the way in which the Republican party has evolved over time. I think both Democrats and Republicans would enjoy this book and learn a great deal from it.

    I struggled a little with the first chapter, which covers a lot of ground, providing an overview of moderate and conservative factions within the Republican party from 1854 to the present. However, from the second chapter onward the book has a wonderful narrative flow. Although this is a scholarly work it reads as easily as a novel, and author Geoffrey Kabaservice has an elegant style that incorporates both wit and depth. Most of the book focuses upon the 1960s. When you think about the anti-establishment protests of the `60s, you usually think of liberal college-age students dropping acid and protesting the Vietnam War. This book made me realize that another revolt was taking place during those years, on the opposite side of the political spectrum. An arch-conservative minority within the Republican party was fomenting rebellion, determined to bring down the moderate, progressive Republicans who had been in power since the days of Eisenhower.

    There always had been a conservative element within the Republican party, of course, but Kabaservice argues that the rebellious conservatives of the `60s -- militant right-wingers who had been strongly influenced by Joe McCarthy -- were a different breed. Republicans of the time period considered them "a totally new element" in the party and regarded their value system as a "weird parody" of traditional Republican beliefs. Their appearance had coincided with McCarthy's rise to power, and they became a more vocal and determined group in the late `50s and early `60s. Like Joe McCarthy, these new conservatives believed that the US was run by "a traitorous elite"of wealthy Eastern intellectuals. In their minds, moderate Republicans, also known as progressive or liberal Republicans, were part of this hated elite. Since its founding, the Republican party had included liberal Republicans as well as conservatives, but the New Right believed that any kind of liberalism "led inexorably to socialism and Communism, and that the smallest government effort to provide for the general welfare constituted the first step on `The Road to Serfdom'..." Unlike previous generations of conservative Republicans, who had respected intellect, kept their religious views private, sought to preserve the existing political system, and were not bound by any particular ideology, the New Right was anti-intellectual, ideologically-driven, and ultimately came to be dominated by the religious right. Most importantly, the new conservatives wanted to overthrow the existing system, getting rid of the moderate Republicans even at the risk of damaging the Republican party irreparably.

    Kabaservice says that the New Right was so intent upon ridding the party of its moderate members that it pursued a "rule or ruin" strategy, supporting the opponents of moderate Republican politicians even if they were liberal Democrats. Their efforts to destroy moderate Republicanism were successful, in part due to weaknesses inherent in the moderate stance - by its nature, moderation is less passionate and less driven than extremism, and its adherents are less likely to adopt a "take-no-prisoners, ends-justify-the-means" approach to politics. Kabaservice writes that in recent years, "movement conservatism finally succeeded in silencing, co-opting, repelling, or expelling nearly every competing strain of Republicanism from the party, to the extent that the terms `liberal Republican' or `moderate Republican' have practically become oxymorons."

    This book provides a lot of historical perspective. I'm so accustomed to thinking of the Republican party as a mostly white, non-racially inclusive political organization that I often forget that this is the party of Lincoln, founded out of opposition to slavery. This book reminded me that Republicans have a strong civil rights heritage. It was interesting to learn that the vast majority of mid-`60s Republicans were infuriated by Goldwater's segregationist views and regarded him as a demagogue and dangerous zealot. It also was interesting to learn that a greater percentage of Republicans than Democrats supported the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 1960, way before the civil rights movement had really caught fire, GOP nominee Richard Nixon's civil rights plank was as strong as the Democrats', supporting sit-ins and promising federal intervention in securing job equality for African-Americans. In fact, African-Americans didn't start defecting to the Democratic Party in droves until 1964 -- Eisenhower received 39% of the black vote in 1956. All of this seems strange to me because it's so different from the Republican party I know.

    Also strange, as mentioned earlier, is the fact that Eisenhower would have been considered liberal in many respects by today's standards. He invested heavily in education and public works. He decried unnecessary military spending, which he considered out of keeping with fiscal conservatism and which he felt often came at the expense of human needs. Here's a great Eisenhower quote from 1953: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed." Can you imagine a Republican today saying that?

    I could go on and on, but I'll stop now. Obviously, I'm enthusiastic about this book. It's an important historical work and the timing for its appearance could not be better. Five stars.
    107 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2013
    Geoffrey Kabaservice's "Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party" is an authoritative account of how far-right conservatives hijacked the Republican party after Nixon's defeat to Kennedy in 1960. This is no partisan screed: Kabaservice's work is the result of considerable scholarship and research, and historians owe him a debt of gratitude for this significant work of political excavation.

    The bulk of his story takes place during the 60's. While conservatives had always been a constituency within the Republican party, their influence was checked by the Eastern establishment which prefered moderation to orthodoxy. Republicans like Dwight Eisenhower derided the far right as being hopeless out of touch with the needs of the country. One of the best kept secrets of movement conservatism is that it arose not in response to any perceived Democratic threat, but out of dissatisfaction with the moderate leadership of Eisenhower. After Nixon's defeat to Kennedy in 1960, political zealots like National Review co-founder William Rusher and Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) activist Clifton White staged a coup of party operations. Starting with the youth organizations like YAF and the Young Republicans, Clifton and White consciously emulated tactics they had observed in the Communist party which allowed a determined minority to seize control of a larger organization. They succeeded in purging these groups of their moderates and created a rank-and-file of true believers dedicated to the singular cause of nominating Barry Goldwater as the party's presidential nominee in 1964.

    Clifton and White applied these same black arts to take over the 1964 Republican National Convention, where progressives like New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller decried their influence from the rostrum. One of the striking themes that emerges from "Rule and Ruin" is the tragedy of Nelson Rockefeller, whose scandalous second marriage deprived the country of a truly progressive Republican prepared to go to war against the Birchers and McCarthyites and reclaim the mantle of progressivism with which the party of Lincoln was founded. Despite Goldwater's resounding defeat to Lyndon Johnson, the conservatives played the long game and retooled their strategy behind Ronald Reagan, whose deft ability to put a friendly face on Goldwater-style Republicanism convinced them of his electability. Meanwhile, the threshing of moderate and progressive Republicans continued, with the sad, if inevitable outcome being a party where only extremists were left standing.

    Kabaservice is at his best recounting the conservative takeover of the Republican party during the 1960's. Although he offers a brief historical explanation of the role of Robert Taft and Theodore Roosevelt in shaping the early divide between the progressive and conservative wings, he truly hits his stride once the curtain opens on Ike's first term as Commander in Chief in 1952. A noble attempt is made to explain the events of later years-- the effect of Watergate upon the Republican party, the tumult of the Ford and Carter administrations, and the legacies of Reagan, H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama --but these are packed into only two concluding chapters. This leaves the reader feeling somewhat cheated by not bringing him with sufficient care to the doorstep of his morning's newspaper, but one cannot quarrel with the author's mastery of the most formative period in the rise of the New Right.

    Republicans looking for a way out of the political wilderness following their 2012 electoral defeat would do well to study this remarkable account of their party's true history, for it reveals in painful detail how the party of Abraham Lincoln became the party of Rush Limbaugh.
    15 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Thomas A. Regelski
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must reading for Republicans
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 2018
    I'm not a Republican, but found myself wishing that they would read this book to see what has happened to the Grand Ole Party: all bad. For non GOP readers, a penetrating insight into the culpability of many of the problems for the nation created by the sudden surge to the right. And as good an account as any of the effects of the Southern Strategy of party leaders. If I were a Republican, I'd be worried by what I read in this revealing expose.