Andrew Sullivan in his old blog peering into the right wing rotting entrails of the fairly recent book “America Betrayed” by Diana West dealing with Red Scares or commies here there in our hair and underwear.
Sullivan: “So do yourself a favor and get a glimpse of the insanity now dominating what was once a vibrant intellectual culture by reading Ron Radosh’s devastating review of the book. Front Page offered West equal space to respond but she wisely refused (see her position here). After reading Radosh, you realize why. She’s got nothing. But she still has much of the movement right on her side.”
Radosh: “As a historian I normally would not have agreed to review a book such as this one. But I changed my mind after seeing the reckless endorsements of its unhinged theories by a number of conservative individuals and organizations.”
“These included the Heritage Foundation which has hosted her for book promotions at a lunchtime speech and a dinner; Breitbart.com which is serializing America Betrayed; PJ Media which has already run three favorable features on West; Amity Shlaes, who writes unnervingly that West’s book, “masterfully reminds us what history is for: to suggest action for the present”; and by conservative political scientist and media commentator Monica Crowley, who called West’s book “A monumental achievement.””
Radosh was once a Marxist in his youth which means he can easily be dismissed or ignored as a credible historian by conservatives who never ever forget. Radosh is probably considered another closet liberal trying to “rewrite history”, the default setting used over and over.
