Welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of Left podcast.

The Cult of Trump isn't really just about Trump.

It's religion and patriarchy reacting to a moment of global economic and climactic instability.

But those organizing the religious right aren't just reacting to their environment.

They've also been planning for a very long time. For those looking for a quick overview,

the sources providing our top takes in about 55 minutes today includes the Majority Report,

ideas, straight white American Jesus, democracy now, and un-effing the Republic.

Then in the additional deeper dives half of the show, there will be more in four sections.

Section A, the movement, section B, Trump and Election, Section C, Patriarchy and Race, and Section D, American Christian.

If we turn to the 1960s, we see great change in the country.

We see a civil rights movement.

We see the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, everything from Stonewall to the

attempts to get the ERA passed.

That's a moment when many conservative Christians in the country, especially many white

conservative Christians in the country, don't see progress. They don't see the country living up

to its promise to be a more perfect union. Instead, they see that as, that's when we lost our

country. That's when it was given to's when we lost our country. That's when

it was given to those who don't deserve it. That's when rights and representation were afforded

to people who are not perhaps real Americans and should not be trusted with the country's destiny

going forward. And so where, I didn't realize this, it sort of like, I guess, ballooned into a movement

in your, in, where you grew up. Let's talk a little bit first about your personal journey

because it gets interwoven here with the rise of this movement.

...