The Oh, Hello and welcome to Behind the News. My name is Doug Henwood. Just one

guest today, Corey Robin, here to discuss the second edition of his book of

essays, The Reactionary Mind.

The first, which came out in 2011, was subtitled conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah

Palin.

For the second edition, which is brand new, Palin has been replaced with a far more consequential Donald Trump.

Most people in the left don't take the right seriously enough.

Yes, they often fear and demonize it, appropriate reactions much of the time, but they're not

interested in its ideas. In fact, many doubt that they even have

ideas, following Lionel Trilling's famous observation that the conservative impulse and the reactionary

impulse do not express themselves in ideas, but only an action or an irritable

mental gestures which seek to resemble ideas.

Cori, even though he's never found any attraction in right-wing ideas takes them very seriously and reports and

analyzes them for the rest of us. When we recorded this interview a couple of weeks ago

the prospects for the GOP passing their abominable tax bill looked dim. Now it's looking like they may do it after all.

I asked Corey for a comment. Here's what he said. You could say two things.

First is telling that despite this bill being the second most unpopular piece of major legislation in 25 years,

the repeal of Obamacare being the other, despite this bill having no fervent support

from the base that is going to be passed, and with the support of some of the most august voices from the Nixon,

Reagan, Bush, and Bush administrations. It's almost as if Trumpism is an elitist project that has strong

links to previous modes of conservatism. Second, this bill could have been beatable.

That the left hasn't mobilized nearly to the degree that it did around preserving Obamacare

...