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Weapons of Mass Delusion: When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind
"The disturbing eyewitness account of how a new generation of Republicans-led by Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and Madison Cawthorn-far from moving on from Trump, have taken the politics of hysteria to even greater extremes, bringing American democracy to the very edge of reason The violent insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021 was a terrible day for American democracy, but at least, many people dared hope that, after it was over, the fever would then be broken, Trump's absurd and relentless set of lies about the stealing of the 2020 election made unspeakable. That is not what happened. Instead, shockingly, "the big steal" has increasingly become dogma among an ever-higher percentage of American Republicans. What happened to the Republican Party, and America, during the Trump presidency is a story we more or less think we know. What has happened to the party since, it turns out, is even more disturbing. That is the story Robert Draper tells here. Through his extraordinarily intrepid reporting on the ground across the country, Draper chronicles the road from January 6th to the 2022 midterms among the Republican base and in the US Congress, as Marjorie Taylor Greene and her ilk have come to shape their party's terms of engagement to an extent that would have been unimaginable even ten years ago. He brings to life the efforts of a dwindling group of Republicans who are willing to push back against the falsehoods, in the face of a group of ascendent demagogues who are merrily weaponizing them. With a base whipped up into a perpetual frenzy of outrage by conspiracy theories-not just about "the big steal", but about COVID and vaccines, Antifa and BLM and George Soros and the Rothschilds and President Obama and on and on and on-the forces of reason within the GOP are on the defensive, to put it mildly. The leadership of the anti-Trump resistance among Republicans in Congress has cooperated extensively with the author; the book also benefits greatly from reporting conducted in Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, and other bellwether states in the country of the mind one might call Conspiracyland. Robert Draper has been a wise, fearless, and fair-minded chronicler of the American political scene for over 25 years. He has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. He has never seen it this ugly. Ultimately, this book tells the story of a fearful test of our ability, as a country, to hold together a system of government grounded in truth and the rule of law. It's difficult to imagine a book that could underscore the stakes of the 2022 midterm elections more powerfully"--
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2022
278 people are currently reading
2220 people want to read
About the author
Robert Draper
38 books80 followersRobert Draper is a freelance writer, a correspondent for GQ and a contributor to The New York Times Magazine. Previously, he worked for Texas Monthly, where he first became acquainted with the Bush political family.
Robert Draper attended Westchester High School in Houston, Texas. He is the grandson of Leon Jaworski, prosecutor during the Watergate scandal, segregation trials, and Nazi war crimes, which is said to have influenced Draper's writing about the use and abuse of power. Draper was active in high school debate. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, writing for the university newspaper The Daily Texan.
Robert Draper attended Westchester High School in Houston, Texas. He is the grandson of Leon Jaworski, prosecutor during the Watergate scandal, segregation trials, and Nazi war crimes, which is said to have influenced Draper's writing about the use and abuse of power. Draper was active in high school debate. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, writing for the university newspaper The Daily Texan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
October 24, 2022
A Different Perspective
I’ve read a lit of books about Trump and his minions in the last few years. Robert Draper’s look at the cogs in the Rube Goldberg machine that is Trumpism provides a unique and enlightening perspective on why it persists. I highly recommend this book to anyone else who has spent the years since Trump won the nomination for president shaking their head in disbelief and muttering under their breath, “What the &@$% is wrong with these people?”
I’ve read a lit of books about Trump and his minions in the last few years. Robert Draper’s look at the cogs in the Rube Goldberg machine that is Trumpism provides a unique and enlightening perspective on why it persists. I highly recommend this book to anyone else who has spent the years since Trump won the nomination for president shaking their head in disbelief and muttering under their breath, “What the &@$% is wrong with these people?”
October 23, 2022
In depth reporting, easy to consume, terrifying and clear account of what’s happened with the Republican Party in US politics. Draper’s is the most detailed, clear and interesting of the political books that have come out recently analyzing this unsettling shift in the GOP.
February 3, 2023
Truly awful. Sure, there are some interesting anecdotes, but Draper is himself deluded by the great national myth that the Republican Party has ever been a respectable political institution. He writes with reverence about fucking Liz Cheney and her father, as well as ghouls like Ronald Reagan. Yet another misguided account reminiscing on the "good ol' days" of American politics, when Republicans and Democrats 'worked together.'
