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Raising Them Right
Raising Them Right: The Untold Story of America's Ultraconservative Youth Movement and Its Plot for Power | Kyle Spencer
1 post | 1 read | 4 to read
A riveting behind-the-scenes account of the new stars of the far right—and how they’ve partnered with billionaire donors, idealogues, and political insiders to build the most powerful youth movement the American right has ever seen In the wake of the Obama presidency, a group of young charismatic conservatives catapulted onto the American political and cultural scenes, eager to thwart nationwide pushes for greater equity and inclusion. They dreamed of a cultural revolution—online and off—that would offer a forceful alternative to the progressive politics that were dominating American college campuses. In Raising Them Right, a gripping, character-driven read and investigative tour de force, Kyle Spencer chronicles the people and organizations working to lure millions of unsuspecting young American voters into the far-right fold—revealing their highly successful efforts to harness social media in alarming ways and capitalize on the democratization of celebrity culture. These power-hungry new faces may look and sound like antiestablishment renegades, but they are actually part of a tightly organized and heavily funded ultraconservative initiative to transform American youth culture and popularize fringe ideas. There is Charlie Kirk, the swashbuckling Trump insider and founder of the right-wing youth activist group Turning Point USA, who dreams of taking back the country’s soul from weak-kneed liberals and becoming a national powerbroker in his own right. There is the acid-tongued Candace Owens, a Black ultraconservative talk-show host and Fox News regular who is seeking to bring Black America to the GOP and her own celebritydom into the national forefront. And there is the young, rough-and-tumble libertarian Cliff Maloney, who built the Koch-affiliated organization Young Americans for Liberty into a political force to be reckoned with, while solidifying his own power and pull inside conservative circles. Chock-full of original reporting and unprecedented access, Raising Them Right is a striking prism through which to view the extraordinary shifts that have taken place in the American political sphere over the last decade. It establishes Kyle Spencer as the premier authority on a new generation of young conservative communicators who are merging politics and pop culture, social media and social lives, to bring cruel economic philosophies, skeletal government, and dangerous antidemocratic ideals into the mainstream. Theirs is a crusade that is just beginning.
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Spencer covered the start and growth of ultraright superstars Charlie Kirk, Candace Owens, and Cliff Maloney. She dives deep into the ties, funding, and recruitment efforts of their organizations, Turning Point USA and Young Americans for Liberty. And honestly, I was shook. There is nothing like this youth movement organization and funding on the progressive side. This and No Choice are probably my favorite political reads this year so far.

Chrissyreadit I feel like I should read this, but am terrified it will increase my fear. I just spoke to my daughter about adding activism to her tik tok. She‘s part of GenZ for change- but I‘ve urged her to make her own posts and encourage her peers to also. She has over 1 million followers- imagine if gen z could mobilize? 2y
Megabooks @Chrissyreadit what‘s frustrating to me is that groups life YAL are getting people involved through libertarian things, like being pro drug legalization, and then drawing them into other, more traditionally conservative views. And there‘s no one with deep pockets, whether it‘s DNC or private donors, funding it on the progressive side. 2y
Chrissyreadit I did not even consider that- although I would expect libertarians to not be ok with the current gop agenda- I thought they were pro choice also. 2y
Megabooks @Chrissyreadit I‘m sure there are progressive libertarians, but people interested in decreasing regulation (because it can include environmental, osha, etc protection) tend to have more in common with republicans. Many believe in cutting safety net programs too to decrease government size/reach, which also tends to align better with republicans. Or at least what they say they are. But the overlap isn‘t 💯. 2y
Chrissyreadit @Megabooks I‘ve been so frustrated by the lack of social regard of libertarians that I have considered them just as bad- I did not consider how closely they align with Republican views. I only hope progressives can learn and grow- and gain power. 2y
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