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Right Wing Organizations |
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For over 25 years, People
For the American Way
Foundation (PFAWF) has
countered the Right Wing’s
efforts to roll back, or
stop, social justice
progress and to reshape
government and society to
its liking. Our research
center monitors the power of
right-wing groups,
documenting their
connections, funding, and
reporting on their political
influence.
Right-wing organizations
come in all shapes and
sizes, from think tanks to
legal groups, local and
national lobbying
organizations, foundations
and media forums. At any
given moment, the Right is
at work in our public school
systems, courthouses, in
Congress and state
assemblies. At the same
time, right-wing groups are
reaching huge audiences
through media outlets they
own or influence—promoting
regressive policies that
seek to drive wedges between
and among Americans.
These often single-issue
groups have the ability to
create multi-issue networks
that can respond on a wide
range of issues. People For
the American Way
Foundation’s library has
files on over 800 groups and
almost 300 individuals
documenting their activities
and providing information
about their efforts to
reshape society. This
section presents a small
portion of that information. |
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4455 Connecticut Ave., NW,
Suite 330
Washington, DC 20008
www.academia.org
Founded: by Reed
Irvine in 1985
Executive Director:
Malcolm “Mal” Kline
Finances: $285, 643
(2002 budget)
Publications:
Campus Report, a monthly
newspaper
Affiliated with:
Accuracy in Media |
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Main issues: combating Title IX, multicultural education, and
abortion, and fighting
“liberal” ideas that are
offensive to right-wing
students. Asserts that many
colleges and universities
are openly dedicated to
“indoctrinating” students
with liberal or communist
philosophy.
AIA seeks to expose “the
exploitation of the
classroom or university
resources to indoctrinate
students; discrimination
against students, faculty or
administrators based on
political or academic
beliefs; and campus
violations of free speech.”
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AIA monitors and documents “[t]he use of classroom and/or university
resources to indoctrinate
students.” AIA’s monthly
publication Campus Report
focuses on “three issues:
the exploitation of the
classroom or university
resources to indoctrinate
students; discrimination
against students, faculty or
administrators based on
political or academic
beliefs; and campus
violations of free speech.”
Sponsors an annual
“Conservative University”
conference. Recent speakers
include: John Lott, author
of More Guns, Less Crime,
Joseph Farah of
WorldNetDaily, Rep. Tom
Tancredo (R-Colo.), Lori
Waters of Eagle Forum and
Conservative Caucus chairman
Howard Phillips.
Sells books such as Ann
Coulter’s Treason,Why
the Left Hates America
by Daniel Flynn and
Preachers of Hate: Islam and
the War on America by
Kenneth Timmerman.
AIA has characterized
the NAACP’s founder, W.E.B.
Du Bois, as the “Father of
Bad Multiculturalism.”
According to AIA, “W.E.B. Du
Bois is the father of the
multiculturalism that is
currently pervasive on
American campuses. This is a
multiculturalism that
is…preoccupied with the
negative aspects, both real
and imagined, of our own
culture.”
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Founded by Reed Irvine
to monitor college and
university professors for
teaching “disinformation”
and “liberal” bias. The
group clamed that 10,000
known Marxists teach on
university campuses
nationwide.
Accuracy, Fairness and
Balance in Higher Education”
published in 1985. According
to AIA “youth are being
indoctrinated” on liberal
arts campuses.
AIA will investigate
reports from students of
seriously inaccurate
information being
imparted by classroom
instructors—either
through lectures or
required reading
material.
AIA will try to
discuss the matter with
the teacher to determine
whether or not the
complaint is valid and
to see if the teacher
would be willing to make
a correction.
In cases where the
professor declines this
opportunity, AIA will
employ other means to
call the error to the
attention of students
and others who may be
interested, including
AIA supporters
throughout the country.
In the eighties the
group’s monitoring campaign
caused widespread
controversy on higher
education campuses,
eliciting fear and anger
among academics and
students.
President Reagan’s
Secretary of Education,
William Bennett, called
Irvine’s academic watchdog
group “a bad idea.”
Malcolm Kline was named
AIA’s new executive director
in fall 2003. He worked at
the National Journalism
Center for twenty years.
Kline has written for:
Newsmax.com, National
Catholic Register, Catholic
News Service, and Washington
Times’s Insight
magazine.
AIA’s former Executive
Director was Daniel Flynn,
author of Why the Left
Hates America.
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“Accuracy in Academia plays
an indispensable role in
fighting the political
distortions and biases that
pass for knowledge on
today’s college campuses. I
am looking forward to being
part of a campaign to
challenge students to think
more accurately and
broad-mindedly about the
fundamental issues that
affect their lives.” --
Dinesh D’Souza, author and
right-wing speaker
“Accuracy in Academia is
reaching the leaders of
tomorrow with the truth
about the sexual revolution
ignited in the 60s and
raging today all about them.
This awareness is critical
to properly equipping the
leaders of tomorrow.
Accuracy in Academia is a
lone voice carrying the
message of truth and hope to
a generation that seldom, if
ever, is able to access the
truth about America's
crucial and fragile social
constructs that have made us
free. I am proud to stand
with AIA as they
relentlessly seek to provide
to America's college student
America's measured and true
standard for a free
society's smallest building
block, marriage and family.”
-- Judith A. Reisman, a
right-wing speaker and
author, published
Crafting “Gay” Children: An
Inquiry into the Abuse of
Vulnerable Youth via
Government Schooling &
Mainstream Media in
2001.
“If sanity ever returns to
the academic world, part of
the credit will go to a
small newspaper called
Campus Report, which has
exposed innumerable
incidents of brainwashing
replacing education on
college campuses, storm
trooper tactics being
accepted and rewarded by
‘responsible’ college
administrators, and academic
and behavioral double
standards being applied to
the group to which one
belongs, rather than one’s
own behavior or
performance.” -- Thomas
Sowell, author and
syndicated columnist |
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The African-American Life
Alliance (AALA) is a small,
religious, anti-choice
organization whose mission
is to preach against
abortion, sexual promiscuity
and “illicit moral
activities.” Though AALA is
predominately a one-person
group, its founder and
director Paulette Roseboro
is frequently quoted in
right-wing and anti-choice
materials in an effort to
reach out to the African
American community.
The African-American Life
Alliance
One Staton Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD 20774
Mailing Address: P.O. Box
3722, Capitol Heights,
Maryland 20791
Website:
www.lifedrum.org
Founder/Executive
Director: Paulette
Roseboro [bio]
Founded: 1991
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The stated mission of the
African-American Life
Alliance (AALA) is “to
educate the Black Community
about how sexual promiscuity
and illicit moral activities
have invaded our communities
and are eroding our
families, organizations,
schools, and churches.” The
AALA focuses primarily on
abolishing abortion, and
preaches abstinence; it
promotes teaching
creationism in schools, and
advocates traditional gender
roles for men and women. As
described by its website,
the AALA argues that “The
Church must be on constant
vigil for Satan lurks in his
darkness like a voracious
lion awaiting attack. He
camouflages himself in
worldly reason and logic,
giving unsound rationale to
sinful acts.”
The AALA is a religious
organization that strictly
interprets the Bible and
condemns the practice of
abortion. The AALA equates
the 1973 Supreme Court
decision in Roe v. Wade
(which legalized abortion)
to the 1857 Dred Scott Case,
which legalized slavery.
Both Blacks and the “Unborn”
were ruled to be
“non-persons,” whose lives
were/are in the hands of the
slave-owner or the mother,
respectively.
The African-American Life
Alliance accepts nothing
less than abstinence until
marriage for sexual
activity; it claims that
“sexual purity is achieved
only through chastity and
abstinence for teens and
singles and marital fidelity
for marriedes [sic].” AALA
argues that “condoms provide
virtually no protection”
against sexually-transmitted
diseases. |
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Anti-abortion articles by
Paulette Roseboro have
appeared on numerous
right-wing sites. Roseboro
also testified against human
cloning before the
National Bioethics Advisory
Commission in 1997. Her
testimony has also been
posted to the anti-cloning
site,
BlackGenocide.org.
Roseboro also assisted with
the 1999 Newark, New Jersey
to Washington, DC, “Say So
March” – organized by the
Life Education and Resource
Network (LEARN),
the largest,
African-American “pro-life”
ministry in the country.
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The African-American Life
Alliance was founded in 1991
by Washington, D.C. native
Paulette Roseboro, who quit
her job in the federal
government to pursue
anti-abortion activism
full-time. Roseboro is on
the staffs of several
religious and right-wing
political organizations,
such as the
Greater Washington Christian
Education Association,
the
Maryland Constitution Party
– Prince George’s County
Chapter and serves on the
executive council of the
National Clergy Council
– “Dedicated to bringing
classical Christian moral
instruction into discourse
on public policy.”
Updated: April 2006 |
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All Children Matter (ACM)
raises money through a
network of organizations to
help fund campaigns for
pro-voucher political
candidates.
229 S. Washington Street -
Suite 115
Alexandria VA 22314
Website:
www.allchildrenmatter.org
Executive Director:
Greg Brock
Founded: 2003
Directors: Betsy
DeVos, Richard Sharp, Greg
Brock
Key Staff: Lisa
Lisker, Keith Davis
Finances: $7.6
million
projected expenditures
in 2006
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Dick and Betsy DeVos started
All Children Matter (ACM) in
the spring of 2003, to
recruit, train and fund
candidates who will promote
vouchers across the country.
Today, ACM Inc, a federal “527”
organization, is the lead
organization of a network of
affiliates classified as
state or federal Political
Action Committee’s (PACs),
which can donate money
directly to and campaign on
behalf of political
candidates. With its base of
wealthy funders and ability
to stealthily intervene in
local, state and federal
political races, the ACM
network is an effective tool
for the movement to
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- All Children Matter
was started to fund
pro-voucher political
candidates
- Aside from donating
directly to campaigns,
ACM also funds slick
‘issue ads’ that heavily
favor pro-voucher
candidates.
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- In 2004, ACM paid
for
fliers in support of
President Bush’s
re-election campaign in
Florida. The fliers do
not mention vouchers,
privatization or even
the Right’s favorite
euphemism “school
choice.” The flier
falsely claimed that
Senator John Kerry
“opposed equal
opportunity in
education” and stated
that President Bush
supported increased
education funding.
Campaign finance laws
require political groups
to clearly identify
themselves on their ads.
Though the phrase “no
matter what, All
Children Matter” appears
at the bottom of the
flier, ACM inc. does not
explicitly claim
responsibility for it.
- Also in 2004, ACM
paid for a last minute
radio ad blitz in
Missouri on behalf of
gubernatorial candidate
Matt Blunt. After his
election, Blunt
appointed
Ed Martin, ACM-MO’s
treasurer to be his
Chief of Staff and
personally pushed
pro-voucher legislation
backed by ACM.
- In the summer of
2004, the estate of
Wal-Mart heir
John Walton donated
more than $2 million to
All Children
Matter-Virginia, which,
according to the
Virginia Public Access
Project promptly
funneled money to an
affiliate group in
Florida. The Florida
group then
spent that money to
support pro-voucher
candidates in the state,
without having to
disclose the individuals
who donated it. Relevant
disclosure forms for
the Florida groups will
show only that money
came in from All
Children
Matter-Virginia, with no
disclosure of a
connection to the Walton
family. All Children
Matter-Virginia appears
to be the centerpiece of
this scheme. ACM-VA is
seeing an unprecedented
cash flow even though it
can only spend money in
Virginia on state races
and there are none in
2006. ACM-VA acts a
conduit to stealthfully
distribute money to
other states.
- According to
campaign finance records,
just before the 2006
primary elections in
Missouri, businessman
and financial analyst
Rex Sinquefield
donated $100,000 to an
All Children Matter
affiliate in that state,
which in turn spent the
entire sum in the eight
days leading up to the
election on behalf of
only five pro-voucher
candidates. All Children
Matter enabled
Sinquefield to donate
much more to each of
these candidates than
would have been legal
had he given money
directly to their
campaigns.
- In a 2006 Colorado
primary, ACM began
pouring thousands of
dollars into one race in
the form of direct mail
and advertisements to
support a pro-voucher
state incumbent who was
far behind his opponent
in fundraising.
