If you haven't already, this Harper's piece from 2004[0] might be interesting to you.

Here is the first publicly available mirror I came across.[1]

[0] Tentacles of Rage The Republican propaganda mill, a brief history

LEWIS H LAPHAM / Harpers Magazine v.309, n.1852, September 2004

[1] http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/2004/Republican-Propaganda1s...