How the NRA Became an Organization for Aspiring Vigilantes (Part 2) How the NRA Became an Organization for Aspiring Vigilantes (Part 2)
Ronald Reagan was an early adopter of, and key propagandist for, gun culture's vigilante turn.
Jan 10, 2013 / Blog / Rick Perlstein
How the NRA Became an Organization for Aspiring Vigilantes (Part 1) How the NRA Became an Organization for Aspiring Vigilantes (Part 1)
The turn in American firearms culture from the province of sportsman to one of macho revenge fantasies started in the 1960s.
Jan 9, 2013 / Blog / Rick Perlstein
Why I Am A Liberal Why I Am A Liberal
It is liberals who have been at the forefront of struggles for freedom and liberty.
Jan 7, 2013 / Blog / Rick Perlstein
Exclusive: Lee Atwater’s Infamous 1981 Interview on the Southern Strategy Exclusive: Lee Atwater’s Infamous 1981 Interview on the Southern Strategy
The forty-two-minute recording, acquired by James Carter IV, confirms Atwater’s incendiary remarks and places them in context.
Nov 13, 2012 / Rick Perlstein
The GOP Throws a Tampa Tantrum The GOP Throws a Tampa Tantrum
The long-running feud between moderates and conservatives is over. The wackos have won.
Sep 10, 2012 / Feature / Rick Perlstein
That Seventies Show That Seventies Show
The continuous readjustment of expectations downward: For historians like Jefferson Cowie and Judith Stein, that was the key experience of the 1970s.
Oct 20, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Rick Perlstein
That Girl: The Captivity and Restoration of Patty Hearst That Girl: The Captivity and Restoration of Patty Hearst
Was Patty Hearst really a rebel in search of a cause?
Dec 10, 2008 / Books & the Arts / Rick Perlstein
All Aboard the McCain Express All Aboard the McCain Express
The conservative noise machine is coming around to support him--if it can keep its stories straight.
Apr 3, 2008 / Feature / Rick Perlstein
The Best Wars of Their Lives The Best Wars of Their Lives
A historian plugs some suspicious gaps in two revisionist histories of Vietnam.
Sep 27, 2007 / Books & the Arts / Rick Perlstein
Will the Progressive Majority Emerge? Will the Progressive Majority Emerge?
New polling data shows that the majority of Americans are leaning liberal. How long will it take politicians and the media to get that?
Jun 21, 2007 / Feature / Rick Perlstein