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The All Children Matter
network receives large
amounts of funding from a
small group of ultra-wealthy
donors. These donors include
Dick DeVos and other
members of his
family, the estate of
Wall-Mart heir
John Walton, JC
Huizenga,
Ted Forstman, Dino
Cortopassi, John D. Bryan,
Joseph Robert, Jr., Peter
Flannigan,
Richard Gilder, Rick
Sharp, Roger Hertog,
Virginia Manheimer, and
Bruce Kovner. |
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"I know a little something
about soft money, as my
family is the largest single
contributor of soft money to
the national Republican
Party. I have decided,
however, to stop taking
offense at the suggestion
that we are buying
influence. Now I simply
concede the point. They are
right. We do expect some
things in return.” -
Betsy DeVos (Roll Call,
1997) |
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Founded by a group of
high-profile Religious Right
leaders such as D. James
Kennedy and James Dobson,
the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF)
sees itself as a counter to
the ACLU. As a legal group,
it assists and augments the
efforts of other right-wing
groups to “keep the door
open for the spread of the
Gospel.” The ADF has been
active on issues including
pushing “marriage
protection,” exposing the
“homosexual agenda” and
fighting the supposed “war
on Christmas.”
Alliance Defense Fund
15333 N. Pima Road - Suite
165
Scottsdale AZ 85260
Website:
www.alliancedefensefund.org
Founders: Bill
Bright, founder of
Campus Crusade for Christ;
Larry Burkett, founder of
Christian Financial
Concepts; Rev. James Dobson,
founder of
Focus on the Family;
Rev. D. James Kennedy,
founder of
Coral Ridge Ministries;
Marlin Maddoux, President of
International Christian
Media; Don Wildmon, founder
of
American Family Association;
and 25+ other ministries.
Founded: 1994
President and General
Counsel: Alan Sears
Officers, Directors,
Trustees, and Key Employees:
Alan Sears, Wayne N.
Swindler, Marv McCarthy
Other Staff: 38
employees
Finances: $15,744,101
(2003 budget)
Major Donors: Bill
and Berniece Grewcock
Foundation, Richard and
Helen DeVos Foundation,
Bradley Foundation. |
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- The Alliance Defense
Fund (ADF) is a
Christian legal firm
established by more than
30 Christian ministries
to help defend “family
values” and work against
the ACLU (American Civil
Liberties Union).
- ADF defines itself
by its ability to
strategize and
coordinate with lawyers
all over the United
States. Lawyers who sign
up for their “Blackstone
Legal Institute” are
expected to donate 450
pro bono hours over a
three year period.
- ADF has coordinated
more than 750 lawyers
and 125 right-wing
organizations, and many
conservative ministries
on behalf of ADF-defined
Christian legal issues.
- ADF claims 25
“victories” before the
Supreme Court,
including: Boy Scouts
of America v. Dale
(2000), which allowed
the Boy Scouts to fire a
Scout Leader due solely
to his sexual
orientation; United
States v. American
Library Association
(2003), in which the
Court voted to allow the
federal government to
withhold federal funds
if libraries did not
comply with the
filtering called for by
the Children’s Internet
Protection Act of 2000;
and Zelman v.
Simmons-Harris
(2002), upheld Ohio’s
school voucher system,
which allows for parents
to send their children
to private or religious
schools with
taxpayer-funded
vouchers.
- ADF has linked more
than 125 groups to
create a combined effort
to fight for their
issues. They’ve brought
together attorneys and
allied legal groups to
help develop a national
strategy on
controversial social
issues, for example they
worked with others to
develop a national
strategy to “protect
marriage” across the
United States after
Vermont's decision to
legalize civil unions
for gays and lesbians.
- In addition to
organizing lawyers and
ministries, ADF also
trains and recruits and
provides grants to
support legal cases as
well as pro-bono
assistance.
- ADF also defends the
right of Christians to
“share the gospel” in
workplaces and public
schools, claiming that
any efforts to curb
proselytizing at work
and school are
anti-Christian.
- ADF has had success
in anti-gay cases all
over the US, from Alaska
to Massachusetts.
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- Unique to the
Alliance Defense Fund
(ADF) is their
collective of high-power
founders, including
wealthy right-wing
organizations such as
Dobson’s Focus on the
Family and D. James
Kennedy’s Coral Ridge
Ministries.
- The ADF embodies the
beliefs of its founders,
harnessing the efforts
of a cadre of right-wing
groups with hundreds of
millions of dollars at
their disposal. All of
these groups are
influential members of
the Right; they are
pro-life and anti-gay,
and their ultimate goal
is to see the law and
U.S. government
enshrined with
conservative Christian
principles.
- The relationship
between ADF and it’s
founders is one of
mutual self-interest;
ADF has access to the
resources and networking
of large organizations,
who in turn are equipped
with an endless supply
of readily-available
lawyers.
- ADF’s strength goes
beyond their budget due
to their influence with
well-funded
religious-right groups.
- Two issues common to
each of ADF’s founders
are their work against
the right to abortion,
and against the civil
rights/liberties of gays
and lesbians. They are
particularly persistent
in attacking attempts by
homosexuals to have
families, establish
domestic partnerships or
civil unions, or to be
protected from
discrimination in
employment or housing.
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Alan Sears was the Executive
Director of the Attorney
General’s Commission on
Pornography under President
Ronald Reagan. Sears was a
federal prosecutor for
former Secretary of Interior
Don Hodel (former Christian
Coalition President), and
has produced several
anti-gay works, such as
The Homosexual Agenda in
paperback, and Exposing
the Homosexual Agenda on
broadcast cassette. |
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“The Alliance Defense Fund
is a servant organization
that provides the resources
that will keep the door open
for the spread of the Gospel
through the legal defense
and advocacy of religious
freedom, the sanctity of
human life, and traditional
family values.”
– The Alliance Defense Fund
website, February 2006
Updated: August
2006 |
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Founded by Pat Robertson,
the American Center for Law
and Justice (ACLJ) and its
Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow
quickly established
themselves as key players in
the right-wing movement,
litigating a variety of
cases at all levels,
including the Supreme Court.
The ACLJ has been
particularly active in
fighting marriage equality
and defending the Pledge of
Allegiance, while Sekulow
has maintained very close
ties to the Bush White House
and played a central role in
pushing for the confirmation
of Supreme Court Justices
Roberts and Alito.
American Center for Law and
Justice
PO Box 64429
1000 Regent University Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23467
Website:
www.aclj.org
Founder: Pat
Robertson, founder of the
700 Club,
Christian Coalition,
Operation Blessing, Regent
University
Date established:
1990
Executive Director/Chief
Counsel: Jay Sekulow
Publications:
Newsletter, education
pamphlets, reports, and
Foundations of Freedom,
a free booklet on the
"nation's most important
documents."
Annual Budget:
$14,650,162 (2004)
Employees: 50
Media: Sekulow has
been a popular guest on
nationally televised news
programs on ABC, CBS, NBC,
CNN, FOX, MSNBC, CNBC, and
PBS. He is also frequently
quoted in articles published
in the mainstream press.
Media: “Jay
Sekulow Live!” is a
daily weekday radio show
that is aired on over 550
radio stations in the U.S.,
heard by 1.5 million
listeners; "ACLJ
This Week" broadcasts
throughout the week on
multiple cable TV channels. |
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- The American Center
for Law and Justice
(ACLJ) is a legal
advocacy group
“dedicated to defending
and advancing religious
liberty, the sanctity of
human life, and the
two-parent,
marriage-bound family.”
- ACLJ is a strong
supporter of the Federal
Marriage Amendment
intended to ban same-sex
marriage.
- ACLJ has been
involved with more than
30 cases before the
United States Supreme
Court and has been
successful in many of
its lawsuits.
- ACLJ is a strong
supporter of school
vouchers and filed a
friend-of-the-court
brief in the 2002
Cleveland voucher case
before the Supreme
Court.
- The ACLJ supports
the funding of
faith-based social
services, religious
proclamations in the
public domain, and often
equates religious
expression with
patriotism.
- ACLJ strongly
opposes the right to
legal, safe abortion and
provides legal help to
pro-life protesters who
harass women seeking
reproductive services.
- The ACLJ challenges
domestic partnership
benefits for city and
state employees,
anti-discrimination
ordinances that include
sexual orientation, and
generally fights against
the right of gays and
lesbians to be parents.
- The ACLJ's legal
services are free.
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- In 2004-2005, the
American Center for Law
and Justice (ACLJ)
played a
key role in the
effort to eliminate the
minority party’s ability
to make use of a
senatorial filibuster
for judicial nominees.
- ACLJ gives free
legal advice and counsel
and maintains a national
Christian Affiliate
Attorney list for
referrals.
- Two of the Supreme
Court cases argued by
Sekulow have become
benchmark cases in the
area of religious
liberty litigation. In
Board of Education of
Westside Community
Schools v. Mergens
(496 US 226), Sekulow
argued the right of
public school students
to form Bible clubs and
religious organizations
on their school
campuses. In Lamb's
Chapel v. Center
Moriches School District,
Sekulow defended the
rights of religious
groups to use public
school property for
religious meetings after
hours.
- A few other examples
of ACLJ cases:
- ACLJ defended a
group of parents who
drove a transsexual
teacher out of her
job in Minnesota,
- Supported a
Kmart pharmacist who
refused to dispense
birth control pills,
and
- Pursued
litigation over
various claims that
children are being
told that they
cannot pray on
school grounds or
talk about their
religion.
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- Jay Sekulow helped
draft the Defense of the
Marriage Act (DOMA),
which passed both houses
and was signed into law
by President Bill
Clinton in 1996. DOMA
allows states to reject
the legitimacy of
same-sex marriage
licenses awarded in
other states, although,
to this day no state
offers marriage licenses
to same-sex couples.
Sekulow helped draft
DOMA: “[and] at the
request of several
pro-family legislators,
[I] gave expert
testimony to both houses
of Congress on this
bill.” (Jay Sekulow,
1997)
- The National Law
Journal has twice
named Sekulow one of the
“100 Most Influential
Lawyers” in the United
States. (1994, 1997); he
is a leading
conservative lawyer, and
has argued numerous
cases before the Supreme
Court.
- In 2005, Sekulow was
named one of the "25
Most Influential
Evangelicals" in America
by TIME Magazine.
- Sekulow has also
worked closely with
the White House in
promoting and defending
the Bush
administration’s Supreme
Court nominees.
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"This great American
institution [Boy Scouts of
America] has come under
attack from homosexual
activists—who may well set
their sights on your
church next."
– Jay Sekulow, direct mail,
March 2000
"Can you imagine, that in
public schools of America
today, students are being
taught that homosexual
conduct, which in many
states is still deemed
illegal, is not only a
viable alternative
lifestyle, but is actually
equal to heterosexual
relationships?"
– Jay Sekulow, January 2,
1997, Danbury News-Times
Updated: August
2006 |
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Founder Ward Connerly and
the American Civil Rights
Institute (ACRI) oppose
affirmative action and any
government/education
policies that grant priority
or preference to certain
racial groups over others.
ACRI has promoted
legislation and “reform” in
state policies and
individual university or
college criteria to end such
programs. Continuing his
state-by-state attack on
affirmative action policies,
Connerly co-founded the
so-called “Michigan
Civil Rights Initiative”
(MCRI), a 2006 ballot
initiative to ban
affirmative action in state
“hiring, contracting, and
admissions to public
schools.” On November 7,
2006, Michigan voters
approved the affirmative
action ban by 58-42 percent.
American Civil Rights
Institute
P.O. Box 188350
Sacramento CA 95818
Website:
www.acri.org
Founder/Chairman:
Ward Connerly
Vice Chairman: Thomas
L. Rhodes (2003)
Founded/Place: 1997,
California
Director: Edward J.
Blum
Finances: $2,203,864
(2004)
Publications: The
Egalitarian (newsletter)
Affiliate Groups:
American Civil Rights
Coalition;
Michigan Civil Rights
Initiative |
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The American Civil Rights
Institute (ACRI) opposes
affirmative action and any
government/education
policies that take race into
consideration. It has
promoted legislation and
“reform” in state policies
and individual university or
college criteria to end such
programs. Founder Ward
Connerly and ACRI’s attacks
on affirmative action
policies have proved
successful in California,
Washington State and
Michigan, but their efforts
have failed in Florida.
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In 1996, Ward Connerly led
the so-called “California
Civil Rights Initiative” –
the successful campaign for
a ballot referendum (Proposition
209) to end all
affirmative action programs
in California state
government. The American
Civil Rights Institute –
American Civil Rights
Coalition was formed by
Connerly in 1997 to take the
battle against affirmative
action nationwide. Critics
charge that Connerly used
his 12-year position as a
University of California
Regent (1993-2005) as a
“bully pulpit” to promote
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- 1998: Washington
state voters approve “Initiative
200” which bans the
state from using race,
gender or sex to give
preferential treatment
in employment,
contracting or public
education admissions.
