With ‘The Plot Against America,’ the creators of 'The Wire' tackle a Philip Roth tale of fear and bigotry with frightening parallels to today. Alan Sepinwall’s review
Lindbergh’s political rise plays out much like Trump’s. First, he’s satirized in ways his critics believe will sink him but that he proves immune to. Herman dismisses him as “an airplane pilot with opinions,” in the same way Trump’s reality-show fame was initially treated as a disqualifier. Then, Lindbergh is viewed as a useful idiot by his party. “This is how it starts: everyone thinking they can work with the guy,” laments Herman. “Like Hitler: Everyone believes he doesn’t mean what he says.
With the help of Evelyn’s rabbi boyfriend Lionel Bengelsdorf — a Southern-raised Jew who speaks fondly of the Confederacy and serves as a religious adviser — Lindy is able to win election. Soon, Bengelsdorf is parroting talking points about who is and isn’t a “real American,” and how the Jews can be better “absorbed” into the allegedly more authentic rural vision of the country. Meanwhile, Lindbergh’s ascendance gives tacit approval to everyone who shares his ugly views to take violent action.
The Lindbergh-Trump parallels feel more blatant than some of the political points Simon and Burns have made in their careers . But Trump is a figure for whom subtlety and nuance have always seemed irrelevant. The specific dynamics of the Levins — Herman’s stubborn belief in America’s better nature, Evelyn’s hunger for recognition, Bess’ fear for her kids — and the lavish period details provide some separation from our current mess.
Roth is also far from the only author whose story of a demagogue’s rise now seems to be playing out on cable news. In one scene taken straight from the book, New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia quotes Sinclair Lewis’happening here.” Because of those clear links between Roth’s parallel past and our very real present,
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