Never would've touched it if I didn't have to read it for class.
Never would've touched it if I didn't have to read it for class.
February 20, 2024
There's a lot I could say about this book, but I'll refrain. What I will say is that this book gives an inside view of what has many of us shaking our heads with what we've been living the past 8 years. The infiltration of the Republican party by extremists espousing conspiracy theories and fearmongering is dissected and exposed, naming those who are as complicit as their chosen leader in promoting this way of thinking and acting. It's no wonder I see the more moderate members of this party bailing or taking vows of silence in the face of the unimaginable. They have tapped into something dark and ugly in our culture and are using it for personal gain, all while wrapping it in a flag and calling it patriotic. You will need a strong stomach to read this one.
November 27, 2022
I liked this because instead of focusing on Trump we see other Republicans. The issues in politics are not limited to one man. This explores some of those other characters and their extremism. It has reached a time where more focus needs to be put on them; this is a party problem no longer limited to one man.
July 18, 2023
interesting, but could've been an email.
November 3, 2022
This isn't a typical Trump tell-all; It's more about how 45 has completely transformed the GOP, from Kevin McCarthy's utter spinelessness to the likes of MTG going from the fringe to the 'mainstream'. It's also one of the first books I've read that discussed what happened on January 6th to members of Congress and how they've chosen to respond. And if that weren't enough, Mr Draper also introduces us to the grifters who are the foundation that this house of cards is built upon. All in all, Mr Draper does not paint a pretty picture. These people are not batshit crazy. They know exactly what they are doing. Do yourself a favor & read this book.
May 17, 2023
This book documents the latest (the 2020 national election forward) iteration of what the GOP has become. There are many who declare that Trump/Trumpism is a recent phenomenon. But to me, they’ve forgotten that this is what the GOP has gradually come to represent since at least the era of McCarthyism of the 1950’s.
Pre/post 2020 election President Trump, AZ Congressman Paul Gozar, GA Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, FL Congressman Matt Gaetz, CO Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, former NC Congressman Madison Cawthorn, former WY Congresswoman Lynn Cheney, former MI Congressmen Peter Meijer and Fred Upton are all discussed in this book and their influence on the direction the GOP is taking today, whether it be to increased MAGA wackiness or away from it. In short, this book in reality is a cynical look at how the GOP is floundering and could very well become inconsequential after 2024, especially if Trump is again the presidential candidate.
Pre/post 2020 election President Trump, AZ Congressman Paul Gozar, GA Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, FL Congressman Matt Gaetz, CO Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, former NC Congressman Madison Cawthorn, former WY Congresswoman Lynn Cheney, former MI Congressmen Peter Meijer and Fred Upton are all discussed in this book and their influence on the direction the GOP is taking today, whether it be to increased MAGA wackiness or away from it. In short, this book in reality is a cynical look at how the GOP is floundering and could very well become inconsequential after 2024, especially if Trump is again the presidential candidate.
April 29, 2023
10/10 This is phenomenal. The main ideas of the book start on January 6th and then go from there. I knew things were bad, but I didn't realize just how bad things were on the right. This book helped me understand what the old school GOP is battling in terms of the new wave of the far right. Draper chronicles a bunch of congressmen and women and honestly treats them with a lot more editorial dignity than some of them deserve. That said, he flames them all with his ruthless fact checking and truth telling. This is the best book I've read this year.
January 23, 2023
This book does a decent job of recounting the rise of the Trumpist/conspiracy theory wing of the Republican party which, sadly, is now the majority. The book sticks mostly to recounting the facts with little in the way of analysis. Given that much of what is in the book will already be known to political junkies (which is probably nearly everyone who is likely to read it) or, of what remains, little will be surprising, the lack of time and depth devoted to analysis is a weakness.
In terms of bias, it is about what you would expect for a writer for New York Times Magazine. There is nothing too egregious but, at the same time, the author is not like Bari Weiss: i.e. he is not left leaning but willing to speak beyond the Democratic party line. For example, the shift of American culture and academia in the direction of wokeism is never mentioned as a possible contributor to rising extremism in the Republican party as a backlash. Indeed, the author could say it is not the greatest factor and not a justification but to not even mention it at all?