- 1999: Connerly
launches a petition
drive in support of a
2000 ballot initiative
to overturn affirmative
action policies in
Florida. While
proponents of the
“Florida Civil Rights
Initiative” gathered
enough signatures and
waited for the state
Supreme Court to approve
the ballot language,
momentum faltered and
organizing stopped. In
March 2000, a march on
the state capitol in
Tallahassee by thousands
of civil rights
supporters angered over
Gov. Jeb Bush’s own
anti-affirmative action
plan (“One
Florida”), along
with the concern of many
Republicans that a 2000
ballot measure would
increase
moderate/progressive
voter turnout and would
hurt GOP presidential
candidate George W.
Bush, may have doomed
the Florida Civil Rights
Initiative.
- 2002: ACRI’s “Racial
Privacy Initiative” – a
"proposed constitutional
amendment that would ban
state and local
governments from
collecting racial data"
– is certified for the
California ballot. On
October 7, 2003
California voters
defeated the Racial
Privacy Initiative (Prop
54) by a margin of 64%
to 36%. Connerly blames
“legal challenges filed
by the unholy
triumvirate of the
American Civil Liberties
Union, the Mexican
American Legal Defense
and Education Fund, and
the National Association
for the Advancement of
Colored People” against
ACRI and the American
Civil Rights Coalition
along with having the
measure moved to the
special election to
recall Gov. Gray Davis
as causes for its
failure to pass.
- January, 2003: The
Individual Rights
Foundation – the
legal arm of David
Horowitz’s
Center for the Study of
Popular Culture –
submits an
amicus brief [PDF
file] on behalf of Ward
Connerly to the U.S.
Supreme Court inGrutter
v. Bollinger & Gratz v.
Bollinger, attacking
the affirmative action
policies of the
University of Michigan.
- January 2003: The
American Civil Rights
Institute, along with
the
Center for Equal
Opportunity and the
Independent Women's
Forum, filed an
amicus brief [PDF
file] with the U.S.
Supreme Court supporting
the petitioners in
Grutter v. Bollinger &
Gratz v. Bollinger.
- October 2003: The
American Civil Rights
Institute, along with
the Center for Equal
Opportunity and the
Independent Women's
Forum, files a
friend-of-the-court
brief [PDF file]
with the U.S. Supreme
Court. The brief urges
the Court to grant
review in Grutter v.
Bollinger.
- Connerly is a
co-founder of the “Michigan
Civil Rights Initiative”
– which formed to place
an anti-affirmative
action ballot measure on
the 2006 ballot.
According to its
website, the Michigan
Civil Rights Initiative
(MCRI) would amend “the
Michigan Constitution to
prohibit discrimination
by state and local
governments against
anyone based on their
race, sex, color,
ethnicity or national
origin. The ban would
apply to hiring,
contracting, and
admissions to public
schools.” The MCRI was
endorsed by the
Mystic Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan. On November
7, 2006, Michigan voters
approved the affirmative
action ban (Proposal 2)
by 58-42 percent.
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"Recent events in the
aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina have reaffirmed for
me, however, the complete
folly of any Republican
strategy to increase black
representation in the
Republican Party by appeals
based on race. Whatever the
name – 'African American
Outreach' or 'Black
Republicans for Bush' – any
effort to attract blacks or
any other ethnic group to
the Republican party, based
on explicit or implicit
appeals to race or ethnic
identity, are not only a
waste of time and resources,
but are also misguided and
potentially quite damaging
to the nation." – Ward
Connerly ["End
the Race Party,"
National Review,
September 30, 2005]
"Let it be said that when
given a chance to complete
the liberation of black
Americans, on June 23, 2003
five justices consigned them
to another generation — or,
perhaps, a term of
indefinite duration — of
virtual enslavement to the
past." – Ward Connerly,
responding to the U.S.
Supreme Court’s Michigan
rulings ["Murder
at the Supreme Court,"
National Review, July
26, 2003]
"The Grutter and Gratz
decisions, taken together,
represent a sad and tragic
chapter in American
history." – Ward Connerly,
responding to the U.S.
Supreme Court’s Michigan
rulings [National
Review, July 26,
2003]
"The court made a very
ambiguous ruling - and a
sickening one. It left the
nation in the position of
agony. . . . We will be
fighting this battle for
another 25 years or more." –
Ward Connerly, responding to
the U.S. Supreme Court’s
Michigan rulings [Washington
Times, July 24, 2003]
"Passionate ideological
opposition to race
preferences does not seem to
be part of the Bush DNA, and
President Bush has been no
exception to this rule . . .
It is not the legitimate
business of government in
America to promote
'diversity.'" – Ward
Connerly on the White House
briefs in the Supreme Court
Michigan cases,
Washington Times
[January 21, 2003]
Updated: November
2006 |
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Founded by William F.
Buckley in 1964, the
American Conservative Union
(ACU) is one of the nation’s
oldest lobbying groups on
the Right. It is best known
for its annual ratings of
Congress and its sponsorship
of the annual Conservative
Political Action Convention
(CPAC), a gathering of
Washington insiders,
right-wing pundits and
grassroots activists from
across the country.
American Conservative Union
1007 Cameron Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Websites:
www.conservative.org or
www.cpac.org
Founders: William F.
Buckley, Jr.: L. Brent
Bozell: Frank S. Meyer; John
Chamberlain; Jameson
Campaigne, Sr.; John
Ashbrook; Katherine St.
George; and Robert E. Bauman
Chairman: David A.
Keene
Established: December
1964
Finances: American
Conservative Union [501(c)4]
- $3,810,745 (2004) and
American Conservative Union
Foundation [501(c)3] -
$1,068,592 (2005)
Board members include:
Senator Jesse Helms;
Grover Norquist,
Morton Blackwell, also
on the Conservative
Leadership PAC and
Free Congress Foundation
boards; and
Becky Norton Dunlop,
also serves on boards of the
Heritage Foundation, the
Family Foundation and
Century Communications
Frequent Donors: The
Lynde and Harry Bradley
Foundation; the Bill and
Berniece Grewcock
Foundation; and the William
E. Simon Foundation
Affiliated with:
American Conservative Union
Foundation, American
Conservative Union PAC,
Conservative Political
Action Conference (CPAC)
Publications:
Battle Line quarterly
newsletter, along with
reports and legislative
guides for Congress |
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- The American
Conservative Union (ACU)
defines itself as the
nation's oldest
conservative lobbying
organization.
- ACU is a
multi-issue, umbrella
organization that
specializes in
grassroots organizing as
well as organizing and
supporting conservative
leadership.
- The organization’s
mission statement
describes its commitment
to “a market economy,
the doctrine of original
intent of the framers of
the Constitution,
traditional moral
values, and a strong
national defense.”
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- Since 1971, the
American Conservative
Union (ACU) has
published Congressional
member ratings on a
scale of zero to 100,
according to their
conservative standards.
- Since 1974, ACU has
hosted the annual
Conservative Political
Action Conference
(CPAC). CPAC is the
largest conservative
conference in the United
States. CPAC speakers
have included: Ronald
Reagan, George W. Bush,
Dick Cheney, John
Ashcroft, Pat Robertson,
Pat Buchanan, Dick
Armey, Jesse Helms, Tom
DeLay, Trent Lott,
Senator Sam Brownback,
Bob Barr, Phyllis
Schlafly, Beverly
LaHaye, William Bennett,
Ralph Reed, columnist
George Will, Gary Bauer,
Alan Keyes, Grover
Norquist, Charlton
Heston of the NRA,
Condoleezza Rice, Ann
Coulter, David Horowitz,
Florida Secretary of
State Katherine Harris,
Dr. Laura Schlessinger,
Oliver North, Rev. Lou
Sheldon of Traditional
Values Coalition, and
many other conservative
pundits, writers, and
politicians.
- ACU claims its “most
significant efforts,”
include “fighting to
keep OSHA off the backs
of small businesses;
opposing the Panama
Canal giveaway;
challenging the SALT
treaties; supporting aid
to freedom fighters in
communist countries;
promoting the
confirmation of
conservative justices to
the Supreme Court;
advocating near-term
deployment of strategic
defenses; and battling
against higher taxes and
wasteful government
spending.”
- In 1992, the ACU
Board of Directors
endorsed Patrick
Buchanan's presidential
candidacy.
- During the Clinton
presidency, ACU remained
a strong, vocal critic
on issues such as health
care. ACU’s director
Donald Devine led a
country-wide bus tour,
called the “National
Health Care Truth Tour.”
Hillary Clinton herself
stated that ACU’s
activities were largely
responsible for the
defeat of the
administration’s health
plan proposal in 1993.
- ACU opposes the
Patriot Act and in March
2005, joined the
"Patriots to Restore
Checks and Balances,"
coalition which
includes groups ranging
from the Americans for
Tax Reform and the
American Civil Liberties
Union.
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- In 1974, ACU
established and
sponsored the first
Conservative Political
Action Conference
(CPAC).
- Reagan was a
“long-time friend and
ally” of ACU. In 1975,
ACU asked Ronald Reagan
to run for president,
and has since assumed
credit for the success
of his ultimate election
in 1980.
- ACU and its state
affiliates established
one of the first
independent campaigns on
behalf of a presidential
candidate. ACU
orchestrated the
campaign to elect
Reagan, running hundreds
of radio and newspaper
ads comparing candidate
Reagan to President
Ford, labeling Reagan a
conservative visionary
and Ford a liberal.
- ACU launched
"Project One Million" in
1981, seeking at least
one million backers of a
"Petition of Support"
for Reagan's economic
plan.
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“The ACU doesn't rate
presidents, but a president
can rate you. This is a fine
group of decent citizens,
principled citizens, and
tonight I am proud to stand
with the ACU.”
– President George W. Bush,
2004 (ACU website)
"ACU is the key to my plans
to change the direction of
government."
– President Ronald Reagan
(ACU website)
"Conservatives all across
America can be proud of what
ACU has accomplished over
the years. Moreover, its
future promises a vital role
in the struggle to return
our nation to the principles
upon which it was founded."
– Senator Jesse Helms (ACU
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“A body turned up on Capitol
Hill this past week – beaten
to a pulp, almost
unrecognizable. Its name:
Comprehensive Immigration
Reform (CIR). That’s the
bill that would have granted
amnesty to 12 million
illegal aliens and invited
the world to come UNINVITED
to our house and bring the
kids. The death of CIR is a
victory for our side. But
sadly, like the Frankenstein
monster, CIR will probably
rise from the dead after the
fall elections.”
–
ACU Action Alert,
September 28, 2006
“We MUST demand -- NOW --
that a united Republican
delegation bring ALL
conservative nominees to the
floor for an up-or-down
vote! Some of the best
judges in the nation have
been left twisting in the
wind -- literally for years
-- while conservatives
bicker among themselves. The
time to break the back of
liberal judicial obstruction
once and for all is NOW!”
–
ACU Action Alert, August
29, 2006
Updated: December
2006
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The American Enterprise
Institute for Public Policy
Research (AEI) is one of the
oldest and most influential
of the pro-business
right-wing think tanks. It
promotes the advancement of
free enterprise capitalism,
and has been extremely
successful in placing its
people in influential
governmental positions,
particularly in the Bush
Administration. AEI has been
described as one of the
country's main bastions of
neoconservatism.
American Enterprise
Institute
1150 Seventeenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Website:
www.aei.org
Established: 1943
President/Executive
Director: Christopher
DeMuth
Finances: $24,934,545
(2003 income)
Employees: more than
50 resident scholars and
fellows
Board of Trustees:
Chairman Bruce Kovner
(Caxton Associations, LLC);
Vice Chair Lee R. Raymond
(Exxon Mobil Corporation);
Treasurer Tully M. Friedman
(Friedman, Fleischer, & Lowe
LLC); Gordon M. Binder
(Coastview Capital, LLC);
Harlan Crow (Crow Holdings);
Christopher DeMuth (American
Enterprise Institute);
Morton H. Fleischer (Spirit
Finance Corp.); Christopher
B. Galvin (Motorola);
Raymond V. Gilmartin (Merck
& Co.); Harvey Golub
(American Express Co.);
Robert F. Greenhill
(Greenhill & Co., LLC) ;
Roger Hertog (Alliance
Capital Management
Corporation); Martin M.
Koffel (URS Corporation);
John A. Luke, Jr.
(MeadWestvaco Corp.); L. Ben
Lytle (Anthem, Inc.); Alex
Mandl (Gemplus
International); Robert A.
