Ronald Reagan in Fourth GOP presidential primary debate


On Principles & Values: 1965: Far right Birchers infiltrated by "lunatic fringe"

[Gov. Chris Christie said in the 4th GOP primary debate, "Ronald Reagan in 1964 stood up against the John Birch Society when it was very unpopular to the party to do it, but he would not put up with our party standing for lies and deceit." What's the history?]

Washington Post explanation (1/15/21): The John Birch Society, founded in 1958, was fiercely anti-communist--and fond of crackpot theories. Its founder had accused most of the US government--including former Republican President Eisenhower--of being under secret communist control. By 1962, influential conservatives met to talk about a growing threat: the rise of paranoid conspiracy theories on the right--much like Republican leaders today [when] many Republican voters embrace QAnon conspiracy theories and President Trump's false claims of a stolen election. In 1965, Reagan declared, "I am not a member; I am not going to solicit their support." Reagan added that a "lunatic fringe" had infiltrated the society.

Source: Washington Post on NewsNation 2023 Republican primary debate Jan 15, 2021

The above quotations are from NewsNation 2023 Republican primary debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
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Page last updated: Dec 12, 2023