Introducing Myself
Hello PJM readers,
Welcome to my new blog, which I hope will prove stimulating, provocative, entertaining and hopefully, will at times get many of you angry at me. I will be writing about current political events, history, ideas, books, articles, bluegrass and folk music, and whatever else interests me and will hopefully be interesting to readers.
Many of you may already know my work from the various books I have written, or the articles and reviews I have recently had in The Weekly Standard, National Review, Frontpagemag.com, and The New Republic. For a long time, I have wished that I had a blog, so that I could respond instantly to events and items that cross my desk. Now PJ Media has given me the opportunity, and I’m set to go.
I have been called many names—”neo-conservative,” which is how at one time I called myself, thinking primarily of my overall view of foreign policy issues. My adversaries have used harsher terms, such as “the far-right extremist historian,” “McCarthyite writer,” “extremist partisan,” and the like. These are some of the gentler characterizations. To those who ask, I tell them that I consider myself a centrist/right moderate, leaning to the positions taken by many conservatives. I differ with them, however, on many issues. While I respect the arguments of those who consider themselves pro-life, and favor a ban on partial birth abortions, I still favor what is generally called the right of a woman to choose. So when it comes to many social and cultural issues, I do not have the position espoused by many conservatives. Most recently, Marty Peretz, editor of The New Republic, has called me “the myth-busting historian.” That is, finally, a term I am rather content with.
So, I hope that in this blog, I will as time goes along come up with many other myths to bust.
Finally, although I use Ronald for my books and articles (too late to change that), for this blog, I am using Ron, which is what everyone I know calls me. Until next time,
Ron Radosh





I strongly urge everyone to read Red Star Over Hollywood: The Film Colony’s Long Romance with the Left, by Ron and Allis Radosh. This book profoundly changed my life—and this is not even a slight exaggeration. It opened my eyes to the threat of political correctness to our cultural and political institutions. Page 213 particularly blew my mind. The authors cite the American Communist Party “purification” campaigns against “white chauvinism” “that took place between 1949 and 1953.” I am taking the liberty of quoting the following paragraph:
“In what may be the first example of ‘political correctness’ run amok, the Party expelled or brought to trial members whose only sin was using words like ‘whitewash’ or ‘black sheep,’ both which were offered as proof of racism. As Joseph Starobin, the former foreign editor of the Daily Worker, explained in his history of the American CP, ‘Both whites and blacks began to take advantage of the enormous weapon which the charge of ‘white chauvinism’ gave them to settle scores, to climb organizational ladders, to fight for jobs and to express personality conflicts which, by Communist definition, were never supposed to predominate over political objectivity.’ It became, as he so accurately put it, an ‘internal witchhunt.’”
Welcome aboard, Ron.
Thanks, Ron. I enjoyed meeting you a few years ago, and reading your book. I look forward to future columns.
Welcome, Ron. From your description of your views, I suspect we are not far apart. I simply refuse to try to label myself, I am of the Roger Simon, David Mamet, David Horowitz lineage, I suppose…although lately I find Phyllis and Claudia fun to read and have always found VDH to my liking. (I suppose that’s why I hang out here and comment, it’s comfortable for me…like my old neighborhood deli, ..where my parents would meet their friends for coffee in the evenings…)
The two from my old neighborhood are gone now. So, I come here to learn from others and contribute if I can. I’m sure I have much I can learn from you and it’s wonderful to have you here.
Please try and get the facts right. I don’t mind right-wing bloggers except for the fact that they rarely write the whole story, merely sticking to what bolsters their argument!
Ron, I comment on Pajamas frequently, being a so called “liberal” and working for an organization which is part of what you people eloquently call the “MSM”. I fear I will frequently be correcting you, based on your views, work history, and previous patterns. Welcome.
I’m glad to see you at Pajamas Media. PJM is a fascinating project I’ve watched evolve since its early days as a bunch of early bloggers. I think you’ll be a real addition to it, and I think you’ll help it grow.
I have three things I’d like to say to you.
First, I want to thank you for spending some of your valuable time here. Time is precious, I know, and any good writing takes time.
Second, I hope you won’t be taken aback at commenters whose bad manners you will no doubt suffer. Believe me when I say that this regrettable abuse comes with the territory, but that many of your best readers will be there, listening quietly in the background. The experienced teacher knows this, but it may be good to remember in times to come.
Third, please do challenge me. We live in a time of rigidities, and it seems as if we were navigating the difficult waters of the Arctic Ocean. Help us break the ice.
Once again, welcome.
Ron, I just chanced across your new blog at PM and am delighted. I’m 72 years old and was a radical, then leftist, then liberal in my younger days. Then 9/11 woke me up. I started reading everything I could to clarify my mind and cleanse it of left-wing poison and obfuscation. One of the most helpful books was your “Commies: A Journey Through the Old Left, the New Left and the Leftover Left.” I look forward to reading you here at PM. You think and write with a clarity and economy of words that is a rare gift.
Were there no negative or critical responses -none?
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