We Have to Face Facts - Claire Conner

The Republican Party has become the home of right-wing radicals.

Millions of Americans have realized this. Now, they are asking, “How did this happen?”

I know I can help answer that question. I’m so sure because I grew up with real right-wing radicals.

I’m not exaggerating.

My father was a charter member and a national leader of the John Birch Society, one of the most radical right-wing organizations of the 1960s. I learned—when I was a child—that the federal government was evil and all of its evil policies had to be ripped out. For Birchers, that meant the end of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, labor laws, civil rights protections, and regulations on business.

My father and mother lived in a state of perpetual fear and perpetual rage. In their eyes, the federal government was taking the country down a dark path. Evil men with sinister plans to take over the world controlled the Washington bureaucracy. The conspiracy lurked behind every corner, plotting in secret, ready to take over when their masters ordered. Protected by the liberal media, the socialist, Communist web was only a few years from complete domination. Before I was old enough to vote, the United States and its glorious experiment in free-market capitalism would be wiped off the face of the earth.

Hell was always just around the corner.

It took me a long time to figure out that “the Conspiracy” was fiction. The Birch Agenda, however, is real and dangerous.

The John Birch Society would push this country back to 1900. Those were the days when the government was tiny, workers had no protections, and corporations were free to do whatever they wanted. The rich were really rich. Everyone else faced grinding poverty, illness, and early death.

I hate to say this. And it is hard for people to hear. But, I’m begging you to pay attention to what most of the Republicans running for office today propose.

They sound just like the John Birch Society leaders who came to our home for dinner.

To prove my point, please look at this list. Can you tell the difference between John Birch Society policies and the policies of today’s Republican party?

Hate the federal government.
Cut taxes on the rich and abolish the IRS
End most federal programs and privatize the rest
Reduce the safety net and end all welfare.
Repeal healthcare reform and let the free market work, just like it always has
Make it harder to vote
Stop immigration and block all reform that would offer a path to citizenship
Fight the culture wars by opposing reproductive rights to equal rights for the LGBT community

I’m sure you figured out that these are the policies of both the Birch society and the GOP. But, most people have no clue that these Republicans are so dangerous. And I can understand why. They’ve gone to great lengths to frame their ideas in easy sound bites. At the same time, they’ve become masters at telling half-truths and outright lies about the real-world consequences of their radical ideas.

Make no mistake. If we elect radical right-wingers, our government will be controlled by anti-government fanatics, religious zealots, and libertarian billionaires like the Koch Brothers.

I was a witness, in-the-room and first-hand, to the rise of the radical right in the 1960s. When I realized how the John Birch Society and the GOP had become mirror images of each other, I decided to tell my story. The result is my book, Wrapped in the Flag, which chronicles the inner-workings of the radical right, my life as a young John Bircher, and how I finally escaped.

Sharing my story is one way I can help stop the Trump, Cruz, Koch gang. There are other essential steps we all must take:

Vote (in every election). That means local, state, national. That means in presidential years and in off-years, too
Get involved with activist organizations that promote your view of government.
Pay attention to local candidates. Much of the radical right-wing agenda has already been implemented by GOP legislatures in 30+ states.
Contact your legislators and voice your opinions.

2016 is the year. Let’s get busy.

Right now, my publisher is offering the lowest price ever for the ebook edition of my book. Wrapped in the Flag is $9.99 when you download directly to your Kindle. I can’t promise how long this pricing will be available. Don’t wait.