Conservative political operative Ralph Reed described North’s appeal in this way: “Part of politics is having the right friends, but an important part of politics is having the right enemies.” Conservative Christians loved him for the enemies he’d made. His strategist and pollster explained his appeal in the words of country singer Garth Brooks: North appealed to the “hard-hat, gun rack, achin’-back, overtaxed, flag-waving, fun-lovin’ crowd.” With his God-and-country heroism, North tapped a populist vein in American politics. Critics, however, warned of his authoritarian tendencies, and of his
...more