Similarly the author plays it safe in stating that although many Republicans see Democrats as a threat to the very American way of life and political system, Democrats, by contrast, merely see Republicans as misguided. This stretches all credibility given that Hilary Clinton referred to Trumpists as "deplorables" and the notion that the Republicans are near fascists or Nazis was common even before Trump's election in 2016 and this belief has not waned in leftist circles since then. If we are to believe what the author says, however, that is only a belief those outside of elected members of the Democratic Party hold: Just not believable!
In terms of tepid analysis, the author does start to hint that maybe the Republican Party's move toward Trumpism has something to do with religious belief but he only purses this for a few sentences before moving on. One genuinely interesting insight comes at very end of the book in which he conjectures that some Republicans are drawn to extremism because of a wish to see evil since that then justifies any evil they do in response. Although this does show the author is capable of interesting analysis it does make the rest of the book disappointing for lack of it. Ultimately I wished Draper had been willing to dive a little deeper into things and stick his neck out a little more.
Interestingly the figure the book spends the most time on is Marjorie Taylor Greene. Draper argues that Marjorie Taylor Greene is even closer to the heart of most Republicans than Trump. For instance she was free to push any kind of Covid/vaccine conspiracy theory since, unlike Trump, she was not a figure at all involved in Operation Warp Speed. The implication, of course, is that Republicans are willing to go even beyond Trump should a leader wanting to take them there emerge. At the same time, the author recounts how backing actual white nationalists at AFPAC was a bridge too far even for MTG’s political fortunes.
It is interesting that this book was first published just a month before the midterms rather than waiting until afterward. Perhaps the intention was to contribute to weakening Trumpists' chances? Although it conceivably might have succeeded in contributing to this, what it does mean is there is no discussion of what the poor showing of Trump's hand picks has to say about the future of Trumpism.
In terms of bias, it is about what you would expect for a writer for New York Times Magazine. There is nothing too egregious but, at the same time, the author is not like Bari Weiss: i.e. he is not left leaning but willing to speak beyond the Democratic party line. For example, the shift of American culture and academia in the direction of wokeism is never mentioned as a possible contributor to rising extremism in the Republican party as a backlash. Indeed, the author could say it is not the greatest factor and not a justification but to not even mention it at all?
Similarly the author plays it safe in stating that although many Republicans see Democrats as a threat to the very American way of life and political system, Democrats, by contrast, merely see Republicans as misguided. This stretches all credibility given that Hilary Clinton referred to Trumpists as "deplorables" and the notion that the Republicans are near fascists or Nazis was common even before Trump's election in 2016 and this belief has not waned in leftist circles since then. If we are to believe what the author says, however, that is only a belief those outside of elected members of the Democratic Party hold: Just not believable!
In terms of tepid analysis, the author does start to hint that maybe the Republican Party's move toward Trumpism has something to do with religious belief but he only purses this for a few sentences before moving on. One genuinely interesting insight comes at very end of the book in which he conjectures that some Republicans are drawn to extremism because of a wish to see evil since that then justifies any evil they do in response. Although this does show the author is capable of interesting analysis it does make the rest of the book disappointing for lack of it. Ultimately I wished Draper had been willing to dive a little deeper into things and stick his neck out a little more.
Interestingly the figure the book spends the most time on is Marjorie Taylor Greene. Draper argues that Marjorie Taylor Greene is even closer to the heart of most Republicans than Trump. For instance she was free to push any kind of Covid/vaccine conspiracy theory since, unlike Trump, she was not a figure at all involved in Operation Warp Speed. The implication, of course, is that Republicans are willing to go even beyond Trump should a leader wanting to take them there emerge. At the same time, the author recounts how backing actual white nationalists at AFPAC was a bridge too far even for MTG’s political fortunes.
It is interesting that this book was first published just a month before the midterms rather than waiting until afterward. Perhaps the intention was to contribute to weakening Trumpists' chances? Although it conceivably might have succeeded in contributing to this, what it does mean is there is no discussion of what the poor showing of Trump's hand picks has to say about the future of Trumpism.
December 9, 2022
An excellent book with a great deal of background material that is not about Mr. Trump but his hard-core followers and fellow election deniers. I didn't know much about the backgrounds of Gosar, Greene, Cawthorn, etc., and Draper fills the reader in through his personal observations and interviews. I highly recommend this book, especially if you want info on those we really need to be concerned about.