Pritzker (Colson Associates,
Inc.); J. Joe Ricketts
(Ameritrade Holding
Corporation); Kevin B.
Rollins (Dell, Inc.); John
W. Rowe (Exelon Corp.);
Edward B. Rust, Jr. (State
Farm Insurance Co.); William
S. Stavropoulos (Dow
Chemical Co.); Wilson H.
Taylor (CIGNA Corp.);
Marilyn Ware (American
Water); James Q. Wilson
(Pepperdine University)
Publications: Monthly
newsletter, dozens of books
and hundreds of articles and
reports each year, and a
glossy policy magazine,
The American Enterprise. |
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- American Enterprise
Institute (AEI) is a
think tank for
conservatives,
neoconservatives, and
conservative
libertarians.
- Areas of interest
include: America’s
“culture war,” domestic
policy and federal
spending, education
reform, neoconservatism,
affirmative action, and
welfare reform.
- President George W.
Bush has appointed over
a dozen people from AEI
to senior positions in
his administration. AEI
claims that this is more
than any other research
institution.
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- AEI sponsors and
participates in debates
and lectures on many
issues.
- AEI scholars have
testified before
Congress on a variety of
issues.
- Several AEI scholars
have written articles in
favor of government
censorship of the arts.
- Scholar Michael
Novak has argued that
prayer belongs in public
schools and that it
doesn’t violate the
establishment clause.
- AEI scholars have
advocated
federally-funded school
voucher programs.
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- Most of AEI’s Board
of Directors are CEOs of
major companies,
including ExxonMobil,
Motorola, American
Express, State Farm
Insurance, and Dow
Chemicals.
- Big donors include
the top conservative
foundations, including
Smith-Richardson
Foundation, the Olin
Foundation, the Scaife
Foundation, and the
Lynde and Harry Bradley
Foundation.
- Corporate supporters
have included: General
Electric Foundation,
Amoco, Kraft Foundation,
Ford Motor Company Fund,
General Motors
Foundation, Eastman
Kodak Foundation,
Metropolitan Life
Foundation, Proctor &
Gamble Fund, Shell
Companies Foundation,
Chrysler Corporation,
Charles Stewart Mott
Foundation, General
Mills Foundation,
Pillsbury Company
Foundation, Prudential
Foundation, American
Express Foundation, AT&T
Foundation, Corning
Glass Works Foundation,
Morgan Guarantee Trust,
Smith-Richardson
Foundation, Alcoa
Foundation, and PPG
Industries.
- Kenneth Lay, CEO of
Enron, was until
recently on the board of
trustees of American
Enterprise Institute.
Other famous former
trustees include Vice
President Dick Cheney.
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- Lynne Cheney, wife
of Vice President Dick
Cheney and former chair
of the National
Endowment for the
Humanities.
- Newt Gingrich,
former Speaker of the
House.
- David Frum, a
presidential
speechwriter for
President Bush,
contributing editor to
the right-wing magazine
Weekly Standard.
- Christina Hoff
Sommers, anti-feminist
crusader, author of
Who Stole Feminism? How
Women Betrayed Women.
- Charles Murray,
author of The Bell
Curve, a book that
asserted inherent
intelligence differences
between the races.
- Ben J. Wattenberg,
host of PBS weekly show
“Think Tank.”
Updated: August
2006 |
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The American Family
Association (AFA) has been a
long-time promoter of
"traditional moral values"
in the media, particularly
television. AFA built its
reputation on organizing
boycotts against sponsors of
TV shows with
"anti-Christian" messages
and ideas, or against
companies it claims support
the so-called "homosexual
agenda" or marriage
equality.
American Family Association
P.O. Box 2440
Tupelo, Mississippi 38803
Website:
www.afa.net
Chairman/Founder: The
Rev. Donald Wildmon
Vice President: Tim
Wildmon (son of Donald
Wildmon)
Founded: 1977
Formerly known as:
National Federation for
Decency (Changed in 1988)
Membership: AFA
claims over 500,000 members
Finances: $14,186,203
(2004)
Staff: About 100
employees and five full-time
lawyers
Board of Directors:
Donald Wildmon, Timothy
Wildmon, Forrest Daniels,
Rev. Curtis Petrey, Rev.
Jack Williams, Rev. Burt
Harper, Rev. Bobby Hankins,
Dr. Gayle Alexander, Forest
Sheffield, Rev. Tim Fortner
(2004)
State chapters: State
Directors in
12 states
Funding: From 1998 to
2003, the AFA received
$90,000 from 6 grants
contributed by the Bill and
Berniece Grewcock Foundation
Publications:
AFA Journal,
published monthly, with a
circulation of 180,000
Radio: AFA has its
own 200-station network of
radio stations across the
United States
Media: AFA has
produced videos entitled,
“Excess Access,” “It’s Not
Gay,” and “Suffer the
Children”
Affiliate groups: AFA
Foundation,
Center for Law & Policy,
American Family Radio,
American Family News
Network‘s
OneNewsNow.com (formerly
Agape Press), and
AFA Action - the
legislative action arm of
the American Family
Association
Affiliated Websites:
ValuesVoters.com – a
voter registration and
education site; Center for
Law & Policy
Case Note (blog);
OneMillionDads.com;
OneMillionMoms.com;
AFA Internet Filtering;
NoGayMarriage.com; and
BoycottFord.com among
others |
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- The American Family
Association (AFA)
targets the media and
entertainment industry’s
"attack" on "traditional
family values."
- Two of the main
duties that AFA assigns
to itself are "promoting
the centrality of God in
American life" and
"promoting the Christian
ethic of decency."
- "Indecent”
influences in American
culture include:
television, the
separation of church and
state, pornography, "the
homosexual agenda,"
premarital sex, legal
abortion, the National
Endowment for the Arts,
gambling, unfiltered
internet access in
libraries, and the
removal of
school-sponsored
religious worship from
public schools.
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- The American Family
Association (AFA)
produces a radio show,
“AFA Report,” a
30-minute feature
available on about 1,200
local radio stations
nationwide. AFA launched
their broadcast ministry
American Family Radio
(AFR) in 1987. AFR has
approximately 200 radio
stations in 27 states
across the country.
According to American
Family Radio, “AFR has
built more stations in a
shorter time than any
other broadcaster in the
history of
broadcasting.” The AFA
built their small radio
empire by applying for
“noncommercial
educational licenses.”
When the FCC refused to
certain licenses, the
AFA sued the FCC in
federal court arguing
that to deny religious
groups noncommercial
broadcasting licenses
violates their First
Amendment and Equal
Protection rights.
-
AFA Action – the
legislative action arm
of the American Family
Association –
co-sponsored the 2006
Values Voter Summit with
FRC Action,
Focus on the Family
Action, and Gary
Bauer’s
Americans United to
Preserve Marriage.
- For over twenty
years, one of AFA’s
primary activities has
been the organization of
boycotts against
sponsors of TV shows
with “anti-Christian”
messages and ideas. A
few of the hundreds of
boycott targets on AFA’s
list have included
“Saturday Night Live,”
“Roseanne,” “Nightline,”
“NYPD Blue,” “Ellen,”
and “Desperate
Housewives.”
- A major target of
AFA’s had been Disney
and its subsidiaries;
“Disney’s attack on
America’s families has
become so blatant, so
intentional, so obvious,
that American Family
Association has called
for a boycott of all
Disney products until
such time as this
activity ceases.” AFA
ended its boycott of
Disney in 2005, citing
the departure of Disney
CEO Michael Eisner and
its divestiture of
Miramax films as
rationale, but openly
stating “AFA had moved
on to other important
issues, such as an
increasingly activist
judiciary and the push
for same-sex marriage.”
- AFA has created two
websites -
OneMillionMoms.com
and
OneMillionDads.com
to “help parents do
something about the
trash on TV.” Both
websites organize weekly
on-line boycotts of
offensive advertising or
television shows.
- The American Family
Association (AFA) is
alerting its members to
companies who are
supportive of GLBT
employees and is asking
“Christian consumers…to
think twice before they
patronize companies that
support the homosexual
agenda.” AFA lists major
corporations that have
non-discrimination
policies that include
sexual orientation or
that offer
domestic-partner
benefits for same-sex
couples, including
Eastman Kodak,
Citigroup, PepsiCo.,
American Airlines,
Allstate Insurance, and
the Coca-Cola Company.
“One company losing five
to ten percent of its
sales will send a clear
message to every company
in America,” offers Don
Wildmon. AFA attacked
Kraft Foods (owner of
brand names Post, Oscar
Meyer, and Maxwell
House, among others) for
the company’s support of
the 2006 Gay Games in
Chicago.
- Wal-Mart and its
affiliate Sam’s Club
became an AFA
boycott target
because of the
retailer’s support for
the National Gay and
Lesbian Chamber of
Commerce.
- The American Family
Association has called
for a national
boycott of the Ford
Motor Company over the
manufacturer’s
sponsorship of gay pride
events and continued
advertising in gay
publications. AFA claims
its boycott has played a
major part in Ford’s
drop in sales.
- Donald Wildmon has
called for the shutdown
of PBS and as a result
of the AFA's campaign,
many state legislatures
reduced funding for
public broadcasting. The
AFA spearheaded the
attack on the National
Endowment for the Arts
(NEA) in the 1980’s,
using direct mail and
extensive print
advertising to distort
the NEA's record of
sponsorship of the arts.
- The AFA participates
in Pornography Awareness
Week.
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- In 1990, the
American Family
Association established
the AFA Center for Law &
Policy as a litigation
and public policy arm of
the organization.
- The Center for Law &
Policy (CLP) is staffed
by six full-time
attorneys with a network
of more than 400
affiliate lawyers. The
CLP states that they
provide representation
to Christians in courts
throughout the country,
and advise state and
federal legislators on
constitutional,
political, and legal
issues.
- The CLP has been
involved in several
cases where they push
for religious worship
and symbols in public
schools as well as the
removal of curriculum
that doesn’t reflect
“traditional family
values.”
- AFA has spearheaded
a campaign to have their
“In God We Trust”
posters posted in every
classroom, in every
school in the United
States. In 2001, the
Mississippi state
legislature passed a law
requiring that each
public school classroom,
auditorium and cafeteria
display a “In God We
Trust” poster. However,
when the Mississippi
state legislature did
not provide any funding
for the bill, AFA/CLP
volunteered to be the
coordinator for the
project. AFA/CLP is
responsible for
organizing and
distributing 32,000 free
“In God We Trust”
posters in public
schools in the state of
Mississippi.
- AFA/CLP has
encouraged other states
to follow Mississippi’s
example, promising that
anyone who may be afraid
of a lawsuit would be
defended by the AFA
Center for Law & Policy
for free. In 2001, AFA
distributed 250,000 “In
God We Trust” posters
nationwide.
CLP represented the
anti-gay group “Take
Back Maryland” when they
were accused of
falsifying signatures
for a petition to
reverse an
anti-discrimination bill
that protected gays and
lesbians from bias
discrimination in
employment and housing.
- AFA filed lawsuits
attempting to ban the
curriculum,
“Impressions,” from
public school classrooms
on the grounds that it
“promotes the religion
of witchcraft.”
- AFA sponsored a
rally in support of
Judge Roy Moore of
Alabama who refused to
remove the Ten
Commandments from his
courtroom.
- AFA Center for Law &
Policy (CLP) won a
lawsuit on behalf of
pro-life protesters in
Elkhorn, Wisconsin, over
protest signs
confiscated and held by
city officials.
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- Many of AFA’s state
chapters are very active
on a state and local
level. Gary Glenn of
AFA Michigan has
become a lightening rod
in the state for
controversy over civil
rights protections for
gays and lesbians. Glenn
has opposed the
anti-discrimination
policies of several
Michigan cities by
asserting that if
passed, public bathrooms
and showers would become
co-ed. After the
legislation passed in
several towns, Glenn
organized petitions to
overturn the
legislation, asserting
that gays and lesbians
pose a “public health
hazard.” Glenn also has
targeted a 4th grade
environmental education
course, alleging that
the program is
“anti-human” and
promotes paganism.
- The former
California director for
AFA was Scott Lively of
Abiding Truth Ministries
and the
Pro-Family Law Center.
Lively is a long-time
anti-gay activist who
has written such books
as The Pink Swastika
which claims that
“homosexuals [are] the
true inventors of Nazism
and the guiding force
behind many Nazi
atrocities.” [From the
The Pink Swastika
preface.] Lively has
also written 7 Steps
to Recruit-Proof Your
Child and The
Poisoned Stream: “Gay”
Influence in Human
History. Under his
leadership, AFA
California launched the
“California Campaign to
Take Back the Schools”
to stop the
“homosexualization of
American public
schools.”
