Conservative supporters valued North for his enemies more than his truthfulness

Evidence

Conservative political operative Ralph Reed described North’s appeal in this way: “Part of politics is having the right friends, but an important part of politics is having the right enemies.” Conservative Christians loved him for the enemies he’d made. His strategist and pollster explained his appeal in the words of country singer Garth Brooks: North appealed to the “hard-hat, gun rack, achin’-back, overtaxed, flag-waving, fun-lovin’ crowd.” With his God-and-country heroism, North tapped a populist vein in American politics. Critics, however, warned of his authoritarian tendencies, and of his disrespect for the truth. But for his supporters there was “what’s right” and “what’s legal,” and the two were not always the same. If North lied, “it must have been necessary.” There was no doubt “he was a good soldier.” — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 291

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s own 2020s observation that MAGA voters admire Trump for fighting enemies rather than for factual accuracy — same dynamic, earlier precedent.