When Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested the United States would benefit from a “national divorce,” many scoffed at her comments, labeling her comments a riot.
Journalist Jeff Sharlet was not one of them. Having traveled the country for more than a dozen years, covering the intersection of religion and far-right politics, he believes comments like Congressman Greene’s should be taken seriously and at face value.
In his latest book, The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, he details what he found as he traveled through states like Wisconsin and Nebraska and spoke to common folk who love fishing and their neighbors — and also believe that another civil war is inevitable, even necessary to rectify decades of “immoral decadence.”
MPR News host Kerri Miller speaks to Sharlet about his coverage of this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas. It’s a sobering talk about the people Sharlet has met and the undercurrent of fascism he sees felt across the country.
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