Mobilizing Resentment: Conservative Resurgence from the John Birch Society to the Promise Keepers [Hardcover]

Jean Hardisty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 1999

Conservative Resurgence from the John Birch Society to the Promise Keepers Foreword by Wilma Mankiller
"A personal, historical, and well-researched tour through the parallel universe of right-wing America."*
In this provocative book, Jean Hardisty details the formation of right-wing movements in opposition to the struggle for expansion of rights for women, people of color, and lesbians and gays. Her own experiences spanning three decades as both an activist and observer undergird her analysis in riveting ways. We see her in a stadium filled with Promise Keepers, watching thousands of men pledge in unison to take control of their families, with a mixture of awe, fear, and a lucid understanding of what draws people to such charismatic events.

"If you have time for only one book about the ultra-conservative resurgence, this is it."—*Gloria Steinem

"A thoughtful and provocative look at the right wing in the United States, replacing simple condemnation with sober analysis. It raises the troubling question: what can we learn from people we fear."—Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

"Mobilizing Resentment provides a wealth of information for anyone interested in how to refocus the energy and idealism of the progressive movement on the building of institutions that are relevant to the lives of most Americans."—Wilma Mankiller, from the Foreword

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this surprisingly uninformative study of right-wing politics, Hardisty attempts to explain the ascendance of what she calls the New Right, that awkward marriage of libertarianism with social conservatism exemplified by the cooperation between Newt Gingrich and the Christian Coalition. She traces the seeds of the New Right's success back to the early 1970s, when strategists such as Jerry Falwell began to politicize conservative white Christians. Her theoretical discussions are strong, especially when she dissects the various flavors of libertarianism, but she fails to link those ideological concerns meaningfully to real-world politics. The founder and executive director of Political Research Associates, an organization that monitors right-wing politics, Hardisty makes no bones about her own political opinions, which reside far to the left of the spectrum. In the end, she is less concerned with understanding political conservatism than with exhorting progressives to strengthen their arguments in order to win the allegiance of those now being courted and won over by the right. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, and progressive activists will find some of her advice well worth heeding. But readers looking for an authoritative analysis of American political conservatism won't find it here. Worse, though Hardisty tries to see the "human" element of conservative social and political movements, she still exhibits a classic form of liberal contempt. It's one thing to disagree passionately with conservatism, quite another to view the New Right as something intrinsically undemocratic rather than as a wholly legitimate part of democracy's clamorous existence. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A personal, historical, and well-researched tour through the parallel universe of right-wing America. If you have time for only one book about the ultra-conservative resurgence, this is it." --Gloria Steinem

"A thoughtful and provocative look at the right wing in the United States, replacing simple condemnation with sober analysis. It raises the troubling question: what can we learn from people we fear." --Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; First Edition, First Printing edition (September 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807043168
• ISBN-13: 978-0807043165
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,709,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tour de force, December 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mobilizing Resentment: Conservative Resurgence from the John Birch Society to the Promise Keepers (Hardcover)

This is a tour de force for Jean Hardisty. While it will not appeal to the general market ( the extreme right-wing will find it anathema), it does present a well-documented description of the "Christian" right and the libertarian movement (which should not be confused). The big-money ties of the "right" are revealed with full documentation. Those not in denial will find this a refreshing read.

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Clear, Substantive Challenge to the Right's Agenda, October 24, 2000

By 

Elly Bulkin (Jamaica Plain, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mobilizing Resentment: Conservative Resurgence from the John Birch Society to the Promise Keepers (Hardcover)

In an election year (and, I expect, in its aftermath), Mobilizing Resentment provides invaluable information about the right-wing forces that inform today's electoral and policy debates--as they have since the start of the Reagan administration. In an atmosphere in which people often demonize those with significantly different politics, I find it refreshing to read an analysis that strives to understand WHY both leaders and followers place themselves in the right's camp. Because the mainstream media so often refers to the right as monolithic, it is particularly valuable to read an author who distinguishes among the ideas and strategies of the right's various parts, including the Christian Right, neo-conservatives, "equality feminists," and libertarians (who are, in less nuanced discussions, not perceived as part of the right).

The author's opening description of attending a Promise Keepers rally is powerful in itself, while setting the stage for a book in which she clearly and frequently locates herself in relation to her subject. In describing the right's successful grassroots organizing, she offers a thorough and tremendously informative exploration of mass fundraising, recruitment, think tanks, publications, and interconnected organizations, as well as committed and generous funders who bankroll these essential building blocks of a social movement.

Although the author mentions in passing such right-wing targets as immigrants, public education, reproductive rights, welfare recipients, and religious pluralism, she focuses on the right's attacks on gay rights and affirmative action and on the anti-feminist women's movement. She details the extensive New Right anti-gay campaign committed to convincing people, for example, that basic civil rights for lesbians and gays related to housing and jobs are somehow "special rights" to be fought vigorously. She shows how all sectors of the right view racism (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary) as a "thing of the past"--an argument that justifies opposition to affirmative action.

I find particularly fascinating the author's description of the three main strains of the anti-feminist women's movement: the Eagle Forum of Phyllis Schlafly, who was so instrumental in defeating the ERA; the less well-known, but currently far more influential, Concerned Women of America, an arm of the Christian Right; and the Independent Women's Forum, Women's Freedom Network, and assorted "equality feminists" who have been remarkably succesful in bringing their own anti-feminist message to the airwaves and OpEd pages. The book's last chapter looks to the future by focusing on activism and analysis to counter the right and to advance social and economic justice.

The author's personal voice and concrete and non-academic style make this book especially accessible to all readers, including those who might be just starting to learn about the right. Its clear, substantive analysis has much to teach everyone who shares the author's commitment to challenging the right's agenda.

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Growing Blur Between Church & State, February 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Mobilizing Resentment: Conservative Resurgence from the John Birch Society to the Promise Keepers (Hardcover)

An amazing book indeed. Jean Hardisty thoroughly researches and critiques the many sectors of the political right. This is a book worth reading whether you know nothing at all about the right-wing or you make a point to know. It is especially important in view of present day politics. She not only takes the right seriously in their ability to organize and mobilize but she reveals what their true message is. As a fellow progressive I appreciate her not glossing over the Progressive Movements own weaknesses. Once we truly understand the political right as well as bravely admit to our own faults we will grow into a greater movement.