January 25, 2023
If you are prone to despair over the state of US politics, this is probably not the book for you.
January 15, 2023
This isn't the book I thought it was. It is, however, very well written for what it is. Draper is a reporter for the NYT. I tend not to like books by journalists. They tend to be well written books that focus on personalities and chronicling events. But for me, they tend not to delve into the more interesting root causes of events. Weapons of mass delustions is no exception. Draper does a very good job chronicling the rise of the extreme right wing of the Republican party. He focuses on Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar.
Although I knew the basics of what he wrote about, the details were elightening. A couple of stories struck me as particularly instructive. When Draper met with MTG, he found her intelligent and reasonable. Yet shortly after he met with her, she spoke publically in a much more incendiary and deranged style. She had learned that her success was because of her extremism, not in spite of it. A darwinian process has emerged where the more extreme and unhinged a Republican can be, the more attention and money they get. Our attention to them feeds the problem. We have met the enemy and they are us! We (I) know the names of the most extreme national politicians and we (I) are ignorant of the politicians who actually achieve legislative progress.
Draper interviewed Tom Graves, the Republican rep of the 14th district who preceded Greene. Graves was proud of his work for the District including successfully protecting his District's water from encroachment from Alabama. Yet he bemoaned the fact that his constiuents did not care about his legislative work but only cared about the crazy talking points of Greene and her ilk.
I think most reasonable people agree our country has migrated from a functioning congress made up of more or less normal people to an inert institution that contains of hodge podge of dangerous extremist Republicans. Draper does a good job of describing current conditions. I would like to find books that reveal the root causes behind this sad and frightening development
Although I knew the basics of what he wrote about, the details were elightening. A couple of stories struck me as particularly instructive. When Draper met with MTG, he found her intelligent and reasonable. Yet shortly after he met with her, she spoke publically in a much more incendiary and deranged style. She had learned that her success was because of her extremism, not in spite of it. A darwinian process has emerged where the more extreme and unhinged a Republican can be, the more attention and money they get. Our attention to them feeds the problem. We have met the enemy and they are us! We (I) know the names of the most extreme national politicians and we (I) are ignorant of the politicians who actually achieve legislative progress.
Draper interviewed Tom Graves, the Republican rep of the 14th district who preceded Greene. Graves was proud of his work for the District including successfully protecting his District's water from encroachment from Alabama. Yet he bemoaned the fact that his constiuents did not care about his legislative work but only cared about the crazy talking points of Greene and her ilk.
I think most reasonable people agree our country has migrated from a functioning congress made up of more or less normal people to an inert institution that contains of hodge podge of dangerous extremist Republicans. Draper does a good job of describing current conditions. I would like to find books that reveal the root causes behind this sad and frightening development
June 21, 2024
The author worked for the NYT as a political reporter and had access to witness, overhear, and interview the events and opinions in this book. It mainly follows the rise of Trump era Republicans, the fringe "outliers" of the post-fact, conspiracy driven political landscape we have been living in. It reminisces about a time when politics seemed more cooperative, but I disagree about this premise. Sure, the politics of today is louder about the corporate bootlicking, racism, homophobia, and sexism they espouse, but it is not a new phenomenon. The populism of the right has normalized outspokeness OF ANY TOPIC. This has, in effect, made just declaring things loudly a tool to win, defending lies as the main message. Delusional indeed, but not ineffective.
But lets be perfectly clear, the GOALS of the Republicans have not changed, the flavor of their messaging has. The politics of civility have lost not only their purpose, but their usefulness for both sides. I prefer the right to be as open as loud as they can to let us know their intentions.
But lets be perfectly clear, the GOALS of the Republicans have not changed, the flavor of their messaging has. The politics of civility have lost not only their purpose, but their usefulness for both sides. I prefer the right to be as open as loud as they can to let us know their intentions.
December 4, 2022
I did it. I went down the sewer pipe of US politics again. NPR’s Dave Davies interviewed Draper in OCT 2022 for Fresh Air, so I can save my fingers the exhausting keyboard hammering. (T-Dawg recently gave another syphiloid rant about literally tearing up the Constitution to suit his power-mad dreams. With any luck the GOP will eat itself through internecine fighting and we can move on.) As Rage Against the Machine screamed in ‘92, know your enemy.
