Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s by Nicole Hemmer

Abstract

Reviewed by: Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s by Nicole Hemmer Marcus M. Witcher (bio) Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s. By Nicole Hemmer. (New York: Basic Books, 2022. Pp. vii, 358. $32.00 cloth; $18.99 ebook) In Partisans, Nicole Hemmer argues that an illiberal form of conservatism emerged during the 1990s and that these partisans transformed the party of Reagan into the party of Trump. In the 1990s, many conservatives—who were never quite satisfied with Reagan—embraced nationalism, protectionism, anti-immigration, and a combative media style that undermined conservative congressional leaders and pushed the Republican Party further and further to the right. These partisans, led by Rush Limbaugh, demanded that conservative elected officials toe an increasingly doctrinaire line or face the consequences—backlash from conservative radio and television personalities who catered to their angry audiences. Today these partisans dominate the conservative movement and make Reagan-esque compromises nearly impossible. Hemmer details the rise of these partisans through the actions of Pat Buchanan, Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, Helen Chenoweth, Dinesh D’Souza, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Tucker Carlson, Michelle Malkin, and others. She argues that until 1989, the Cold War served as the glue that held the conservative movement together. After it ended, fusionism (the alliance of social conservatives, libertarian fiscal hawks, and hawkish Cold Warriors) collapsed. The ideas of [End Page 210] conservatives who had been on the fringes of the Reagan Revolution poured into the vacuum. The partisans embraced a populist conservatism that focused on zero-sum, “us versus them” arguments and utilized extremely combative political tactics to condemn liberals and Democrats. Importantly, most of these partisans were media personalities who could speak directly to the conservative base. This resulted in the radical fringe of the conservative movement exerting more and more influence on the Republican Party—forcing them to embrace policies further from the center of American politics (which had already moved to the right during the Clinton presidency). Partisans provides a new narrative that explains the rise, and success, of Donald Trump and also traces the historical precedents for much of the conspiracies being peddled on the right today. Hemmer is at her best when describing the rise of right-wing media, its networks, and its influence. The chapters on Rush Limbaugh and “conservative chic” were especially insightful. The rise of these unyielding media personalities does much to explain why the GOP is seemingly incapable of governing but is especially well suited for obstruction and opposition politics. Hemmer also demonstrates that Trump’s particular blend of policy positions—his embrace of tariffs, his opposition to legal and illegal immigration, and his suspicion of international organizations—had its genesis in the failed presidential campaigns of Pat Buchanan. While the book draws on very little archival research, Hemmer should be applauded for synthesizing other historians’ work into a comprehensive narrative that explains the rise of illiberal conservatism we see today. Although Hemmer has made an undeniable contribution, Partisans is not without flaws. This is a history of conservatism written by a progressive for a progressive audience. Hemmer uses a twenty-first century progressive lens throughout (as opposed to a more traditional contextualist approach) and the result is that readers rarely are given the reason why these partisans embraced the positions they did or why voters sometimes agreed with them. Hemmer explains away the success of Proposition 187 and the Contract with America all [End Page 211] while claiming conservatism is anti-democratic. Furthermore, Hemmer never misses an opportunity to paint the most ungenerous portrait possible of every conservative in her book (from Reagan, to Dole, to George W. Bush), while prominent Democrats are spared from Hemmer’s indignation. Despite the partisanship of Partisans, Hemmer has written an insightful book that will improve historians’ understanding of the rise of the illiberal right. She should be commended for her effort. All Americans—especially conservatives—should be cognizant of the origins of our uncompromising politics. Progressives, liberals, moderates, and conservatives interested in upholding America’s liberal institutions should take note of how these partisans transformed the GOP. Perhaps armed with this knowledge we can reverse some of the most...