“The left won the day by making the most radical, anti-human irrationalism of this epoch seem safe and normal, while portraying freedom and individualism as the dangerous, radical path.”
Not quite. They “won” by (decades ago) taking over the process of educating and training journalists. Thus they have controlled the means of mass communication.
By this method, they have been able to distort their message to make it seem conservative on the surface: Obama says “I think the free market system is the most important part of our country’s heritage.” Inevitably, he slips in the socialist underpinnings as an abstract and disguised afterthought: “But I think we need to take care of people who need help.”
Americans would never vote for socialism if it were presented in a straighforward and honest way.
The left appeals to conservatism’s Christian foundation by claiming to “want to help” those in need.
But they can’t get around the fact that Christian charity takes place in the absense of state authority, while socialism, through its coersive nature, deprives the individual of the opportunity to be charitable. Charity comes from free will, not government tyranny.
IMNSHO, your analysis is spot on; but, it doesn’t go far enough.
You should add in the take-over of the education system, from K to PhD. Thus allowing for thorough indoctrination of entire generations, and effectively negating parental influence.
You could extend your point about the means of mass communication, by including the movie and TV industries. Only the tiny rump of talk radio is left for opposing viewpoints.