Horowitz: Take off the gloves!!
 by Peggy Whitcomb

"If Republicans ever get really serious about politics, they can easily change the world!"  

David Horowiz has a high opinion of conservatives as powerful people, saying that "Conservatives are intelligent, knowledgeable, compassionate, non-confrontational, and tolerant of other people's opinions."  But according to Horowitz,  the tendency to be non-confrontational, and overly  tolerant in the face of vicious attacks from the left, will leave Republicans defeated, if still "nice," on election days. 

Reading Horowitz' autobiography, "Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey", was good preparation for a telephone interview with him in mid-August, though it left me somewhat in a daze from the book's intensity and revelations. The book is a riveting exposure of the darkest secrets the left keeps hidden from the public: their failed attempt to violently overthrow the U.S. government during the Sixties; their subsequent capture of the civil rights movement and  vital institutions such as the Democratic Party,  the mainstream media, universities and teachers' unions; as well as the thread of violent crime and corruption that runs throughout their history in America. 

The book narrates in painful, sensitive detail his difficulties growing up as the child of dedicated Communists, and his horror at the betrayal of his parents and other American Communists by Stalin, leaving them confused and marginalized in American society. 

During the interview,  I commented on the clarity of his descriptions of the left  His response: "To me, it all came out of being so isolated as a child because of my parents' political beliefs. I was always having to explain them to other people who didn't understand. Then, when I became a conservative, I had to start explaining all over again." 

In adulthood, he became dedicated to the fight for a more honest and effective transformation to socialism in the U.S. He was one of the leaders of the New Left in the Sixties and Seventies, editing and writing for the left's primary magazine, Ramparts.  But Horowitz, in his turn, was betrayed by the left. 

He characterizes himself and others who left the movement as "second thoughters."  His own  second thoughts began after the murder of a former employee of the magazine, Betty Van Patter, by the Black Panthers, a murder he could not, for fear of his own life, talk about until he wrote "Radical Son."   From working to transform America society, Horowitz began a personal transformation to conservatism, losing, in the process, lifelong friends, and enduring an unresolved uncertainty about his relationships with his parents. By the 1980s, his transformation to conservatism  was complete. 

Horowitz' passionate defense of our unique form of government comes through in his very readable, information-filled books. During the interview, he said: "Writing 'Radical Son' was the hardest, but it's gotten easier, and now I really enjoy writing."  He seldom repeats himself in his books, but does convey in each one a sense of urgency, of wanting conservatives to wake up to the country's peril, stretch their political muscle, and aggressively defend America. 

I mentioned that other authors, in recently published books about world socialism, state that socialism has proven to be such a failure that it is dead politically. Horowitz responded: "No, it isn't dead! The left is the strongest, most forceful political movement in America today!"  It continues to attract people, he says, because "... they want to be taken care of. It's just human nature to want that."  But, Horowitz added, "Americans are less susceptible because of our history and  because of our individualism."  That is the other strength he wants to unleash in conservatives: the power of the individual. 

My time was nearly up, and remembering my editor's interview with Ray Bradbury, I asked Horowitz which victory will be the most important as, in the years ahead, he looks back on his life. 

"I hope," he answered, "to make a contribution to the conservative movement, to have a part in preserving at least some of our institutions. That is very important to me!  For future generations." 

The interview was over and I was looking forward to reading and reviewing Horowitz' latest book: "How to Beat the Democrats and Other Subversive Ideas."  Clearly, for Republicans and other conservatives. at least part of the winning strategy will be to "take the gloves off," and "No more Mr. Nice Guy!" 

© 2002 Peggy Whitcomb  Link above leads to the review.  Graphics link to source.