Evil Geniuses

Book summary

Kurt Andersen is a journalist, novelist, and radio host. He’s the author of Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History, which was a New York Times best seller. He’s also the author of the critically acclaimed novels True Believers, Heyday, and Turn of the Century.

The 1960s counterculture, with its emphasis on individualism and distrust of authority, ironically inspired the conservative right to adopt similar strategies to advance their agenda. Figures like Milton Friedman reframed personal freedom as the pursuit of wealth without societal obligations, while Ronald Reagan capitalized on anti-government sentiment to promote deregulation and minimal state intervention. Conservatives also co-opted the rhetoric of victimhood, portraying corporate elites as marginalized figures. These tactics proved highly effective, culminating in the 1980s with Reagan’s presidency, which normalized right-wing economic policies and reshaped America’s political and economic landscape. By leveraging nostalgia and infiltrating key institutions, the economic right secured lasting influence, leaving a legacy of growing inequality and systemic challenges that persist today.

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