The “unbiased” and “objective” liberal media
At the beginning, the approach of the establishment media toward the first conservative efforts was to ignore them. When the “rumble on the Right” became too loud to ignore, the tactic was to smear it. Some attacks were pretty bland by the standards of political vitriol – “America needs responsible conservatives, but these guys aren’t responsible or conservative.” The others were increasingly nasty – attaching labels to conservatives ranging from “crackpot” and “ultra-“ (always “ultra-”) “right” to the Big Berthas in the liberal arsenal: “fascist” and “Nazi.”
Again, a little historical perspective is in order for today’s younger conservatives. The era we’re talking about – 1955 to 1964 – was obviously much closer to World War II than we are today. And Americans were still assimilating the full extent of Nazi atrocities against the Jews, which FDR had kept hidden during the war. In this environment, to call someone a “Nazi” or a “fascist” was the ultimate exile from respectable and permissible society. And it didn’t help American conservatives that the Nazis and fascists in Europe were commonly labeled “the Right” (even though they were national socialists, truly placing them on the Left). Sloppy or devious minds would draw up a conspiracy chart for you if you were too dimwitted to make the connection yourself: Nazis in Europe = the “Right.” Conservatives in America = the “Right.” Ergo, “conservatives” = “Nazis.”
Communist->Fascist->Liberal->Democrat->Moderate->Republican->Conservative->Libertarian->Anarchist
LEFT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------RIGHT
I keep this on my about page. The scale for Europe is focused around communist (left) and democrat (right). This is one of the communists' greatest ploys. Make anyone to the right of them a "Nazi".