Maybe we should call the wildly mis-named “Moms for Liberty” “Moms for White Nationalism.” Or “Proud Girls,” in recognition of their cozy relationship with the Neo-Nazi “Proud Boys.”
Heather Cox Richardson placed the organization in historical context.
The success of Biden’s policies both at home and abroad has pushed the Republican Party into an existential crisis, and that’s where Moms for Liberty fits in. Since the years of the Reagan administration, the Movement Conservatives who wanted to destroy the New Deal state recognized that they only way they could win voters to slash taxes for the wealthy and cut back popular social problems was by whipping up social issues to convince voters that Black Americans, or people of color, or feminists, wanted a handout from the government, undermining America by ushering in “socialism.” The forty years from 1981 to 2021 moved wealth upward dramatically and hollowed out the middle class, creating a disaffected population ripe for an authoritarian figure who promised to return that population to upward mobility…
Richardson attributes the organization’s focus on America’s public schools to the fact that those schools teach democratic values–i.e., engage in“liberal indoctrination.”
As a Moms for Liberty chapter in Indiana put on its first newspaper: “He alone, who OWNS the youth, GAINS the future.” While this quotation is often used by right-wing Christian groups to warn of what they claim liberal groups do, it is attributed to German dictator Adolf Hitler. Using it boomeranged on the Moms for Liberty group not least because it coincided with the popular “Shiny Happy People” documentary about the far-right religious Duggar family that showed the “grooming” and exploitation of children in that brand of evangelicalism.
Moms for Liberty have pushed for banning books that refer to any aspect of modern democracy they find objectionable, focusing primarily on those with LGBTQ+ content or embrace of minority rights… A study by the Washington Post found that two thirds of book challenges came from individuals who filed 10 or more complaints, with the filers often affiliated with Moms for Liberty or similar groups. And in their quest to make education align with their ideology, the Moms for Liberty have joined forces with far-right extremist groups, including the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters, sovereign citizens groups, and so on, pushing them even further to the right.
Richardson notes that Moms for Liberty is the contemporary version of “a broader and longstanding reactionary movement centered on restoring traditional hierarchies of race, gender and sexuality.” It’s the modern version of “Women of the Ku Klux Klan.”
Given media emphasis on the gender gap, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that not all women are progressive. The Guardian recently considered the history of female rightwing activism.
As a movement, Moms for Liberty draws from the long history of rightwing women’s activism in the US – particularly in such activists’ identity as mothers. Where mothers’ movements are often associated with projects of social welfare, a counter-tradition of women’s activism has politicized motherhood to pursue staunchly conservative aims.
Fueled by anti-communist panic, they fought for the removal of textbooks, teachers and administrators they judged to be tainted by progressive ideals. A defining feature of these groups was how they leveraged cultural beliefs surrounding motherhood for political ends.
White mothers’ organizations were some of the most committed players in the mid-century project of “massive resistance” fought to preserve the Jim Crow order…. And one of its battlegrounds remains central to the mission of Moms for Liberty: textbooks and school curricula. In the south and beyond, mothers’ organizations fought to eliminate books and teachings that highlighted white violence or white supremacy.
Given their goals, I’m sure these “Moms” applauded when the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction explained that–under that state’s “anti-woke/anti-CRT” rules, schools could teach that the Tulsa massacre happened– but could not attribute it to racism.
Walters is a pro-Trump Republican who was elected to oversee Oklahoma education in November. He has consistently indulged in rightwing talking points including “woke ideology” and has said critical race theory should not be taught in classrooms. Republicans have frequently conflated banning critical race theory with banning any discussion of racial history in classrooms.
At the forum in Norman, Oklahoma, Walters was asked how the massacre could “not fall” under his broad definition of CRT.
Walters responded that the incident should be taught, but not attributed to the race of the victims. That, he said “is where I say that is critical race theory.”
According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, the massacre was the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.” White mobs burned down the Black neighborhood of Greenwood, in Tulsa, and killed hundreds of Black people.
Explaining why is now a “CRT no-no.” Moms-for-ridiculous-results must be so proud….
It is frightening and unsettling to be made aware of how many people are so deluded and misguided. I hope that one day, not too long from now, somehow people become aware of how much they have been manipulated, and they turn their rage and anger against those who have been lying to them and go to the polls and wipe away the stain of MAGA from the face of the Earth.
