“Among Republicans, there is no energy , no fresh thinking, no ability to capture the concerns and feelings of millions of people.”
What a shocking quotation to throw into the first page of the introduction of Lee Fang’s novel The Machine. George Packer, an author at the New Yorker spoke those words in 2008 regarding his standpoint on the “slow death of American conservatism” (Fang xiii). I think it’s interesting how Fang shares that Americans favor of the Republicans seemed to flip overnight and bring them back into the picture, all just in the introduction! Since I am not too into politics, it was a quick and easy bit to help me get up to date for the first chapter of Fang’s book.
At the very beginning of the first chapter titled “The True History of the Tea Party”, Fang seems to be discussing religious affiliation as it pertains to different political parties (Democratic/Republican). This is something that I never was fully familiar with but always figured that it meant that specific political party shared some of the beliefs of the respective religion. So for example, I always assumed that Republicans followed Catholic or Christian beliefs because most republican candidates were typically against abortion which is the standpoint that the Catholic religion shares. I thought it was interesting that Fang shared how certain religious figures can help political candidates in their races/campaigns through their votes and support. For example, he mentions James Dobson who is the leader of Focus on the Family and how he is someone who can “make or break Republican politicians.” I guess I never realized how much these religious figures can affect politicians and what power they really hold over them. I do like being able to see some of this laid out for me by Fang and I’m excited to keep reading!
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