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A review by ethanhedman
Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus by Rick Perlstein
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Perlstein again chronicles the rise of conservatism in the US, first manifesting itself on a national scale unsuccessfully in the 1964 Presidential run of Barry Goldwater. In 'Before the Storm', there are the most clear parallels to the current moment, despite this being Perlstein's first book written nearly 20 years ago.
Perlstein depicts a time of 'firsts' when it comes to fundraising, campaigning, and what a candidate was willing to say in order to get elected (morality is brought up prominently as a reason to vote for one candidate over the other). While Perlstein's underlying opinion that Liberals can and perhaps will save the day limits his analysis in approaching the 'crisis of democracy' that we find ourselves in today, his work following people like Clif White, Richard Viguerie, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan through the 1940s, 50s, 60, and beyond should be lauded considerably as they expose an insane and inequitable system that, in conjunction with a horizon-less capitalism, may be on the precipice of destroying itself.
Perlstein depicts a time of 'firsts' when it comes to fundraising, campaigning, and what a candidate was willing to say in order to get elected (morality is brought up prominently as a reason to vote for one candidate over the other). While Perlstein's underlying opinion that Liberals can and perhaps will save the day limits his analysis in approaching the 'crisis of democracy' that we find ourselves in today, his work following people like Clif White, Richard Viguerie, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan through the 1940s, 50s, 60, and beyond should be lauded considerably as they expose an insane and inequitable system that, in conjunction with a horizon-less capitalism, may be on the precipice of destroying itself.