But the problem lies much deeper than the politics. It is a creeping rot in the heart of the people.
I’m with you James Todd. Absolutely.
I love the nicknames of this group:
Ku klux Karens
Clans with casseroles
Klanned Karenhood
Twatzis
The stench in the red states is Koch-funded. He’ll be dead soon, and then what? Who will step forward with the stench, motivation, and money?
James hopes for a sudden awakening from the right (wokeness) – won’t happen because these people are closed-minded.
The left needs to wake up first because they are also in an echo chamber. For whoever thought I sounded conspiratorial about the internet, read the thousands of pages dumped by Musk to Matt Taibbi et al. called the Twitter Files. The government has controlled the internet since its inception because it’s a paradise for those seeking an alternative to mainstream (TV).
Why do women support their own oppression? I think because they are deeply insecure and see submission to dominant males as their only hope for security in a frightening world.
Sorry Todd, but the government has not controlled the internet since its inception. It is the complete lack of control, government or personal, that has us facing news this morning that the on-line tax preparers have been selling our personal information for years.
Anybody want to argue that our society/country is not corrupt to the core?
I just wanted to add to Theresa’s post that I cannot get Meta’s “Threads” here in Europe because of the privacy laws here. Just fyi
Tres simple – if you have given up (and are busy having fun), you don’t care. Moms and the rest of the Right Wing Ecosystem care (whipped up by fear) and see their side on the move. Such is America today.
Supremacy is a powerful, compelling concept for “natural” authoritarians (typically those exposed to authoritarian culture by what they happened to be born into; family, community, times, and place). Bullying gives them a sense of control over a world where they are otherwise victims of oppression by others. They take control rather than give it up. It’s so easy to evolve from there to imposing what’s best for them on others. Passive or aggressive bullying. Why not? As they live in fear of losing control, they are pretty easy to convince by others like them about potential threats of being out of control. It’s pretty easy to be led into dark places where everyone different than they wish they were is a threat to be controlled.
Democratic elections empower numbers over will. That explains why such a choice is their enemy but the strength behind the Constitution.
We have work to do.
It’s a strange world. Americans are paying for arms sent to Ukrainian Nazis. Democrats aid and abet pedophiles. Our president shakes hands with invisible people. Over one million dead from covid is acceptable. Hunter forgets his coke and men have taken over women’s pageants. Inflation is no big deal. I want whatever the VP is smoking.
Wow Ian, that post is right out of the right wing conspiracy network. Good grief. Get a grip on reality already, sheesh.
Theresa Bowers. I’ll take up that challenge. The core of our country and society consists of the hearts and minds of the people who live here. I interact with good hearted, rational people every day, some of them through these posts. I count you as one of them.
Sharon – join me up! The “people” are basically good – but they are scared and angry and have nowhere to go except to the “dark side” which is highly organized and gets all the news.
Carol, I’d suggest that the bible telling women they _should_ be subservient is probably a big factor.
A few days ago, I cataloged a few (of the many) ways that the GOP presents its “ideas” via euphemisms, avoiding the real reasons behind them. (For example, “Save the children” from trans people reading them books, which is _such_ a throwback to the old gay fearmongering rhetoric.)
Today’s post reminds me of other groups that followed the exact same playbook. For example, the Nazis made a “Law against Overcrowding in Schools and Institutions of Higher Education”. This title is purposely meant to sound innocuous and reasonable, but was just hiding the fact that it would purge the vast majority of Jewish students from schools. In other words, limiting Jewish participation is society, just like the GOP is currently trying to limit the way women and LGBTQ people can participate in society.
I’m not suggesting the current GOP is on its way to a genocide. I can’t tell where their path will ultimately lead. But, there is no doubting that their path is very similar to that of other historical fascistic movements. It’s dishonest, obviously, but it’s also really dangerous. It’s important to remain alert to the way they are behaving. We can’t allow their attempts to make their ideas sound innocuous and reasonable succeed.
Ian, that would indeed be a strange world. Were any of that correct.
AgingLGirl, I agree, obviously. I just want to note and applaud your use of “sheesh”. It made me smile. People don’t use it enough anymore. 🙂
After wandering in the world for eight decades I have never met another person like me. Not even close, at least so far. Does that make me unusual? I guess so.
The question is, Ian, why does that surprise you?