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“Now the Bush Administration
is opening its arms to
homosexual activists who
have been working diligently
to overthrow the traditional
views of Western
Civilization regarding human
sexuality, marriage and
family… AFA would never
support the policies of a
political party which
embraced the homosexual
movement. Period.” – Don
Wildmon, AFA Press Release,
April 16, 2001
“We believe the national
motto incorporates the
foundational belief of our
culture, and its words ‘In
God we trust’ are a message
our children need to see in
school.” – Don Wildmon,
AFA Journal cover story,
July 2001
“But the National PTA
continued right along,
increasingly becoming a tool
to promote a left-wing
philosophy instead of
helping the children with
their educational needs. The
latest project for the
National PTA is the
promotion of the homosexual
agenda…Stop the PTA from
using your children to
promote their left-wing
political agenda.” – Don
Wildmon, AFA Journal,
February 2001
“Over the years, AFA has
consistently addressed the
homosexual movement's
obsession with infiltrating
the public school system.
Its eye-opening video ‘It's
Not Gay’, which presents a
heartbreaking look at the
physical and emotional
consequences of the
homosexual lifestyle, has
been the most popular video
ever produced by AFA.”
(“Homosexuals push for
control of schools,” May
2001)
“Nothing disappointed the
[American Family
Association] more than
Disney's enthusiastic
embrace of [the homosexual]
movement that rejects
everything that is sacred to
Christians about human
sexuality, marriage and
family.” (“Why the Disney
Boycott Shouldn't Go Away,”
April 2001)
On Christians in the public
square: “Christians must be
equally willing to take the
heat, and to shrug off the
rabid attacks of the media
babblers who see Christians
as the enemy.” – News Editor
Ed Vitagliano, AFA
Journal, July 2005
“The church and this nation
cry out for a revival of
masculine Christianity,
which is to say that we
church leaders need to stop
being such, for lack of a
better word, sissies when it
comes to social and
political issues. We need to
spend as much time
confronting perpetrators as
we do comforting victims. We
need to do less fretting,
and more fighting for
righteousness. For every
motherly, feminine ministry
of the church such as a
Crisis Pregnancy Center or
ex-gay support group, we
need a battle-hardened,
take-it-to-the-enemy
masculine ministry like
Operation Rescue (questions
of civil disobedience
aside). For every God-hating
radical in government,
academia and media we need a
bold, no-nonsense,
truth-telling Christian
counterpart: trained,
equipped and endorsed by the
local church.” – Scott
Lively, author of
The Pink Swastika
and former Director of AFA
California (source)
“Under homosexual activists'
political agenda, our
children would face a future
in which traditional
marriage and families have
been legally devalued, while
state government – despite
the severe threat it poses
to personal and public
health – not only legally
endorses but uses our tax
dollars to subsidize deadly
homosexual behavior.” – Gary
Glenn, Director of AFA
Michigan (Press Release,
February 17, 2001)
Updated: November
2006 |
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Founded in the early 1970s
to promote right-wing
policies at the state level,
the American Legislative
Exchange Council’s focus has
shifted to favor the
promotion of state
legislation and regulation
that benefits its corporate
sponsors. A fact that should
come as no surprise given
its funding by right-wing
foundations and corporate
membership fees ranging from
$5000 to $50,000. The
council boasts a large
clearinghouse of research,
model bills, and legislative
strategies to promote its
agenda.
American Legislative
Exchange Council (ALEC)
1129 20th Street NW - Suite
500
Washington, DC 20036
Website:
www.alec.org
Founders: Paul
Weyrich, Henry Hyde, Lou
Barnett, and others
Executive Director:
Duane Parde
Established: 1973
Financials:
$5,640,684 (2003 budget)
Employees: 29
Board Members:
Georgia Representative Earl
Ehrhart; Kansas Senator
Susan Wagle; Iowa
Representative Delores
Mertz; Arkansas Senator
Steve Faris; Nebraska
Senator L. Patrick Engel;
Mississippi Senator William
G. Hewes III
Private Enterprise Board:
Kurt L. Malmgren, PhRMA;
Jerry Watson, American Bail
Coalition; Scott Fisher,
Altria Corporate Services;
Pete Poynter, BellSouth;
Michael K. Morgan, Koch
Industries; Allan E. Auger,
Coors Brewing Co.; Ronald F.
Scheberle, Verizon
Communications, Inc.
Membership: claims
2,400 state legislators as
members
Publications: ALEC
Policy Forum: A Journal for
State and National
Policymakers, policy papers,
Task Force reports (9),
Leadership Briefing
(newsletter), Inside ALEC
(monthly publication)
For more information see "Corporate
America’s Trojan Horse in
the States" from
Defenders of Wildlife and
National Resources Defense
Council. |
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- The American
Legislative Exchange
Council (ALEC) is a
right-wing public policy
organization with strong
ties to major
corporations, trade
associations and
right-wing politicians.
- ALEC’s agenda
includes rolling back
civil rights,
challenging government
restrictions on
corporate pollution,
limiting government
regulations of commerce,
privatizing public
services, and
representing the
interests of the
corporations that make
up its supporters.
- ALEC’s mission: “To
promote the principles
of federalism by
developing and promoting
policies…To enlist state
legislators from all
parties and members of
the private sector who
share ALEC’s mission…To
conduct a policy-making
program that unites
members of the public
and private sector in a
dynamic partnership to
support research, policy
development, and
dissemination
activities.”
- ALEC claims that it
is “the nation’s largest
bipartisan, individual
membership association
of state
legislators”—all of
ALEC’s officers who are
state legislator members
are Republican.
- ALEC is supported by
many right-wing
foundations and
organizations,
including, but not
limited to: National
Rifle Association,
Family Research Council,
Heritage Foundation,
Sarah Scaife Foundation,
Milliken Foundation,
DeVos Foundation,
Bradley Foundation, and
the Olin Foundation.
- ALEC has over three
hundred corporate
sponsors. Several
well-known and
closely-tied
organizations include:
Enron, American Nuclear
Energy Council, American
Petroleum Institute,
Amoco, Chevron, Coors
Brewing Company, Shell,
Texaco, Union Pacific
Railroad, Pharmaceutical
Research & Manufacturers
of America, Phillip
Morris, and R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco.
- ALEC has proposed
that many public
services, such as
schools, prisons, public
transportation, and
social and welfare
services, be taken over
by for-profit private
businesses.
- One of ALEC’s
central concerns is
government regulations
of businesses,
especially ones that
protect the environment
and/or public health.
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- ALEC develops and
creates “model”
legislation and through
its national political
network lobbies to get
it passed in state
legislatures. According
to ALEC: “During the
1999-2000 legislative
cycle, ALEC legislators
introduced more than
3100 pieces of
legislation based on our
models, and more than
450 of these were
enacted…In the
legislative sessions of
2000, there were more
than 2150 introductions
promoting ALEC policy.”
- ALEC has 9 “Task
Forces” - Commerce &
Economic Development
Task Force; Criminal
Justice Task Force;
Energy, Environment,
Natural Resources &
Agriculture Task Force;
Tax & Fiscal Policy Task
Force; Trade &
Transportation Task
Force; Health & Human
Services Task Force;
Education Task Force;
Telecommunications &
Information Technology
Task Force; and the
Federalism Task Force.
- ALEC works closely
with the State Policy
Network, a national
network of right-wing
groups and foundations
that push their agenda
on the local and state
level.
- ALEC has been a
strong supporter of
deregulation of various
industries. For example,
in the 1990’s ALEC
championed deregulation
of the electricity
industry by arguing that
states had a monopoly
over the “utility
markets.” During this
time Kenneth Lay of
Enron was an active,
outspoken member who
strongly supported
deregulation.
- ALEC has had some
success in attempts to
privatize education. It
created the first
private school voucher
legislation that
proposed giving public
education funds to
private schools, and is
currently celebrating
the 2005 passage of a
school choice bill in
Utah. ALEC strongly
supports Bush’s No Child
Left Behind Act, and
argues that market
competition will force
public schools to
improve or be put out of
business.
ALEC applauds the
decision to not sign the
“economy-busting Kyoto
Protocol,” which it
accurately describes as
the “international
treaty to regulate
emissions of greenhouse
gases like carbon
dioxide.”
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- Between 1985-2002,
ALEC received 53 grants
totaling $2.836 million
from a short list of
conservative
foundations. These
included the Allegheny
Foundation, Castle Rock
Foundation, the Claude
R. Lambe Charitable
Foundation, and the
Koch, Bradley, and Olin
Foundations, among
others.
- Corporate membership
fees range between
$5,000 and $50,000 with
additional annual fees
to participate in
certain task forces.
- In 2002, Exxon
contributed $193,200 to
ALEC, jumping to
$290,000 the following
year.
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- ALEC’s early years
conformed to Paul
Weyrich’s vision,
focusing on standard
right-wing causes such
as opposing abortion and
women’s rights and
supporting school
prayer.
- In the 1980s ALEC’s
focus changed due to
increased corporate
interest and donations.
- ALEC was one of
President Reagan’s
strongest supporters
throughout the 1980s,
for which it gained
significant notoriety.
Many of ALEC’s key
employees were offered
jobs in the Reagan
administration.
- In the mid-1980s
ALEC began its own
political action
committee, ALEC-PAC,
which targeted key races
to influence partisan
control of state
legislatures.
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- “Our members join
for the purpose of
having a seat at the
table. That’s just what
we do, that’s the
service we offer. The
organization is
supported by money from
the corporate sector,
and, by paying to be
members, corporations
are allowed the
opportunity to sit down
at the table and discuss
the issues that they
have an interest in.”
-Dennis Bartlett, ALEC,
1997
Updated: April 2006 |
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Founded by Judie and Paul
Brown with help from
right-wing strategist Paul
Weyrich, the American Life
League (ALL) is a spin-off
from the National Right to
Life Committee with a more
grassroots orientation. ALL
is closely aligned with the
Catholic Church and opposes
birth control, stem cell
research and euthanasia. ALL
was an enthusiastic backer
of the extreme anti-abortion
tactics promoted by
Operation Rescue.
American Life League
P.O. Box 1350, Stafford, VA
22555
Website:
www.all.org
Established: 1979
President/Founder:
Judie Brown
Finances:: $7,365,884
(2003)
Membership: claims
300,000 members
Formerly known as:
American Life Lobby
Board Members: Judie
Brown; Scarlett Clark;
Mildred F. Jefferson, M.D.;
Robert Sassone, Esq.; and
Phillippe Schepens, M.D. |
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- To end all forms of
abortion without any
exceptions made for the
health and life of the
mother, rape or incest.
- ALL's work includes
campaigns against the
use of all
contraceptives, lobbying
for “abstinence-only
education” and the
elimination of sex
education in public
schools.
- ALL also fights
against euthanasia,
fetal tissue and embryo
research, and questions
the use of vaccines,
such as rubella, that
are created from human
tissue cells.
- Brown has strongly
criticized President
George W. Bush for not
supporting the Human
Life Amendment and has
chastised other
conservative groups for
giving him any support.
- According to Judie
Brown, “Abortion is
never necessary to save
a mother's life.”
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- Organizes grassroots
activists.
- Lobbies on behalf of
its issues.
- Produces educational
materials and publishes
a weekly newsletter.
- Participates in
legal action.
- ALL has its own
voting mobilization
project.
- Sells anti-abortion
clothing, jewelry,
stickers, and brochures.
- In 2004, ALL
published a full-page
advertisement in USA
Today urging
Catholic priests and
bishops to deny
Communion to Catholic
legislators who support
abortion rights.
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- ALL’s early
networking created the
foundation for the
outspoken anti-abortion
movement in the 1980s
and the established
movement as it exists
now.
- ALL helped to
establish the “rescue”
movement, which made the
use of aggressive
tactics to disrupt
reproductive health
services commonplace.
- These tactics,
adopted and popularized
by ALL, include
“sidewalk counseling,”
clinic blockades, and
the systematic harassing
and intimidation of
patients, clinics and
doctors.
- According to Brown
these activities are
“free speech” and in
1994 ALL filed charges
over the Freedom of
Access to Clinics Act
(FACE) in American Life
League v. Reno. ALL lost
in the 4th Circuit Court
of Appeals and the
Supreme Court refused to
hear the case.
