I appreciate the conversation, but either Democratic leadership has deliberately chosen to pretend this ascendant White Christian Nationalism isn't swallowing up the vast majority of the country or they're content with permanent minority status.
If there's a third explanation, it remains unclear 9 months from the 2024 election.
I'm curious what you mean when you say Christian Nationalism is swallowing up the vast majority of the county. I agree that the institutional reach of Christian Nationalism is alarming and it is indeed widespread, but the vast majority of the U.S. population consistently disapproves of Christian Nationalism when asked about it in surveys. It definitely has a stronghold on the Republican Party though! A few of the recent surveys that ask specifically about Christian Nationalism are featured in this post: https://www.weekendreading.net/p/the-re-emerging-anti-maga-majority
True, Andrea. The movement represents a minority of the population but punches above its political weight because it turns out the vote in disproportionate numbers, especially in key districts. In advance of the 2024 election, one initiative by movement leaders identified some 19 swing districts in 7 swing states in which to focus their voter-turnout operations. Much of that effort focused on conservative church leaders and their congregants in those districts. I would also argue that many of those they reached, and who voted for the anti-democratic candidate, were not explicitly aiming for the end of democracy; with their vote they were making a statement about "values" (i.e. "pro-life," pro-family etc). They may not have recognized that they were lending support to politicians whose policies are making it so much harder for American families to succeed.
So true that authoritarian systems are typically maintained via minority support. A few years back, at the Road to Majority conference, Ralph Reed, one of the movement's key strategists, said, "Pay no attention to the polls. Our numbers are shrinking. All that matters is who turns out on election day."
Echoing my thanks for sharing the piece. We also have to remember that the CN and anti-democratic movement developed more or less outside the purview of the GOP mainstream (though of course there were a great many linkages). Organizations like Heritage, the ADF, the CNP were not explicitly Republican Party initiatives; they were founded by individuals who wanted to drag the Republican Party (and the courts, and American religion) to the Right.
In earlier times, GOP leaders thought they could make use of the movement, as it delivered a reliable slice of Republican votes. Now the GOP is controlled by it.
There are plenty of Democrats in public service that are either white nationalist or Christo-Fascist. Politics is about nothing but power no matter how far they need to go in achieving that power. It's the result of the US two party corporate duopoly system of government.
Interesting point, but some of it seems to come from the 1990s. I'd like to see a list of the "Christo-Fascists," as you put it, allegedly infiltrating and achieving significant power in the Democratic Party, and I wonder why, if both parties are the same on that score, self-identified Christian nationalists vote in overwhelming number for the Republicans. The "both sides are the same" stance might have made more sense in an earlier paradigm as a device for preserving a critical perspective on the system. At this point, it seems to me more an example of the kind of relativism and nihilism that got us into this predicament in the first place.
How do we stop this happening in Australia? There are certainly christian nationalists and christian zionists (such as my mum - sigh) and we have the Aust Christian Lobby....we have an anti-immigration march advertised, coming up soon.....so maybe I should ask - how do we stop it from continuing to the point of what you dear Americans are now facing....
There is unfortunately no simple way to answer this question. Each of my last three books shows how the anti-democratic movement spent decades investing in a deeply networked organizational infrastructure, which is the key to their power. In the final section of Money, Lies and God I outline some recommendations for moving forward, and many of them will apply outside of the U.S. context. But meeting the challenge won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight.
thanks - I have placed a hold on it at the library. I want to shake all my white, middle class Aussie friends who just think that this is all so far away from us and not relevant, and they are just "not political" - same with ethnic cleansing too. Thanks for taking the time. I will keep soaking you up too.
I maintain it defaults to the fact that 53% of Americans read at or below Grade 6 levels which in Canada would be at or below grade 4. A large body of ignorance to draw from
I met Ms. Stewart at her first public presentation at the Santa Barbara Humanist Society. She's been a hero of mine ever since.
I appreciate the conversation, but either Democratic leadership has deliberately chosen to pretend this ascendant White Christian Nationalism isn't swallowing up the vast majority of the country or they're content with permanent minority status.
If there's a third explanation, it remains unclear 9 months from the 2024 election.
