Red vs. Blue
A history of how America's two major political parties completely switched their ideological positions over time, leaving voters permanently confused about what they actually stand for.
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Chapters
17 total- 01Prologue
- 02Chapter One - A User’s Guide to Political Bullshit
- 03Chapter Two - The Founding Fight
- 04Chapter Three - The First Switch-Up
- 05Chapter Four - The Slavery Split
- 06Chapter Five - The Gilded Age and the Party of Business
- 07Chapter Six - The Progressive Era
- 08Chapter Seven - FDR and the New Deal Democrats
- 09Chapter Eight - The Southern Strategy
- 10Chapter Nine - Reagan and the New Right
- 11Chapter Ten - Liberals Get Lost
- 12Chapter Eleven - When Populism Came Back
- 13Chapter Twelve - Liberalism Isn’t Leftism
- 14Chapter Thirteen - Conservatism Isn’t Conserving Anything
- 15Chapter Fourteen - The Culture War Is a Distraction
- 16Chapter Fifteen - Independent in Name Only
- 17Chapter Sixteen - This Was Never About Teams
Edition notes and short pages
Red vs. Blue
Red vs. Blue
A History of American Politics
by James Johnson
Dedication
For the people who stopped picking teams.
You were never crazy. The game was.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
BIG THANKS TO the thinkers, questioners, and ones who never settled for easy answers. To the readers who’ve stuck with me across projects, this one’s for you.
Shoutout to everyone who ever sat through a family argument and thought, “None of you actually know what you’re talking about.” I’ve been there.
And as always, much love to the people who helped shape this book behind the scenes with conversation, encouragement, honesty, and trust.
We’re just getting started.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JJ IS THE author of over 250 books spanning history, politics, power, and identity. His work is sharp, clear, unflinching, and never pretends to be neutral. He writes to untangle the systems people live in but rarely understand.
From The Pyramid to Socrates, his books aim to make the big picture readable. One clean, undeniable page at a time.
He lives in Ohio. Probably thinking.
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 JAMES JOHNSON. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be copied, reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations used in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of nonfiction and opinion. Every effort has been made to ensure factual accuracy, but the author makes no representations or warranties regarding the completeness or correctness of the content. All statements, opinions, and interpretations are the author’s own.
Any political views expressed in this book are not intended to support, endorse, or oppose any specific candidate or party. The goal is to understand how we got here, not to sell anyone a jersey.