I am writing in 2024, days before the USA presidential elections. Some political thinkers trace the rise of the ultra right movement and Trumpism back to Newt Gingrich and his activities in the 1990s.
He headed the GOPAC (Grand Old Party Action Committee) back then and distributed a Jackal manual to young Republican politicians. In the Jackal manual he proposes a set of positive judmental terms for the own political movement and a set of negative judgmental terms for the “enemy”.
And here is an example of his rethorical strategy from Gingrich himself:
I interpret this as populism in its essence. The democrats are the “others” – the “enemy” – who destroys civilization, no less, and who need to be stopped at all cost. The “synchronization” of inviting people to use the same labels for friend and foe, as suggested in the jackal manual mentioned above, reminds me of the strategies of the German government of 1933-1945 as well as the Soviet Union in their ideological fixation of good and evil. Furthermore I notice who Gingrich regards “no” as the end of dialogue, not as its beginning.
Preemptive Defense – A ‘Shield Issue’
Gingrich taught to Republican candidates through his political organization, GOPAC how to create a “shield issue” to deflect criticism:
“A shield issue is just, you know, your opponent is going to attack you as lacking compassion,” a GOPAC training tape advises. “You better find a good compassion issue where, you know, you show up in the local paper holding a baby in the neonatal center, and all you’re trying to do is shield yourself from the inevitable attack.”