How Republicans Stole Patriotism, Making any Denigration of the United States (at least from the...

David Greenberg posted July 3, 2008 history lesson: The history behind current events. How the Republicans Claimed the "Patriotism" Mantle in Presidential Politics Posted Wednesday, July 2, 2008, at 1:46 PM ET The 1988 race for the White House was the last campaign of the Cold War. By the time Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis and Vice President George H.W. Bush emerged in midspring as their parties' nominees, Mikhail Gorbachev had begun his historic reforms, and the superpowers had signed a landmark arms-reduction deal. Still, the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union remained intact, and the Democrats remained afraid of being tarred as squishy-soft. So when the Republicans met in New Orleans in August for their convention, with Dukakis far ahead in the polls, they set out—in the manner of many previous GOP campaigns—to paint... [read full story]