American Theocracy

In 1969 a Republican stratigist, Kevin Philips, wrote a book called The Emerging Republican Majority. The book, mostly a stratigic policy analysis, offered a Machiavellian dissection of how the GOP could use the issue of race to win over working-class Democrats and ensure future political dominance. The book turned out to be a prophetical, and highly succusful guide for the modern Republican movement.

Since then, Kevin Philips has had a crisis of conscience. And in his recent book, American Theocracy, he examines the unholy allience between modern conservatives, corporations, rising debt and the religious right. In a recent interview on the Lou Dobbs program Philips reveals some insights into his latest offering. The interveiw, published below, is slightly long, but worth reading.

“--------DOBBS: Former Republican Party strategist Kevin Phillips joins us here tonight. His new book is called "American Theocracy." It is a provocative indictment of the administration's foreign and economic policy, and examines, among other things, how the religious right is driving this administration's policy. Kevin, it is going good to have you with us. Mr. Philips political acumen has been correct in the past, let’s hope that it’s not too late to reverse these trends.”

KEVIN PHILLIPS, AUTHOR, "AMERICAN THEOCRACY": Nice to be here.

DOBBS: This is an indictment, clearly and straightforwardly. What drove you to the conclusions that you've reached?

PHILLIPS: Well, there are a lot of, I suppose, launching pads for this. But one, as many years ago I wrote a book called "The Emerging Republican Majority," was sort of the outline of the Republican coalition.

DOBBS: What was it, what, 37 years ago?

PHILLIPS: Ah. 1969 is when it was published. It started before the election. But what's happened to the Republican coalition in the last 10 years especially is it's been moved more and more towards religious yardsticks. People who go to church. People who favor religion defining government. People who have just a whole set of concerns that go beyond economics. One of the reasons I think we have kind of screwed up economic politician in some ways is that a lot of Americans have stopped worrying about the economy because they're waiting for the second coming.

DOBBS: And you mean this quite literally?

PHILLIPS: I mean it quite literally.

DOBBS: You talk about 30 to 40 percent the electorate is caught up in scripture, exerting their influence, even power, over the White House and the Republican party. You're comfortable that it's that large a number of people, and that indeed that influence is felt that strongly within the White House?

PHILLIPS: Well, I think so. And it's partly because a considerable number of Republicans and conservatives and evangelicals believe that religion should guide politics and they have no hesitation about pushing their view on a whole host of issues. Whether it be the biblical aspect of the Middle East or science on the White House.

DOBBS: Kevin, your new book, a very important book, "American Theocracy," got off to a bang up start today because, when the president was being asked questions in Cleveland, this is -- I'd like to show you what happened there along with everyone watching and listening. If we could roll that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Do you believe this, that the war in Iraq and the rise of terrorism are signs of the apocalypse?
BUSH: I haven't really thought of it that way. (END VIDEO CLIP)DOBBS:

The question was specifically about Kevin Phillips' new book, "American Theocracy," in which you postulate as we have just said, the influence of -- it's interesting. The answer by the president went on for five minutes. And as one of my colleagues said, a simple yes or no would have done it, it seemed to him. That isn't what we got.

PHILLIPS: He can't. A survey by "Newsweek" several years back found that 45 percent of American Christians believed in Armageddon, that it was coming. And about the same percentage thought the anti- Christ was already on Earth. Now, if you were to take the religious Christians, and the Republican coalition includes most of the religious Christians, you probably have about 55 percent of the Republican coalition that believes in this. He can't answer the question weather or not he believes in Armageddon or it's happening in the Middle East. He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

DOBBS: As a matter of fact, the questioner went on to say, do you believe in this, and if not, why not. Literally, as you put it, he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. We don't mean that in a sectarian way. Let's turn to the other aspect of this. The influence, the capture, not only of this White House, but the country by debt. The financializaion, if you will, every word you wrote has a ring of truth to it in that we think of all the debt. We look at the explosion in Wall Street. We look at the explosion in financial instruments. What doesn't go away is that four and a half trillion dollars in trade debt.Now we can go up to nine trillion dollars with ease because Congress has made it convenient for the treasury to do so. We have unfunded liabilities in Medicare and Medicaid. Trillions of dollars in Social Security. The impact on this country in monumental and it is lasting, isn't it?

PHILLIPS: Unfortunately, it's hard for me to see, short of some panic, that goes into a financial crisis, how you really lessen this and lessening it that way with the vulnerability of housing would be a disaster. But what's happened in a nutshell is that since the 1970s, you have seen manufacturing in this country slide as a percentage of the GDP from a very large lead back then. And during the 1990s it was passed by financial services, the FIRE sector: finance, insurance and real estate. By 2003, you basically had 21 percent in the FIRE sector, GDP. And you had 13, 14 percent in manufacturing. Now what's pushed up the roll of financial services in that sector is in most part, debt. In the sense of public, international, private, mortgage, credit cards, huge.

DOBBS: And I don't even dwell on the possibilities or the prospects for panic. Because one can hope against hope that we'll make policy adjustments. But what is clear is that our working men and women in this country, their families, our middle class is at huge risk here. And I have got to ask you. How hopeful are you that we can see this become once again become a government that represent the people who count, who make the country work?

PHILLIPS: I wish I could say I thought that would happen but if you look at two previous leading world economic powers, Britain, 100 years ago, and the Dutch after New Amsterdam, but they were considerable. In each case what happened was an erosion of actually making things, as the society shifted towards trading things and moving money around and all of that sort of stuff. Once you start to make that transition, there doesn't seem to be any way to go back because you create an elite that is then a set of vested interest in the new way of doing things. And they don't much care whether or not they're still making steel in Sheffield, or in Pittsburgh.

DOBBS: We do have to one advantage. And that is a Constitution and 200 years of tradition and values that have served us well. Maybe it's -- I'm going to be an optimist, Kevin, and I know in your heart you want to be as well, or you couldn't have written such an important examination of the crisis that confronts us. Kevin Phillips, the book is "American Theocracy." It's terrific -- it's an important read. We thank you for being here. Come back soon. Thank you. Still ahead, we'll have more of your thoughts. And President Bush answers unscreened questions from the public. And I'll be talking with three of the countries' top political and legal analysts about -- well his message skills. Stay with us”

-- End Interview


In fairness, there are some who say that Kevin Philips has taken his notions of emminant danger too far. Slate Magazine published a review of his latest book, and while Jacob Weisberg may agree that some of Philips’ assesments are true, his overall message, states Weisberg, may be too alarmist to take seriously.
I’ve read the review. I find that Jacob Weisberg is more intersted in attacking Kevin Philips character rather than his argumet, but you be the judge.