Republican National Committee — Bunk History

Lessons from the 1976 Republican Convention: Why Ronald Reagan Lost the Nomination

In 1976, Ronald Reagan found owning the soul of a party isn’t the same as taking home its nomination.

via Retro Report on March 15, 2024

How Conservatives Changed the Whole Point of American Political Parties

The rise of the right remade the GOP—and fundamentally changed how parties operated in American politics.

by Daniel Schlozman, Sam Rosenfeld via Made By History on June 10, 2024

Releases of the Republican National Committee’s Press Relations Department, 1939

Possibilities for Propaganda

The founding and funding of conservative media on college campuses in the 1960s.

by Lauren Lassabe Shepherd via Lapham’s Quarterly on August 30, 2023

President Warren G. Harding throws out the first ball to open the Washington Senators' baseball season on April 13, 1921.

A Century Before Trump’s Term, a President Paid a Mistress to Stay Silent

President Warren G. Harding paid not one, but two women to remain quiet about their affairs with him.

by James D. Robenalt via Retropolis on April 2, 2023

Brazilla Carroll Reece, Joseph McCarthy and Harry S. Truman with democratic donkeys in word bubbles.

The Real Origins of the “Democrat Party” Troll

We can’t blame Joe McCarthy for this one. (Though he was a fan.)

by Lawrence B. Glickman via Slate on January 21, 2023

Bob Dole sitting next to Mike Pence at an official event

Bob Dole’s Disability Rights Legacy Marked the End of a Bipartisan Era

The former Republican leader played a key role in the Americans With Disabilities Act but stuck with the GOP as the party turned its back on the law.

by Erica Garcia via The New Republic on December 5, 2021

U.S. President George W. Bush holds a news conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington July 15, 2008.

George W. Bush's White House "Lost" 22 Million Emails

The outrage and press coverage was nothing compared with that surrounding Hillary Clinton's emails.

by Nina Burleigh via Newsweek on September 12, 2016

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