The Republicans are pretty much a toxic combination of the Goldwater-Reagan wing and the nativist, batshit crazy John Birchers with the latter in ascendance since the 90s and dominant today.
While I only mildly disagree with the first parts of your post, I only have time right now to explain why I disagree with some of the last part.
Bat5hit John Birchers? Yes but trumpers is only a new name for the same people who went by "tea party." Their ascendance started with Regan's thinly veiled dog whistle crappola in 1980 but hit a shrill peak in 1988 as Lee Atwater rescued Bush-1's campaign that was trailing Dukakis in the polls. How many people had ever even heard of rush limbaugh before 1988? The whisper campaign of "Dukakis is not a "real" American by the far right was the forerunner to today's "birther/alex jones/Qanon" conspiracy nonsense that the right wing has trotted out every hour of every day when they saw how gullible Americans were in 1988. They saw "joe the plumbers" fall for it, hook line and sinker. Every four years, it's "{name of "D" candidate for President here} is going to confiscate your gun and bible in the middle of the night." And here it is 30 years later and not a single law abiding non-mentally-ill person has had their gun taken away. As far as I know, there hasn't been a single bible confiscated. There is an imaginary "war on Christmas" that doesn't exist though. Another bogus manufactured boogie-man the right wing strategists use to dupe the gullible yokels into sticking with them and voting against their own interests.
Goldwater's failed run as a pre-Southern Strategy far rightist was so early in the 1960's that I pretty much associate it with more with the late 50's but that's just me. But he would have been considered "alt-right" of his day... almost like a continuation of Joe McCarthy.
Last Edited: 8/6/2018 10:57:26 AM by greencat