(https://www.npr.org/2022/10/19/112951...)
(https://www.npr.org/2022/10/19/112951...)
January 9, 2023
An illuminating and compelling look into how the US Republican Party is being splintered apart (aptly described as a civil war . I have no horse in this race but seeing how an entire half of the government of a major nation is imploding made me feel pretty miserable. Draper's account of his interactions with MTG was the most interesting. Certainly, the weaponisation of an 'enemy' is the strongest ammunition for the power-hungry.
A wonderfully interesting read even from a sociological perspective. Would love to read something adjacent and equally analytical on the Democratic Party.
A wonderfully interesting read even from a sociological perspective. Would love to read something adjacent and equally analytical on the Democratic Party.
July 30, 2023
If you’re the type to listen to NPR every day this books is more of a recap than an introduction to recent events. The author’s interviews with key political figures offers interesting insight into how some political decisions are made.
Read
October 28, 2022Read Robert Draper on the making of his new book "Weapons of Mass Delusion": https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/arc...
August 29, 2025
A phenomenally written narrative nonfiction piece that instantly sucked me in. This was a great follow up read to On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder, allowing me to piece my thoughts and a timeline together in my mind.
I’m not religious, but God help us all from the MAGA Republicans.
I’m not religious, but God help us all from the MAGA Republicans.
February 15, 2023
A andoned about halfway thru. A lot of rehash of anecdotes and stories I had already heard. Too much about Marjorie Taylor Greene, who we all already know is crazy and dangerous.
November 8, 2022
Not bad
Yes, we all know "the election was stolen" ( and the moon landing was a hoax)
JUST KIDDING!
This book fills some of the gaps behind why sane people go along with craziness but it will be preaching to the choir mostly, I'm afraid. Maybe a valuable addition to a global history of this sad, sick era; time will tell.
Yes, we all know "the election was stolen" ( and the moon landing was a hoax)
JUST KIDDING!
This book fills some of the gaps behind why sane people go along with craziness but it will be preaching to the choir mostly, I'm afraid. Maybe a valuable addition to a global history of this sad, sick era; time will tell.
May 26, 2023
Although I have read books on similar topics, this is my first encounter with the activities in the House of Representatives after the January 6th insurrection. Not really surprised by the accounts described within, but my dread does not diminish a bit.
People who like to look at the bright side point to history: the US has suffered much worse delusion in the past, yet reason, logic, rationality, and unity have prevailed nonetheless. Time can help forget the craziness and heal the wound. However, I do not hold such an optimistic view. We are living in a different time. With the level of technology now, what used to be able to erode away by time will persist, spread, and grow. The lies and bad intention will not die. The parallel universe where almost half of American voters choose to reside will not burst. Because there is money to make, social status to gain, and fantasy to realize. And because some of them truly believe in the parallel universe and want to shape the country the way they see most fit:
* No immigration
* No universal health care
* No equal rights for the minorities
* No regulation on corporation
* No environment protection if it hurts corporation profits
* No taxes to the rich
* No separation of church and state
* More spending on military
* Everything privatized
* No more Democrats or whoever oppose them
The sad part is that the Trump-aligning enthusiasts are sometimes directly harming their own districts, yet they don’t care. The even sadder part is that the constituents themselves don’t care to be screwed either, or they don’t know, or they don’t want to know, or they will simply blame it on the Democrats/deep state/whatever antagonistic force conjured up.
How do we move forward? I don’t know. The grifters -- Trump himself included because he couldn’t care a rat’s tail about politics, ideology, or the future of America as long as he has the biggest crowd in a rally -- and the enablers in this shenanigan will not budge unless the wind changes.
The I-don’t-have-a-choice-but-follow-along-otherwise-I-won’t-be-elected-again might find their conscience, but if Jan 6 can’t help them find it, I don’t know what can.
The aspirers and Trump-wanna-be’s are lining up to one-up the other. Honestly, if a half-wit as Trump can amass 74 million votes, why can’t an intelligent, well-educated, well-funded, patient, and strategic white man not achieve the same, or even more? That must be DeSantis’ inner monologue.