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- ALL defends
anti-choice activists
who have been arrested
for blocking clinics and
has applauded the
controversial work of
Operation Rescue and
Randall Terry.
- In 1996 when Bill
Bennett and Ralph Reed
questioned the GOP’s
absolutist anti-abortion
plank, Judie Brown
gathered together 11
pro-life leaders
including Family
Research Council’s Gary
Bauer and Focus on the
Family’s James Dobson to
express their strong
support of the Human
Life Amendment and
collective rejection of
any exceptions for
abortion.
- Judie Brown is
allegedly a member of
the clandestine
right-wing organization
Council for National
Policy.
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- In 1979, Judie Brown
broke from the National
Right To Life Committee
to form ALL.
- Within less than a
year of its founding,
ALL had 68,000 members.
ALL received virtually
free publicity from
religious-right leader
Paul Weyrich with the
help of right-wing
direct mail specialist
Richard Viguerie’s
massive membership
lists.
Updated: April 2006 |
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This right-wing Catholic
group is one of many
Tradition, Family, Property
groups (TFPs) worldwide,
inspired by the work of the
Brazilian Catholic
intellectual, Plinio Corręa
de Oliveira. They are
frequent sponsors of
protests of books and movies
they consider
“anti-Catholic” and focus on
organizing young people
against “leftist bias” on
campus.
American Society for
Tradition, Family, and
Property
1358 Jefferson Road
Spring Grove, Pennsylvania
17362
Website:
www.tfp.org
President: Raymond E.
Drake
Founded: 1973
Secretary-Treasurer:
Benjamin A. Hiegert
Board of Directors:
Luiz A. Fragelli; Raymond E.
Drake; Robert E. Ritchie;
John W. Horvat II; Charles
P. Noell III; and Gary J.
Isbell
Staff: 60 paid staff
members and 75 full-time
volunteers
Finances: $2,660,546
(2004 net assets) $4,953,327
(2004 total revenue)
Publications:
Rejecting the Da Vinci Code;
Defending a Higher Law:
Why We Must Resist Same-Sex
"Marriage" and the
Homosexual Movement;
Revolution and
Counter-Revolution;
anti-abortion papers;
Crusade magazine; and
LulaWatch, the
electronic bi-weekly
publication of the TFP
Washington Bureau
Affiliate Groups:
America Needs Fatima
(120,000 members); Student
Action |
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In words of the American
Society for Tradition,
Family, and Property they
are “a civic organization of
Catholic inspiration that
seeks to defend in a legal
and peaceful way, the basic
values of Christian
Civilization, namely
tradition, family and
property.” The American TFP
bases its ideas on the
principles outlined in the
handbook Revolution and
Counter-Revolution by
Prof. Plinio Corręa de
Oliveira. [source] |
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- The American TFP
holds public meetings,
lectures, youth and
adult seminars, and a
youth summer program.
They also conducts
protests, boycotts,
petitions, ad campaigns
and letter-writing
campaigns, and publishes
books and articles. TFP
staffs
St. Louis be Montefort
Academy, an all-boys
Catholic boarding
school, in Herndon,
Pennsylvania.
- TFP Student Action’s
website sponsors
seminars bringing
college students
together from across the
nation to analyze,
discuss pressing issues
of the day. [source]
- Sponsored the
“Reject the DaVinci
Code” campaign to
promote protests against
the 2006 film and
offered an organizers’
handbook with
downloadable posters,
brochures, newspaper ads
and more. They claim to
have inspired more than
2000 protests in front
of movie theaters across
the country. [source]
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The TFP is financed by a
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The organization was started
in Brazil in 1960 by Prof.
Plinio Corręa de Oliveira,
and now claims
over twenty TFPs or
TFP-inspired groups
worldwide.
Updated: January
2007
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As an organization,
Americans for Tax Reform
(ATR) is best known for its
“Taxpayer Protection
Pledge,” which asks
candidates for federal and
state office to commit
themselves in writing to
oppose all tax increases.
The group is led by Grover
Norquist, described by the
Wall Street Journal
as the “the V.I. Lenin of
the anti-tax movement.” He
is renowned in right-wing
and Republican circles for
his ability to unite the
various right-wing interests
into coalitions to achieve a
common goal.
Americans for Tax Reform
1920 L Street NW - Suite 200
Washington DC 20036
Website:
www.atr.org
Established:
Americans for Tax Reform was
founded in the mid-80s
inside the Reagan White
House. Norquist was tapped
to head the group as an
in-house operation to build
support for the 1986 tax
reform bill.
President/Executive
Director: Grover
Norquist
Finances: $3,912,958
(2004); ATR is a 501(c)(4)
organization.
Employees: 14
High-profile staffers
include: Peter Ferrara,
ATR’s former general counsel
and chief economist, is
currently founder and
President of the Virginia
Chapter for the Club for
Growth.
Membership: 60,000
Affiliations:
Americans for Tax Reform
Foundation is the education
and research arm of ATR. ATR
is a member of the State
Policy Network and of
townhall.com, a right-wing
Internet portal founded by
the Heritage Foundation.
Publication: The
Tax Reformer |
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- From Americans for
Tax Reform's mission
statement: “ATR opposes
all tax increases as a
matter of principle. We
believe in a system in
which taxes are simpler,
fairer, flatter, more
visible, and lower than
they are today. The
government’s power to
control one’s life
derives from its power
to tax. We believe that
power should be
minimized… ATR serves as
a national clearinghouse
for the grassroots
taxpayers’ movement by
working with
approximately 800 state
and county level
groups.”
- ATR serves as the
operational base for
President Grover
Norquist’s vast
political operation.
- ATR Foundation has
received a number of
grants from right wing
foundations, including
Olin, Scaife, Bradley,
etc.
- ATR is heavily
funded by a number of
corporate backers, with
the tobacco, gambling
and alcohol industries
figuring most
prominently in 1999.
Other recent ATR funders
have included Microsoft,
Pfitzer, AOL Time Warner
and UPS.
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- Americans for Tax
Reform provides support
to right-wing policies
and candidates. In 1999,
it spent $4.2 million on
a television ad campaign
touting the GOP tax
plan.
- ATR has also taken a
lead in other causes
dear to the GOP’s right
wing, such as opposing
campaign finance reform
and attacking the 2000
presidential bid of
Senator John McCain.
- During the 1996
elections ATR flooded
150 congressional
districts with mail and
phone calls which was
supported by a $4.6
million donation from
the Republican National
Committee.
- In 2001 ATR formed
the “State Legislature
Advisory Project,”
described as a “national
effort to involve state
legislators and Indian
nations in federal
policy…[which] provides
a backdrop of the state
delegation’s opinion
when the issue becomes
one of national
importance.” This
Project calls annually
for extensions and
permanence of
conservative, costly tax
cuts. In 2001 it
encouraged states to
pass the Economic Growth
Tax Relief
Reconciliation Act, and
in subsequent years
pushed for permanently
ending the “Death Tax,”
abolishing the
Alternative Minimum Tax,
privatizing Social
Security, and
drastically increasing
defense spending. This
project works closely
with the President and
Majority Members in the
House and Senate.
- ATR supported John
G. Roberts’ nomination
to the Supreme Court,
and criticized opponents
for “subjecting
[Roberts] to litmus
tests on a laundry list
of the extreme Left’s
pet issues.”
- ATR president Grover
Norquist conducts an
invitation-only,
off-the-record Wednesday
meetings that includes
representatives of the
National Rifle
Association, the
Christian Coalition, the
Heritage Foundation,
reporters and editors
from conservative media
outlets, and a variety
of corporate lobbyists.
Since the arrival of
President Bush, the
meetings also include
representatives of the
White House, the
Republican National
Committee and the House
and Senate leadership.
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- Americans for Tax
Reform was originally
founded inside the
Reagan White House and
later became officially
independent.
- Norquist was a key
grassroots proponent of
the Contract With
America and was
Gingrich’s top
unofficial advisor.
- ATR, in 1999,
received major donations
from Phillip Morris, the
Mississippi Band of
Choctaw Indians (a group
represented by the
controversial lobbyist
Jack Abramoff),
Microsoft, Time Warner,
and Pfizer. Phillip
Morris contributed
$685,000, and the
Choctaw Indians,
$360,000.
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- Grover Norquist is
also on the boards of
the National Rifle
Association of America
and the
American Conservative
Union.
- Norquist forged an
early alliance with
President Bush,
traveling to Austin,
Texas to meet with
then-Governor Bush and
his political advisor
Karl Rove right after
Bush's 1998 reelection.
Norquist threw the full
force of his influence
behind the Bush
campaign, playing a key
role in defeating Sen.
John McCain in the South
Carolina primaries.
- Norquist was a
campaign staffer on the
1988, 1992, 1996
Republican Platform
Committees and executive
director of both the
National Taxpayers'
Union and the College
Republicans.
- Norquist writes the
monthly politics column
for the
American Enterprise
Institute magazine
and used to write a
monthly column for the
American Spectator.
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- Nina Shokraii Rees,
who now leads the Office
of Innovation and
Improvement (OII) at the
U.S. Department of
Education, was formerly
a policy analyst for
ATR. She then served as
a chief education
analyst at the
Heritage Foundation.
She is a proponent of
private school vouchers,
and helped draft the "No
Child Left Behind Act"
education blueprint for
the Bush-Cheney
transition team.
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On Pat Robertson's 700 Club,
Norquist said the following
about the Bush
Administration, “We is them,
and they is us. When I walk
through the White House, I
recognize as many people as
when I would walk through
the Heritage Foundation.”
“My goal is to cut
government in half in
twenty-five years, to get it
down to the size where we
can drown it in the
bathtub.” – The Nation,
10/12/2004
”In point of fact, it's a
myth that the religious
right wishes to impose
values on others.” –
Frontline interview,
10/12/2004
“I want to reduce the size
of government in half as a
percentage of GNP [gross
national product] over the
next 25 years. We want to
reduce the number of people
depending on government so
there is more autonomy and
more free citizens.” –
Washington Post,
03/11/2001
“I've been a 'winger' from
way back. I was an
anti-Communist first, and
then I became an economic
conservative. I think I've
gotten more radical as I've
gotten older." –
The Nation,
05/14/2001 |
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Grover Norquist is “the
person who I regard as the
most innovative, creative,
courageous and
entrepreneurial leader of
the anti-tax efforts and of
conservative grassroots
activism in America . . . He
has truly made a difference
and truly changed American
history.”
– Former Speaker
Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
“Americans for Tax Reform is
a wonderful-sounding name.
As far as I’m concerned,
it’s a front organization
for Grover Norquist’s
lobbying activities.”
– Former Sen. Warren Rudman
(R-NH)
Norquist is “the V.I. Lenin
of the anti-tax movement.”
– Columnist Paul Gigot,
Wall Street Journal,
04/14/1994
“Americans for Tax Reform is
a front for the Republican
Party. Republicans are
hiding money in this group,
and that is fundamentally
dishonest.”
– Charles Lewis, executive
director of the Center for
Public Integrity
“You can wear too many hats
and [Norquist] does. He’s a
whole hat store. And that’s
the conflict of interest:
He’s head of a non-profit.
He’s a corporate lobbyist.
He’s a foreign lobbyist.
This gives nonprofits, which
are supposed to be doing
research, a bad name.”
– Charles Lewis, executive
director of the Center for
Public Integrity. New
York Times, 06/08/1997
Updated: September
2006 |
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The Arlington Group (AG) is
the newest coalition of the
leaders of Religious Right
groups brought together by
right-wing strategist Paul
Weyrich and Don Wildmon,
head of the American Family
Association, to coordinate
activities. The group is
widely credited with being
the driving force behind the
effort to put marriage
protection amendments on the
ballot in 11 states in the
2004 election.
The Arlington Group
801 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
Website:
www.arlingtongroup.org
Founded/Place: 2002
in Arlington, Virginia
Executive Director:
Shannon Royce
Membership: Members
include the heads of 75 (as
of September 2006) Religious
Right groups such as Paul
Weyrich, Don Wildmon, James
Dobson, and Gary Bauer. The
complete list of members and
their affiliations is
located
here. |
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The Arlington Group
describes itself as a
“powerful coalition of
leaders from the pro-family
community, [that] develops
and executes national and
grassroots strategies to:
protect the traditional
institution of marriage,
increase respect for every
human life, limit judicial
activism, and act on other
moral issues of concern.”
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- The group is
credited with much of
the effort to put
marriage protection
amendments on the ballot
in 11 states in the 2004
election. According to
member Paul Weyrich, the
resources to go
“full-tilt” in Ohio were
raised by group members.
