Grace Winn Ellis: Lessons from an unlikely source.
There is a consensus among our intelligence agencies that Russian hackers worked on behalf of Donald Trump in the 2016 election, and there is an investigation into whether anyone in his campaign colluded in this effort.
Here is a list of political principles from that time: For limited government, expanded military spending but less intervention.
Against laws enforcing civil rights or equal rights for women, any form of “wealth redistribution,” inadequately restricted immigration, global trade agreements, and “one world government” These ideas certainly sound similar to those advanced by the Trump campaign.
In fact, they are positions endorsed by the John Birch Society, founded in 1958 with support from Fred Koch.
The Society’s central goal was to fight “the communist menace” in general and Russia’s influence in particular.
In 1964, I attended a meeting of the Atlanta branch of the John Birch Society to hear a presentation about Martin Luther King’s communist connections.
One hold-out seems to be the John Birch Society, whose spokesperson told Michel that “the United States should not be partnering with countries [like Russia] that are enemies to American liberty.” As various committees investigate financial entanglements and possible collusion with Russia, those of us on the left can learn some lessons from the John Birch Society of the 1960s.
Yes, the Trump/Kushner family has many financial ties to Russian oligarchs.
And if clear evidence emerges, our habit of previously jumping to conclusions makes it less likely that the other side will accept it.