The ones with integrity are thinning, ostracized. Well, to be honest, what we face now is the direct result of Republicans’ own making, since the McCarthyism, the Reaganites, the two Bushes. They have been soling hate, spreading lies, and defunding education for more than half a century, because those are the only ways they can motivate voters and get elected. They have chosen to be the hostage of the mob and extremist mentality well before Trump rode down the elevator; there shouldn’t be any sympathy.
Yet sympathy I still feel for the Republicans, especially the young ones, who have voted to impeach Trump and voted for or joined the Jan 6 committee. We have a bigger threat at hand. Even if the Trump-Greene-Gosar-Boebert-Gatz-Abbot-DeSantis… delusion was hatched directly by the Republican party, it is still necessary to join force with the enemy of my enemy to deal with it first and foremost. To that end, this book does a good job moving the needle in the right direction.
Alas, the real problem is never these figure heads. It is the crazy mob, the curse of democracy. How do we shake them out of it? My parents have lived through The Cultural Revolution in China back in the 60s and 70s. That was some crazy time as well. In fact, I think the Chinese people then were as delusional as the MAGA crowd, if not more (thank goodness they didn’t have easy access to firearms, but they did rob armories and kill each other on the streets, so that’s that). How did they get out of it?
1. Death of Mao, the supreme leader and ultimate instigator of the delusion.
2. Shifting most of the blame to the Gang of Four (they were the grifters and enablers), who were arrested and publicly sentenced.
3. The next leader Deng, authoritarian nonetheless, was not batshit crazy (almost a benevolent dictator if you will)
4. Deng’s opening up policy made people’s life better and there was less incentive to be delusional.
Maybe there is some food for thought in that playbook.
People who like to look at the bright side point to history: the US has suffered much worse delusion in the past, yet reason, logic, rationality, and unity have prevailed nonetheless. Time can help forget the craziness and heal the wound. However, I do not hold such an optimistic view. We are living in a different time. With the level of technology now, what used to be able to erode away by time will persist, spread, and grow. The lies and bad intention will not die. The parallel universe where almost half of American voters choose to reside will not burst. Because there is money to make, social status to gain, and fantasy to realize. And because some of them truly believe in the parallel universe and want to shape the country the way they see most fit:
* No immigration
* No universal health care
* No equal rights for the minorities
* No regulation on corporation
* No environment protection if it hurts corporation profits
* No taxes to the rich
* No separation of church and state
* More spending on military
* Everything privatized
* No more Democrats or whoever oppose them
The sad part is that the Trump-aligning enthusiasts are sometimes directly harming their own districts, yet they don’t care. The even sadder part is that the constituents themselves don’t care to be screwed either, or they don’t know, or they don’t want to know, or they will simply blame it on the Democrats/deep state/whatever antagonistic force conjured up.
How do we move forward? I don’t know. The grifters -- Trump himself included because he couldn’t care a rat’s tail about politics, ideology, or the future of America as long as he has the biggest crowd in a rally -- and the enablers in this shenanigan will not budge unless the wind changes.
The I-don’t-have-a-choice-but-follow-along-otherwise-I-won’t-be-elected-again might find their conscience, but if Jan 6 can’t help them find it, I don’t know what can.
The aspirers and Trump-wanna-be’s are lining up to one-up the other. Honestly, if a half-wit as Trump can amass 74 million votes, why can’t an intelligent, well-educated, well-funded, patient, and strategic white man not achieve the same, or even more? That must be DeSantis’ inner monologue.
The ones with integrity are thinning, ostracized. Well, to be honest, what we face now is the direct result of Republicans’ own making, since the McCarthyism, the Reaganites, the two Bushes. They have been soling hate, spreading lies, and defunding education for more than half a century, because those are the only ways they can motivate voters and get elected. They have chosen to be the hostage of the mob and extremist mentality well before Trump rode down the elevator; there shouldn’t be any sympathy.
Yet sympathy I still feel for the Republicans, especially the young ones, who have voted to impeach Trump and voted for or joined the Jan 6 committee. We have a bigger threat at hand. Even if the Trump-Greene-Gosar-Boebert-Gatz-Abbot-DeSantis… delusion was hatched directly by the Republican party, it is still necessary to join force with the enemy of my enemy to deal with it first and foremost. To that end, this book does a good job moving the needle in the right direction.