Sheila, your post led me to read more about Oklahoma Supt. Ryan Walters. He twists himself into knots trying to explain his comments about the Tulsa massacre. As usual with these MAGA types, he misrepresents CRT as making little kids feel guilty if they are white. He accuses the federal government and teacher’s unions of pushing an atheist, woke agenda in schools. Such accusations fuel the ire of groups like Moms for Liberty. Whether he intends to or not, Walters is instigating anti-democratic groups and undermining this country he claims is the greatest in history. (That claim right there shows how shallow his understanding of history and of theology is. The Christian God is constantly portrayed in the Bible as knocking down arrogant rulers and nations, ranging from Egypt to Babylon to Persia to Israel to Rome.) The voters in Oklahoma should demand more from the leader of their public schools.
The numbers are in and it is clear enough that we are headed toward a multi-racial society whatever the bumps provided by such as Moms and Kochs and other fearfuls en route. Whites are now a majority but are headed toward minority status ere this century ends, though whether we arrive at the end of this century still organized as a constitutional democracy or some other system is up for grabs. The fearful among us seem to think 1950 is set in stone, but it is not. As I write here and elsewhere, change itself is subject to change, not excluding pace and direction.
The foregoing assumes we will have taken our planet’s demise seriously during the interim, of course, and are thus available to make such choices, or if at such time we will have surrendered such choice to a dictator, having surrendered the will of the people via majority vote to gerrymandering and other vote-denying interference by two-bit politicians.
Sheila wrote a few blogs ago that “It’s all about race,” and fueled by fear and political propaganda, change is coming, but what it will look like at the turn of the century (what with, inter alia, AI’s impact on our economy and social structure) I’ve no idea.
Ian don’t you know none of that matters. The corruption of the current President doesn’t affect his decisions, Putins statements about Ukranian corruption has nothing to do with Biden, the dismissal of the Ukranian prosecutor that was investigationg Barisma that Hunter received funds from.
The new movie Sounds of freedom which was produced before Qanon which reveals how horrible sex traficking is now being attacked by the same media that backs this corrupt President.
The movie is being somehow QAnon based or principled? Here the liberal media is receiving marching orders to attack “people”, but what kind of people? Anyone who doesn’t do exactly what these ideologues want.
Also note that all books regarding the sexualization of our children shouldn’t be discriminated against in any way because Moms for Liberty are just angry facists according to this wacked out Richardson who has an opinion but nothing to base it on. No facts really, another piece of garbage opinion, a piece that attacks parents.
So when a child is shown the effects of racism, you can’t say its racism? Or just cant teach it in the unfactual historical way that CRT purposes it? Critical Theory in whatever form it comes in teaches oppression. Somebody is oppressed and that is the catalyst for change. But what kind of change? You have to stomp out racism exactly the way its being presented by these radicals.
Inflation is racism by white idealogues who are extremely poor at running a country
John S, what on earth are you talking about? You sound a bit unhinged.
Most moms have protective instincts for their babies/children and want what’s best for them. To harness that positive maternal nature into a negative political movement (that’s diametrically mis-labeled) is another sexist assault to motherhood. If moms could realize that the freedom they have, to have and raise their children as they see fit, is under attack by “Moms for freedom.” Give that type of authority away and it’s up to the present people in power to decide what’s right for their kids. That’s scary stuff!
We as Americans need to apply our protective instincts to our Democracy, the wonderful state of an idea that’s definitely going through some tough growing pains now!
That does it John S
If the ‘Richardson’ you refer to is our well respected Heather Cox Richardson
I am ready to march with my pitchfork
As JoAnne says
“Sheesh”
Ian and John S. are vivid reminders that the soul-crushing, democracy-despising paranoia and the lies that foster and cater to it run rampant. Facts are the antidote, but the folks that most need the antidote won’t take it. Yes, the left also has its own echo chamber, but it’s not riddled with the spectacular delusions that preoccupy the right. There may be a few deluded souls within, but they aren’t setting the agenda or running the show. That the wellbeing of our democracy is threatened by such lunacy is both shocking and depressing. And I don’t see a solution in sight. (Voting, sure. But look at what that’s gotten us: Hawley, Graham, Taylor-Green, Boebert, McConnell, ad nauseum. Again, in a country that has practically deified ignorance, mean-spiritednness, and delusion, I don’t see any real solutions on the horizon.)