{"product_id":"the-longest-con-how-grifters-swindlers-and-frauds-hijacked-american-conservatism-9781250830173","title":"The Longest Con: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Frauds Hijacked American Conservatism","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA sardonic chronicle of how conservatism turned into a racketeering enterprise - and why Donald Trump became the living emblem of the American right's moral decay. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Longest Con\u003c\/i\u003e tells the fascinating story of the partisan con artists who have corrupted conservative politics in our time, creating a toxic phenomenon that culminated in the election of Donald Trump, a bumptious fraud whose checkered career and tawdry retinue, including his presidential cabinet, have featured almost every variety of scam. But long before he appeared, Trump's path to power was blazed by the motley horde of swindlers and quacks who preceded him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the \"professional anti-communists\" (whose tactics even J. Edgar Hoover despised) to the \"populist\" grifters of the Tea Party movement and the religious charlatans of the \"prosperity gospel\" (who provided a pious front for Trump), the right-wing ripoff has remained remarkably consistent, even as personalities change and new technologies emerge: Stir up anger and resentment, demonize political opponents, promise vengeance, and collect donations from the gullible. It's a highly lucrative game that any unscrupulous charlatan can play, as many have - and they are named in these pages. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn an unsparing and often comic narrative, Joe Conason explores the right's long, steep descent into a movement whose principal aim is not to protect freedom or defend the Constitution, but merely to line the pockets of pretenders and blowhards whose malevolent tactics now endanger the nation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joe Conason\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e St. Martin's Griffin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/24\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.30w x 1.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781250830173\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJOE CONASON is an American journalist and commentator. He is editor-in-chief of \u003ci\u003eThe National Memo\u003c\/i\u003e, a daily political newsletter, and a senior fellow at Type Media Center. His articles have appeared in many publications around the world, including\u003ci\u003e The New Republic, The Nation, The Guardian, Salon, and The American Prospect. \u003c\/i\u003eHe was executive editor of The New York Observer and a staff writer at\u003ci\u003e The Village Voice\u003c\/i\u003e. Two of his previous books, \u003ci\u003eThe Hunting of the President\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBig Lies\u003c\/i\u003e, were \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestsellers.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Joe Conason \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":47699062915229,"sku":"9781250830173","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_80798f5a-c441-4d6f-942f-40e9007a5aa7.jpg?v=1772697314","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/the-longest-con-how-grifters-swindlers-and-frauds-hijacked-american-conservatism-9781250830173","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}