Thread by @LizMarieGhost

@davidfrum In a recent article, you asked what happened to conservatism. Go back to the 1960's and honestly re-examine the work of Kevin Phillips. What's happening now is the fruition of that "deal with the devil". 1/8

nytimes.com/packages/html/…

Until you and other conservatives admit this, you cannot accurately diagnose what is wrong with conservatism in this country. And if you cannot diagnose it, you cannot fix it. 2/8

You seem shocked at the descent of conservatism but this was obvious from Reagan forward, to at least anyone on the outside looking in. Overlay a map of Republican "stronghold" states today with the Old Confederacy. Go ahead. 3/8

Look at it! Stare at it. And go re-read Phillips interview with the NY Times back in 1970. You can't keep pointing back at liberal, big government Abe Lincoln as your savior from what has happened over the last 50+ years. 4/8

Nixon, through Phillips, made a deal with the devil, the devil of racism and ignorance. Until that "original sin" is absolved, you're never going to get your party or your movement back from the crazies. 5/8

William Buckley spent his life trying to drive the crazies to the margins in the conservative world. With his passing, it was as if the floodgates opened and none of you sought to uphold what Buckley fought for. 6/8

Perhaps you all thought that battle was won, that it was never going to get that bad. But look around you. Even you can see that it IS that bad. You & your generation of conservatives fell asleep at the watch. 7/8

You let the barbarians into the gate. Why? I don't know. Maybe you thought you could control them, use them, but who is using who now? Who controls who now? You & your fellow conservatives unleashed a whirlwind and now you pay the price. 8/8