Alas, the real problem is never these figure heads. It is the crazy mob, the curse of democracy. How do we shake them out of it? My parents have lived through The Cultural Revolution in China back in the 60s and 70s. That was some crazy time as well. In fact, I think the Chinese people then were as delusional as the MAGA crowd, if not more (thank goodness they didn’t have easy access to firearms, but they did rob armories and kill each other on the streets, so that’s that). How did they get out of it?
1. Death of Mao, the supreme leader and ultimate instigator of the delusion.
2. Shifting most of the blame to the Gang of Four (they were the grifters and enablers), who were arrested and publicly sentenced.
3. The next leader Deng, authoritarian nonetheless, was not batshit crazy (almost a benevolent dictator if you will)
4. Deng’s opening up policy made people’s life better and there was less incentive to be delusional.
Maybe there is some food for thought in that playbook.
December 18, 2022
The best of these types of journalistic descriptions of political life. There was a depth of understanding and background information provided on the key secondary characters that have taken on more importance in Arizona and Georgia politics especially since Trump lost the 2020 election. I enjoyed learning about the 11 Republicans who voted to impeach and what happened to them and to several moderate Democrats and Republicans who had tried to forge a different way in the House and how they have been overshadowed by the flamboyant and delusional as the title states.
December 21, 2022
It’s unbelievable that there are such destructive people running our government!
October 25, 2022
More divisive hogwash from another soy boy.
February 5, 2023
Focused on other key players of the Republicans besides the ex-president. So they seek fame and fortune rather than doing what is right??
January 23, 2023
A maddening read— especially given the proximity of the events dissected. The paint isn't dry and the fumes are nauseating. Although clear bias revs up occasionally, it's hard to blame Draper. Digging far deeper than the 140-character blurbs that most of the topics covered have been reduced to, the nuance found here is thoughtful and analytical. Some of the most distilled contents will land in the history books, but it's comforting to know that the breadth of the political chaos and nasty little details are preserved here as a reminder for future generations. This a painful must-read for those not convinced of the damage democracy took in such a short period of time.
December 2, 2022
Like a Fly on the Wall
Like a war correspondent in the thick of the battle, Draper makes you feel the insanity and the danger. This book should open the eyes of those not completely intoxicated by Trump's demagoguery.
Like a war correspondent in the thick of the battle, Draper makes you feel the insanity and the danger. This book should open the eyes of those not completely intoxicated by Trump's demagoguery.
January 17, 2023
Well, that was frightening as hell.
Fabulously written account of January 6, the aftermath, and the encouragers.
Even if trump goes away, there’s a grotesque cast of characters waiting to fill his clown shoes.
This is gonna keep me up at night like a Stephen King novel…
Fabulously written account of January 6, the aftermath, and the encouragers.
Even if trump goes away, there’s a grotesque cast of characters waiting to fill his clown shoes.
This is gonna keep me up at night like a Stephen King novel…
July 18, 2023
"Among the most commonly used descriptors of Donald Trump’s rule over the GOP is that he “hijacked” the party. The term connotes several dynamics at once. First, that Trump overtook the Republicans through force and by surprise. Second, that the party was fully functioning and purposeful, with a clear direction in mind, before the hijacker waylaid it. And third, that the GOP bore no responsibility for the crime committed against it."
Whenever the latest crazy thing happens in Trump world / Republican party, I always find myself wondering "What are these people thinking? How can they stand it? Why can't they see reason?" and of course, the reason is because they're not seeing what I'm seeing, and are willfully attempting to miss ALL of it on principle.
I'm not sure how I missed this books publication, but I'm glad I stumbled across it. It was really accessible and easy to follow, even bouncing among main characters and timelines and wacko situation after wacko situation. It took me a little longer than it should because I just... had to put it down a lot.
Whenever the latest crazy thing happens in Trump world / Republican party, I always find myself wondering "What are these people thinking? How can they stand it? Why can't they see reason?" and of course, the reason is because they're not seeing what I'm seeing, and are willfully attempting to miss ALL of it on principle.
I'm not sure how I missed this books publication, but I'm glad I stumbled across it. It was really accessible and easy to follow, even bouncing among main characters and timelines and wacko situation after wacko situation. It took me a little longer than it should because I just... had to put it down a lot.
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