Episode 986 of The Professional Left traces how one simple political rule — Ronald Reagan's "Eleventh Commandment" never to speak ill of a fellow Republican — quietly mutated over decades into something far more dangerous. Driftglass and Blue Gal dig into how that rule created a closed loop where loyalty to the team mattered more than the truth, and how the endless flood of dark money on the Right kept feeding the beast no matter how extreme it got. A disturbing New Yorker article about a new generation of young, openly fascist activists who think Trump wasn't nearly radical enough takes center stage, raising hard questions about where the Republican party goes from here. If you thought MAGA was the bottom of the barrel, this episode will make you think again.

LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:

The New Yorker “How the Internet Fringe Infiltrated Republican Politics: Inside the battle for the post-MAGA G.O.P.” By Antonia Hitchens (paywall) https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/how-the-internet-fringe-infiltrated-republican-politics

Thanks to David B for the “freshly poured” jingle via Musely.

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Ep 986: 'AmeriKKKan Gothic'