The Paranoid Style in American Politics is a collection of essays by Richard
Hofstadter
describing an enduring
trait in American life. Any observer of the American scene cannot
help but be amazed at the persistence of this, and Hofstadter’s
catalogue of
McCarthyists,
Redbaiters,
Klan members,
Know-nothings, and religious
zealots,
Palmer Raids, all
show that
nativist paranoia has been, to quote
Phil Gramm--of all people--"a recessive
gene in the American character" since the
Mayflower.
I came across this book because of the big book--The American Republic--he had co-authored. My history teacher at Lick-Wilmerding High School used the big book in his grade 11 history class.
I owe my, possibly obsessive, interest in American politics to this teacher, the time I was in San Francisco--1967--and the power, nobility, and stupidity it always betrays.