{"product_id":"at-war-with-government-how-conservatives-weaponized-distrust-from-goldwater-to-trump-9780231195218","title":"At War with Government: How Conservatives Weaponized Distrust from Goldwater to Trump","description":"\u003cp\u003ePolling shows that since the 1950s Americans trust in government has fallen dramatically to historically low levels. In At War with Government  the political scientists Amy Fried and Douglas B. Harris reveal that this trend is no accident. Although distrust of authority is deeply rooted in American culture  it is fueled by conservative elites who benefit from it. Since the postwar era conservative leaders have deliberately and strategically undermined faith in the political system for partisan aims.  Fried and Harris detail how conservatives have sown distrust to build organizations  win elections  shift power toward institutions that they control  and secure policy victories. They trace this strategy from the Nixon and Reagan years through Gingrichs Contract with America  the Tea Party  and Donald Trumps rise and presidency. Conservatives have promoted a political identity opposed to domestic state action  used racial messages to undermine unity  and cultivated cynicism to build and bolster coalitions. Once in power  they have defunded public services unless they help their constituencies and rolled back regulations  perversely proving the failure of government. Fried and Harris draw on archival sources to document how conservative elites have strategized behind the scenes. With a powerful diagnosis of our polarized era  At War with Government also proposes how we might rebuild trust in government by countering the strategies conservatives have used to weaken it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45789809410101,"sku":"ByrdShop_0231195214","price":37.13,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780231195218.jpg?v=1784699873","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/at-war-with-government-how-conservatives-weaponized-distrust-from-goldwater-to-trump-9780231195218","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}