On the show we talk a lot
about the modern conservative movement and the effect they have on the American
political scene, and much has been written of how this movement got its start
and began to consolidate power across the country. In her new book Right Out Of California: The 1930’s and The Big Business Roots of Modern Conservatism historian Kathryn S. Olmsted offers
a new perspective on the birth of modern conservatism and examines the
explosive labor disputes in the agricultural fields of Depression-era
California and tells how this brief moment of upheaval terrified business
leaders into rethinking their relationship to American politics. Kathryn joins me today on the show to talk
all about the book and how California’s businessmen learned the language of
populism with the help of allies in the media and entertainment industries and
in the process created a new style of politics featuring many of the things we
are familiar with today; corporate funding of grassroots groups, military-style
intelligence gathering against political enemies, professional campaign
consultants, and alliances between religious and economic conservatives.
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