Arlington Group members
contributed $1,989,545
million in 2004 to pass
ballot measures
nationwide. In Ohio
their contributions
totaled $1.18 million,
98% of the total
expenditures for the
Ohio ballot.
- AG works to organize
support in the
African-American
community for a federal
marriage amendment. In
2004, the
Rev. William Owens,
head of the Coalition of
African-American Pastors
in Memphis organized a
meeting of his
organization with the
executive board of the
Arlington Group. Owens
is now a member of the
AG Executive Committee.
- In 2005, the Group
threatened to withhold
support for the
President's proposed
Social Security reforms
if Bush did not actively
work to pass a federal
marriage amendment
banning same-sex
marriage. A
letter sent to White
House political adviser
Karl Rove said, “We
couldn’t help but notice
the contrast between how
the president is
approaching the
difficult issue of
Social Security
privatization, where the
public is deeply
divided, and the
marriage issue, where
public opinion is
overwhelmingly on his
side.”
- When Justice Sandra
Day O’Connor first
resigned from the
Supreme Court, The
Arlington Group quickly
announced plans to run a
multimillion-dollar
campaign to pressure the
administration to select
a right-wing successor.
The group planned to
target 20,000 pastors
and congregations and
use Christian talk radio
and television, direct
mail, and grassroots
organizing.
- The group offers
voting
recommendations on
2006 ballot initiatives
across the country.
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"People who voted for (Bush)
voted for him to put in
conservative judges," Tim
Wildmon said. "We'll have to
see what he does. We've been
disappointed before by
presidents who said they
were going to do that ...
and then appointed judges
who voted to uphold Roe vs.
Wade and have been liberal
on other social issues.
"I feel this time, with the
strength of our groups,
hopefully President Bush
will do the right thing. If
he wavers, we're here to let
people know."
–Tim Wildmon of the American
Family Association
describing the Arlington
Group’s influence
"For the first time,
virtually all of the social
issues groups are singing
off the same sheet of music,
this has never happened
before. From the beginning
of the pro-life movement
through the development of
the pro-family movement,
everybody did their own
thing. But working together
we have helped to reelect
the President and added a
number of conservative
senators."
–Religious Right strategist
Paul Weyrich
speaking about the
Arlington Group
Updated: September
2006 |
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Black America's Political
Action Committee (BAMPAC) –
founded and chaired by
Alan Keyes – is
the nation’s largest
minority political action
committee and among the top
25 well-funded PAC’s in the
country. Although
self-described as
non-partisan, BAMPAC has
historically benefited only
Republican candidates who
strictly adhere to its
right-wing policies, such as
supporting anti-abortion
legislation, public school
vouchers, the privatization
of Social Security, and tax
cuts.
Black America's Political
Action Committee
2029 P Street NW Suite 202
Washington, DC 20036
Website:
www.bampac.org
President & CEO:
Alvin Williams
Founder and Chairman of
the Board: Ambassador
Alan Keyes
Board Members: Jackie
Cissell (The Quandt Group),
William C. Cleveland (former
City Councilmember and Vice
Mayor, Alexandria VA), Dr.
Mario Lewis (Senior Fellow,
Competitive Enterprise
Institute), Amy Moritz
Ridenour (President,
National Center for Public
Policy Research), Alvin
Williams (President and CEO;
co-founder, BAMPAC)
Finances: $1,617,000
(2004 total revenues)
Publications: BAMPAC
Bulletin
Media: President
Alvin Williams is often
featured as a BAMPAC
spokesperson in The New
York Times, and The
Atlanta Journal Constitution,
and has appeared on ABC’s
Nightline, MSNBC’s Equal
Time, and BET’s News with Ed
Gordon.
Incorporated: 1994 |
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BAMPAC was created to
specifically mobilize and
garner “support for
African-American candidates
generally who advocate a
common sense approach in
resolving the important
issues facing America in the
21st century.” BAMPAC is
instrumental in garnering
financial support for
candidates via grants or
direct and assisted
contributions. It is one of
the nation’s largest
political action committees,
and is the largest minority
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BAMPAC provides funding and
resources to conservative
candidates running for
political offices at all
levels of government.
According to
SourceWatch.org, [BAMPAC’s]
name misleadingly suggests
that it represents the point
of view of
African-Americans, but in
fact, opinion polls and
voting patterns show that
the vast majority of
African-Americans disagree
with BAMPAC’s political
positions. BAMPAC claims to
be nonpartisan, but its IRS
tax statement explicitly
states that its mission is
to elect “Republicans.”
Black America's PAC -
SourceWatch |
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- BAMPAC’s former
Political Director,
Robert L. Trayham, II,
moved on from his
position at BAMPAC to
work for Pennsylvania
U.S. Senator Rick
Santorum, and is
currently the Deputy
Chief of Staff and
Director of
Communications for the
Senate Republican
Conference.
- In 2004, BAMPAC
Chairman Alan Keyes was
defeated by Illinois
state Senator Barak
Obama for the open U.S.
Senate seat in Illinois.
In 2005, Keyes
recommended the
nomination of Judge Roy
Moore to the United
States Supreme Court, on
the basis that he is a
strong believer in God
and a strict
constitutionalist.
(Judge Moore resigned
his position at the
Alabama Supreme Court
because he refused to
comply with a U.S.
Supreme Court demand
that he take down a
replica of the Ten
Commandments.) Alan
Keyes is also a regular
speaker at right-wing
anti-gay rallies
throughout the country.
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- Supports school
choice in the form of
vouchers, charter
schools, public-private
alliances, and
home-schooling.
- Advocates tax cuts
and other financial
incentives for
entrepreneurs and
businesses to increase
development in neglected
and rural areas.
- BAMPAC is ‘pro-life’
and condemns
government-subsidized
abortions; the PAC is in
absolute opposition to
partial-birth abortions.
- BAMPAC advocates the
privatization of Social
Security, a program
which it claims has a
“disproportionately
detrimental affect on
African-American
families, especially
males.”
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BAMPAC’s donor base has
grown to over 137,000
donors, generating more than
$1,000,000 in direct and
assisted contributions to
candidates. |
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BAMPAC is the largest
minority PAC and ranks among
the top 25 PACS among 45,000
PACs in the United States.
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Alan Keyes on on the
Republican Party
In 1992, according to the
Washington Post, as
Republican nominee in
Maryland’s U.S. Senate
contest that year, Keyes
denounced the national
leadership of his party as
racist, saying senior GOP
officials had ignored or
disparaged his campaign
because he is black. GOP
leaders “basically are
sending the message that
beyond a certain level
blacks need not apply,”
Keyes said. “If I can work
out in the fields, I think I
ought to be allowed to come
into the house for dinner.”
–Washington Post,
“GOP Hopeful Says Party Is
Racist,” August 14, 1992
Keyes on Moderate
Republicans
“On all the matters that
touch upon the critical
moral issues, Arnold
Schwarzenegger is on the
evil side. This is a fact. A
mere list of the positions
he supports is enough to
make this plain: abortion as
a ‘right,’ cloning of human
beings, governmental
classification of citizens
by race, public benefits for
sexual partners outside of
marriage, disrespect for
property rights against
environmental extremism,
repudiation of the right to
bear arms - no more need be
said to show that this
candidate is wrong where
human decency, human rights
and human responsibility
bear directly on political
issues.”
–WorldNetDaily,
“Arnold’s corruption of
Republican Party,” October
6, 2003
Keyes on Black Leaders
“ I think part of it is that
the Black leadership, the
vocal ones that the media
concentrates on, are all
bought-and-sold,
step-and-fetch-its of
depravity for the Democratic
party.”
–People For the American Way
Foundation, “Eyewitness
Report from the C-PAC
Conference,” February 21,
1999
“I think it would be a
terrible shame to abandon
the fate of America or the
black community to the likes
of people who are speaking
as Julian Bond has spoken,
but more importantly, the
likes of people who have
supported policies that have
destroyed the black family,
that support abortion, which
is committing genocide
against black people in this
country with devastating
demographic results that we
have already seen in the
course of the last census.”
–Hannity and Colmes,
“Interview with Alan Keyes,”
July 12, 2004
Keyes on Reproductive
Choice
“The violation on [sic]
innocent human life is the
same whether you commit
terrorism or commit
abortion.”
–People For the American Way
Foundation, “The Vocabulary
of Terror: Anti-abortion
politics since 9/11,” April
10, 2002
“I will never again cast a
vote for an individual I in
conscience believe to be
pro-choice, pro-abortion,
not pro-life. Based on the
confession of his heart in
New Hampshire, when John
McCain told us clearly that
he would tell his daughter
it was her choice -- and
every woman is somebody’s
daughter, so if you tell the
daughters of America it’s
their choice, you’re
pro-choice. He is pro-
choice, he is not pro-life.
I will not support a
pro-choice, pro- abortion
candidate.”
–Republican Presidential
Debate, March 2, 2002
Keyes on Homosexuality
“Hitler and his supporters
were Satanists and
homosexuals. That’s just a
true statement.” He added
that, “The notion that is
involved in homosexuality,
the unbridled sort of
satisfaction of human
passions” leads to
“‘totalitarianism,’
‘Nazism,’ and ‘communism.’”
–People For the American Way
Foundation, “Hostile Climate
1997,” p.26
Keyes on Equal Rights for
Gay Americans
“It’s about time we all
faced up to the truth. If we
accept the radical
homosexual agenda, be it in
the military or in marriage
or in other areas of our
lives, we are utterly
destroying the concept of
family. We must oppose it in
the military. We must oppose
it in marriage. We must
oppose it if the fundamental
institution of our
civilization is to survive.
Those unwilling to face that
fact and playing games with
this issue are doing so
irresponsibly at the price
of America’s moral
foundations.”
–Republican Presidential
Debate, January 6, 2000
Keyes on Hate Crimes
Legislation
“The whole push with respect
to hate crimes legislation
is an effort to create a
body of law that allows the
government to coerce
opinions, and to punish
people because of their
opinions. In this particular
case, the opinion that is
going to be punished is the
opinion that homosexuality
is immoral and against the
laws of God. That opinion is
now going to become a crime.
And this whole push with
respect to hate crimes is an
effort to establish that
agenda.”
–WorldNetDaily, “The
Trouble with ‘Hate Crimes’,”
October 16, 1998
Keyes on the Courts and
Prayer in Public Schools
“If they tell us that we
cannot pray in the
classroom, we should pray.
If they tell us that we
cannot pray in the hallways,
we should pray. If they tell
us that we cannot pray at
graduation ceremonies, we
should pray. Because what
they are doing fundamentally
violates probably the most
important of our God-given
rights, which is the right
to appeal for aid to our
Almighty God.”
–Renew America, “Alan
Keyes on the Issues”
Keyes on Taxes
“The income tax is a
twentieth-century socialist
experiment that has failed.
Before the income tax was
imposed on us just 80 years
ago, government had no claim
to our income. Only sales,
excise, and tariff taxes
were allowed. ... Only
abolition of the income tax
will restore the basic
American principle that our
income is both our own money
and our own private business
not the government’s.”
–Renew America, “Alan
Keyes on the Issues”
Keyes on the Democratic
Party
“Democrats are going to have
to go on record standing
against the marriage-based
family, standing for the
continued annihilation of
new generations of young
black babies through the
promotion of abortion in the
black community. This is
devastating, the truth is
going to be told.”
–Hannity and Colmes,
“Interview with Alan Keyes,”
July 12, 2004
Keyes on Affirmative
Action
“Moreover, preferential
affirmative action
patronizes American blacks,
women, and others by
presuming that they cannot
succeed on their own.
Preferential affirmative
action does not advance
civil rights in this
country. It is merely
another government patronage
program that secures money
and jobs for the few people
who benefit from it, and
breeds resentment in the
many who do not. It divides
us as a people, and draws
attention away from the
moral and family breakdown
that is the chief cause of
the despair and misery in
which too many of our fellow
citizens struggle to live
decently.”
–Renew America, “Alan
Keyes on the Issues”
Keyes on Jews and
Anti-Semitism
“The tragic and violent
clashes between blacks and
Jews are unhappily not the
product of a unique and
isolated set of
circumstances. I believe
that, unwittingly, Jewish
supporters of the
government-dominated welfare
state approach to the
economic and social problems
of the black community
helped to create the
mentality that now produces
anger and anti-Semitism in
black neighborhoods.”
–Alan Keyes, “Our Character,
Our Future,” May 2, 1996, p.
