Abstract
This is the final chapter of a detailed reading on the interplay between the authentic politics, theatrical politics, and institutional politics. McCool provides an explanation as to how the politics of authenticity became a cultural force for the Rousseau-inspired left in the 1960s and how right-wing populism has co-opted its anti-establishment ethos ever since, culminating in the crisis of Trumpism. He provides examples in which motive, intention, and private lives have become more central to political analysis than those things that are “outside and between” us, as Arendt urges. We are in a dangerous moment, warns McCool; the “tell-it-like-it-is” style, ironically, often does not correspond to the shared set of facts that a liberal democracy requires.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966), 382.
- 2.
Garet Williams, “Trump’s conspiracy-filled interview with Fox & Friends,” Vox, June 23, 2017, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/23/15861628/trump-fox-comey-mueller-tapes-clinton-conspiracy.
- 3.
Alexandra Jaffe, “Kellyanne Conway: WH Spokesman Gave ‘Alternative Facts’ on Inauguration Crowd,” NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/meet-the-press-70-years/wh-spokesman-gave-alternative-facts-inauguration-crowd-n710466.
- 4.
Lydia Saad, “Trump Sets New Low Point for Inaugural Approval Rating,” Gallup, http://news.gallup.com/poll/202811/trump-sets-new-low-point-inaugural-approval-rating.aspx.
- 5.
Eric Levitz, “Trump Campaign Manager on False Report of Clinton Indictment: ‘The Damage Is Done’,” New York Magazine, November 4, 2016. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/11/conway-on-fox-clinton-indictment-story-the-damage-is-done.html.
- 6.
Glenn Kessler, Salvador Rizzo, and Meg Kelly, “President Trump has made 3001 false or misleading claims so far,” The Washington Post, May 1, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2018/05/01/president-trump-has-made-3001-false-or-misleading-claims-so-far/.
- 7.
“Declining trust in government is denting democracy,” The Economist, January 25, 2017, https://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2017/01/daily-chart-20.
- 8.
“Distrust of politicians helped fuel Brexit vote, report finds,” Daily Gazette Standard, January 24, 2017, http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/national/15045125.Distrust_of_politicians_helped_fuel_Brexit_vote__report_finds/.
- 9.
Yascha Mounk, The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It (Harvard University Press, 2018), 2.
- 10.
Andrew Sullivan, “Democracies end when they are too democratic,” New York Magazine, May 1, 2016, http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/04/america-tyranny-donald-trump.html.
- 11.
Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page, “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens,” Perspectives on Politics 12, no. 3 (September 2014): 577.
- 12.
Diana C. Mutz, “Status threat, not economic hardship, explains the 2016 presidential vote,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, April 2018.
- 13.
“Is American democracy really in decline? A debate.” interview of Yascha Mounk by Ezra Klein, The Ezra Klein Show, 4/30/2018, Audio 0:00, https://art19.com/shows/the-ezra-klein-show/episodes/eeeadb50-131d-4699-b1db-0d984518e2da.
- 14.
Mounk, Interview, Audio 17:27.
- 15.
Mounk, Interview, Audio 35:19.
- 16.
Ron Suskind, “Faith, Certainty and the Presidency of George W. Bush,” The New York Times Magazine, October 17, 2004, https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/17/magazine/faith-certainty-and-the-presidency-of-george-w-bush.html.
- 17.
David Limbaugh, “Is Obama Intentionally Destroying America?,” WND, July 09, 2012, http://www.wnd.com/2012/07/is-obama-intentionally-destroying-america/.
- 18.
“The Century of the Self (Full Documentary),” YouTube video, posted by “David Lessig” July 9, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s. All “The Century of the Self” quotes from this clip.
- 19.
The Century of the Self.
- 20.
The Century of the Self.
- 21.
Julian Zelizer, “Distrustful Americans Still Live in Age of Watergate,” CNN, July 07, 2014, http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/07/opinion/zelizer-watergate-politics/index.html.
- 22.
Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, “How the Vietnam War Broke the American Presidency,” The Atlantic, October 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/10/how-americans-lost-faith-in-the-presidency/537897/.
- 23.
“Protesters Block Traffic on I-93 North and South of Boston,” Boston Globe, January 15, 2015, https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/local/massachusetts/2015/01/15/protesters-block-traffic-north-and-south-boston/WTAdtRy4FIoPTOgIAqQE0H/story.html.
- 24.
Peter Schworm, Laura Crimaldi and John R. Ellement, “Protesters Snarl Morning Commute on I-93 near Boston.” Boston Globe, January 15, 2015, https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/01/15/protesters-block-traffic-southeast-express-northbound/G3aLvpDWRixI2I6SVyaErM/story.html.
- 25.
Kristinn Taylor, “White #BlackLivesMatter Boston Protesters Found Living with Parents in Luxury Mansions,” The Gateway Pundit, January 18, 2015, https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/01/white-blacklivesmatter-boston-protesters-found-living-with-parents-in-luxury-mansions/.
- 26.
Liz Robbins, “Tax Day Is Met With Tea Parties,” The New York Times, April 15, 2009, https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/us/politics/16taxday.html.
- 27.
“Pelosi and the Tea Party ‘Share Views’” ABC News, February 28, 2010, http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2010/02/pelosi-and-the-tea-party-share-views.html.
- 28.
“20 More Hysterical Misspelled Tea Party Signs! (Image Gallery),” Americans Against the Tea Party, July 07, 2013, http://aattp.org/20-more-hysterical-misspelled-tea-party-signs-image-gallery/.
- 29.
Sarah Palin, “Tea Party Convention Keynote Speech (complete Transcript Audio Video),” American Rhetoric Online Speech Bank, February 06, 2010, http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speechessarahpalin2010teapartykeynote.htm.
- 30.
James S. Robbins, “TRR: Screwball Hippies Think the Marines Are Coming,” The Washington Times, October 01, 2011, https://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/robbins-report/2011/oct/1/screwball-hippies-think-marines-are-coming/.
- 31.
Billy Hallowell, “AP Analyzes ‘Days of Rage’: It’s Unclear Exactly What the Demonstrators Want,” TheBlaze, October 01, 2011, https://www.theblaze.com/news/2011/10/01/ap-analyzes-days-of-rage-its-unclear-exactly-what-the-demonstrators-want.
- 32.
Frank Rosario, “OWS Bums Are a Big Joke,” New York Post, May 02, 2012, https://nypost.com/2012/05/02/ows-bums-are-a-big-joke/.
- 33.
Jeffrey Jones, “Americans See Positive, Negative Effects of Tea Party Movement,” Gallup, November 04, 2010, http://news.gallup.com/poll/144242/americans-positive-negative-effects-tea-party-movement.aspx.
- 34.
Brendan Nyhan, “Why Republicans Are Suddenly Talking About Economic Inequality,” The New York Times, February 13, 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/14/upshot/why-republicans-are-suddenly-talking-about-economic-inequality.html.
- 35.
See Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
McCool, D.J. (2019). Conclusion: Our Crisis of Authenticity. In: Three Frames of Modern Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95648-0_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95648-0_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-95647-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-95648-0
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)