I'm curious what you mean when you say Christian Nationalism is swallowing up the vast majority of the county. I agree that the institutional reach of Christian Nationalism is alarming and it is indeed widespread, but the vast majority of the U.S. population consistently disapproves of Christian Nationalism when asked about it in surveys. It definitely has a stronghold on the Republican Party though! A few of the recent surveys that ask specifically about Christian Nationalism are featured in this post: https://www.weekendreading.net/p/the-re-emerging-anti-maga-majority
True, Andrea. The movement represents a minority of the population but punches above its political weight because it turns out the vote in disproportionate numbers, especially in key districts. In advance of the 2024 election, one initiative by movement leaders identified some 19 swing districts in 7 swing states in which to focus their voter-turnout operations. Much of that effort focused on conservative church leaders and their congregants in those districts. I would also argue that many of those they reached, and who voted for the anti-democratic candidate, were not explicitly aiming for the end of democracy; with their vote they were making a statement about "values" (i.e. "pro-life," pro-family etc). They may not have recognized that they were lending support to politicians whose policies are making it so much harder for American families to succeed.
Dictatorship throughout the world are established and maintained via minority support.
Surveys and polls are irrelevant.
Unless voter patterns radically change in 16 months, the institutionalization of Christian Nationalism will be impossible to fight in 2028.
So true that authoritarian systems are typically maintained via minority support. A few years back, at the Road to Majority conference, Ralph Reed, one of the movement's key strategists, said, "Pay no attention to the polls. Our numbers are shrinking. All that matters is who turns out on election day."
Have you seen this?
Maybe not original, but...
"How Strategist Brain Took Over the Democratic Party":
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/07/donald-trump-news-democrats-elections-strategist-brain.html?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=traffic&utm_source=article&utm_content=copy_link
Echoing my thanks for sharing the piece. We also have to remember that the CN and anti-democratic movement developed more or less outside the purview of the GOP mainstream (though of course there were a great many linkages). Organizations like Heritage, the ADF, the CNP were not explicitly Republican Party initiatives; they were founded by individuals who wanted to drag the Republican Party (and the courts, and American religion) to the Right.
In earlier times, GOP leaders thought they could make use of the movement, as it delivered a reliable slice of Republican votes. Now the GOP is controlled by it.
This was an excellent analysis...thank you for sharing.
There are plenty of Democrats in public service that are either white nationalist or Christo-Fascist. Politics is about nothing but power no matter how far they need to go in achieving that power. It's the result of the US two party corporate duopoly system of government.
Interesting point, but some of it seems to come from the 1990s. I'd like to see a list of the "Christo-Fascists," as you put it, allegedly infiltrating and achieving significant power in the Democratic Party, and I wonder why, if both parties are the same on that score, self-identified Christian nationalists vote in overwhelming number for the Republicans. The "both sides are the same" stance might have made more sense in an earlier paradigm as a device for preserving a critical perspective on the system. At this point, it seems to me more an example of the kind of relativism and nihilism that got us into this predicament in the first place.
How do we stop this happening in Australia? There are certainly christian nationalists and christian zionists (such as my mum - sigh) and we have the Aust Christian Lobby....we have an anti-immigration march advertised, coming up soon.....so maybe I should ask - how do we stop it from continuing to the point of what you dear Americans are now facing....
There is unfortunately no simple way to answer this question. Each of my last three books shows how the anti-democratic movement spent decades investing in a deeply networked organizational infrastructure, which is the key to their power. In the final section of Money, Lies and God I outline some recommendations for moving forward, and many of them will apply outside of the U.S. context. But meeting the challenge won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight.
thanks - I have placed a hold on it at the library. I want to shake all my white, middle class Aussie friends who just think that this is all so far away from us and not relevant, and they are just "not political" - same with ethnic cleansing too. Thanks for taking the time. I will keep soaking you up too.
Prepre for the 21st century inquisitions.
I maintain it defaults to the fact that 53% of Americans read at or below Grade 6 levels which in Canada would be at or below grade 4. A large body of ignorance to draw from
Very interesting conversation. Thanks for your insights.