48-50
Keyes on the First
Amendment and Separation of
Church and State
“[The Founding Fathers] put
an amendment in the
Constitution with … wording
intended to tell the
Congress and thereby the
national government that the
whole business of religious
belief, that whole business
of any regime, any attitude
to be imparted through law,
that it was none of the
federal government’s
business.
“Now, that still gives rise
to the possibility. Some
folks don’t want to see it.
There might be states in
which they require a
religious test or oath of
office. There might be
states in which they have
established churches, where
subventions are given to
schools and so forth to
teach the Bible. There might
be places where you and I
might disagree with the
religion some folks wanted
to put in place over their
communities. But guess what
the Founders believed? They
believed that people in
their states and localities
had the right to live under
institutions they would put
together to govern
themselves according to
their faith.”
–Roy Moore Rally,
Montgomery, Alabama, August
16, 2003
Updated: July 2006 |
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One of the country's largest
and most influential
right-wing foundations, the
Bradley Foundation is known
for its clearly articulated
political and ideological
vision. In addition to
providing funding for a host
of right-wing organizations,
Bradley contributes to
conservative and often
highly controversial
scholarship, publications
and "academic" research
aimed at legitimizing
far-right policy positions.
Lynde and Harry Bradley
Foundation
PO Box 510860
Milwaukee, WI 53203-0153
Website:
www.bradleyfdn.org
Established: 1942
President/CEO:
Michael W. Grebe
Board of Directors:
Thomas L. Rhodes (Chairman),
Reed Coleman
(Vice-Chairman), Michael
Grebe, William L. Armstrong,
and more.
Finances:
$665,329,753 (2004) assets
Grants awarded, annually:
$33,332,537 (2004) grants
awarded
Employees: 20
Publications: The
Lion Letter, annual reports
outlining contributions and
donations
Formerly known as:
Allen-Bradley Foundation
Prize Recipients 2005:
George F. Will (syndicated
columnist), Ward Connerly
(anti-affirmative action,
founder of American Civil
Rights Institute), Heather
McDonald (Olin fellow at the
Manhattan Institute), and
Robert P. George (professor,
former presidential
appointee to the U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights). |
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- The Bradley
Foundation is one of the
largest philanthropic
foundations responsible
for the financial
backing of the
right-wing agenda for
nearly twenty years.
- Bradley’s
philanthropy supports
right-wing
organizations,
privatized educational
programs, as well as
many non-partisan social
programs and civic
organizations.
- Issues Bradley
supports include:
private school vouchers,
faith-based social
services, and welfare
reform.
- According to
Bradley, the projects
sponsored by the
foundation “encourage
improved government, a
more vital sense of
citizenship, and a
strong belief in
personal
responsibility.”
- Bradley has been
accused of
underreporting the grant
amounts that it gives to
many of the right-wing
organizations that it
supports.
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- Bradley has made
right-wing inroads in
academia by establishing
chairmanship positions,
undergraduate and
graduate programs,
fellowships, and whole
departments at many
prestigious universities
including: Boston
College, Boston
University, Bowling
Green State University,
Carnegie Mellon
University, Catholic
University, Columbia
University, Georgetown
University, George Mason
University, Harvard
University, Johns
Hopkins University,
Kenyon College,
Marquette University,
Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Michigan
State University, New
York University,
Princeton University,
Stanford University,
University of
California- Berkeley,
University of
California- Los Angeles,
University of
California- San Diego,
University of Chicago,
University of Michigan,
University of Notre
Dame, University of
Pennsylvania, University
of Virginia, University
of Wisconsin, and
Washington University-
St. Louis.
- Bradley has
supported and in some
cases, had to defend
controversial right-wing
recipients of their
grants, particularly
Charles Murray and
Dinesh D’Souza.
Charles Murray -
Murray, author of “The
Bell Curve,” which
argues that intelligence
is predicated on race,
and “Losing Ground,”
whose thesis is that
social programs should
be abolished. Murray’s
work was so
controversial and
objectionable that the
right-wing Manhattan
Institute, supported by
Bradley and for which he
worked, asked him to
leave. However, the
Bradley Foundation stood
by him because Murray,
according to former
Bradley President
Michael Joyce, “is one
of the foremost social
thinkers in the
country.” Bradley
extended Murray’s
$100,000 per year grant
when he went to the
American Enterprise
Institute.
Dinesh D’Souza -
D’Souza, in his book,
“The End of Racism,”
attempts to absolve
Whites from
discrimination against
Blacks during slavery,
claiming that Blacks
were too uncivilized to
be a part of society
anyway.
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“The reason that I am so
happy that my friend Mike
Grebe is here and Mike Joyce
and others from The Bradley
Foundation is because
"Foundation America" must be
a part of the revitalization
of our communities as well.
And The Bradley Foundation
has always been willing to
see different solutions.
They have been willing to
challenge the status quo.
They say where we find
failure, something else must
occur. And the Foundation
not only has been kind and
generous with its donations,
the Foundation also has been
willing to help people think
anew, and I appreciate you
all coming. I am honored
you're here and thanks for
your good work.”
– President George W. Bush,speaking
at the Bradley
Foundation-supported Holy
Redeemer Institutional
Church of God in Christ,
Milwaukee, July 2002.
Updated: September
2006
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The Campaign for Working
Families (CWF) is a
political action committee
founded by Religious Right
activist Gary Bauer to
support like-minded
candidates. Like the Club
for Growth, CWF is known for
supporting “pro-family”
candidates over more
mainstream Republican
candidates in GOP primaries.
In 1998, it was the fifth
largest national PAC.
Campaign for Working
Families
2800 Shirlington Road -
Suite 605
Arlington, VA 22206
Websites:
www.cwfpac or
www.campaignforfamilies.org
Established: 1996 by
Gary Bauer, former Family
Research Council president
and United States
presidential candidate
President/Chairman:
Gary Bauer
Finances: Spent
$1,060,284 during the
2003-2004 campaign cycle |
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- CWF’s motto:
“Unapologetically
pro-family, pro-life,
and pro-growth.” CWF
says that it “takes the
guesswork out of
identifying the true
conservatives from the
pretenders.”
- CWF often supports
right-wing Republican
candidates over moderate
Republicans and CWF has
waged many aggressive
campaigns against those
candidates.
- CWF supports state
ballot measures that
reject gay and lesbian
civil rights or those
that increase
restrictions on access
to abortion.
- CWF endorses and
financially supports
anti-choice, anti-gay
candidates for political
office, such as Alan
Keyes.
- In 2004, CWF’s most
recent endorsements
included:
CWF Congressional
Endorsements
U.S. Senate:
13
Jim Holt (AR), Mel
Martinez (FL), Alan
Keyes (IL), Sam
Brownback (KS), Jim
Bunning (KY), David
Vitter (LA), Richard
Burr (NC), Mike Liffrig
(ND), Richard Ziser
(NV), Tom Coburn (OK),
Jim DeMint (SC), John
Thune (SD), and George
Nethercutt (WA).
U.S. House of
Representatives:
49
Marvin Parks (AR-2),
Rick Renzi (AZ-1), Trent
Franks (AZ-2), Roy
Ashburn (CA-20), Marilyn
Musgrave (CO-4), Tom
Tancredo (CO-6), Bob
Beauprez (CO-7), Bev
Kilmer (FL-2), Dave
Weldon (FL-15), Tom
Feeney (FL-24), Calder
Clay (GA-3), Cathrine
Davis (GA-4), Tom Price
(GA-6), Lynn
Westmoreland (GA-8), Max
Burns (GA-12), Mike
Gabbard (HI-2), Phil
Crane (IL-8), Chris
Chocola (IN-2), Dan
Burton (IN-5), Mike
Pence (IN-6), Steve King
(IA-5), Kris Kobach
(KS-3), Geoff Davis
(KY-4), Bobby Jindal
(LA-1), Ron Crews
(MA-3), John Kline
(MN-2), Mark Kennedy
(MN-6), Todd Akin
(MO-2), Bill Federer
(MO-3), Virginia Foxx
(NC-5), Robin Hayes
(NC-8), Patrick McHenry
(NC-10), Charles Taylor
(NC-11), Jeff
Fortenberry (NE-1),
Scott Garrett (NJ-5),
Steve Pearce (NM-2), Joe
Pitts (PA-16), Larry
Diedrich (SD), Louie
Gohmert (TX-1), Ted Poe
(TX-2), Arlene
Woflgenmuth (TX-17),
Randy Neugebauer
(TX-19), Tom DeLay
(TX-22), Pete Sessions
(TX-32), John Swallow
(UT-2), Thelma Drake
(VA-2), Frank Wolf
(VA-3), and Cathy
McMorris (WA-5).
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- During the 2004
election cycle, the
Campaign for Working
Families spent
$244,000.00 endorsing
Republican candidates,
such as the candidates
listed above. Tom
Tancredo in Colorado
received $2,500, Mel
Martinez of Florida
$8,000, Alan Keyes in
Illinois $5,000, Tom
Coburn in Oklahoma
$8,000, and Tom DeLay in
Texas, $5,000. [PoliticalMoneyLine]
- During the 2002
election cycle CWF
contributed $200,988 in
campaign donations,
endorsing Scott Garett
for New Jersey with
$7,000, Lindsey Graham
of South Carolina with
$7,000, John Thune of
South Dakota with
$10,000, and James
Talent of Missouri with
$10,000. [PoliticalMoneyLine]
- In 2002 CWF was
ranked number 21 out of
the Top 50
‘Nonconnected’ PAC’s by
Receipts, having totaled
$953,881 in
contributions. [source]
- In 2000 election
cycle CWF endorsed 121
candidates and 83% of
which were elected. In
2000, over 50% of
incoming freshmen
Republican members of
the 107th Congress were
endorsed by CWF.
- In the 2000 election
cycle, CWF spent tens of
thousands of dollars on
a 12-state
“Get-Out-The-Vote”
effort on behalf of
Republican candidates.
- In 2000, CWF
endorsed such right-wing
stalwarts such as: John
Ashcroft, Trent Lott,
Tom DeLay, Dick Armey,
Rick Santorum, Bob Barr,
Tom Tancredo, Ernest
Istook, and Judge Roy
Moore. Of their 113
nominees for the U.S.
House and Senate, 3 are
Democrats and 1
Independent.
- In 1998 election
cycle, CWF supported
over 200 candidates and
64% of CWF’s endorsees
were elected.
- CWF keeps profiles
on legislation and
politicians and provides
information for
campaigns.
- CWF has supported
successful “Defense of
Marriage” state ballot
initiatives in Alaska,
California, Nebraska,
Nevada, and Hawaii.
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- In 1996 and 1997
Bauer put CWF on the map
by taking big risks and
rejecting Republican
leadership pressure. In
1998 in California there
was a special election
due to the death of Rep.
Walter Capps (CA-D). The
GOP leadership had
tapped a moderate
Republican candidate,
Rep. Brooks Firestone,
and CWF supported a more
conservative candidate,
Tom Bordonaro. CWF led
an expensive,
controversial
advertising attack
campaign against
Firestone and was
credited with helping
Bordonaro win the
runoff. Bordonaro
ultimately lost the seat
to Capps’ widow.
- By 1998 CWF became
the 5th largest PAC in
the country, raising
over $7 million in just
two years.
- Early in CWF’s
history right-wing
heavyweight James Dobson
lent his support to the
group, sending out mass
mailings to 350,000
members of his
organization Focus on
the Family.
Updated: September
2006 |
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The Catholic League for
Religious and Civil Rights
calls itself a defender of
“religious freedom rights
and the free speech rights
of Catholics whenever and
wherever they are
threatened,” but it is known
primarily for the abrasive
and confrontational style
and over-the-top rhetoric of
its president, William
Donohue.
Catholic League for
Religious and Civil Rights
450 Seventh Avenue - Floor
34
New York NY 10123
Website:
www.catholicleague.org
President/CEO:
William Donohue
Founded: 1973
Board of Directors:
Rev. Philip Eichner
(Chairman); Bernadette Brady
(Vice President); Marilyn
Lundy (Vice Chair); William
Lindner (Secretary); Jerome
McDougal (Treasurer); and
David Gregory (General
Counsel)
Board Members: Thomas
Blee; Thomas Brennan; Nunzio
Cardone; Ann Corkery; Robert
Goldschmidt; Robert
Lockwood; Kathleen O’Connell
Murphy; Frank Salas; Jodie
Thompson Jr.; Kathleen
McCreary; and Kenneth
Whitehead
Board of Advisors:
Brent Bozell III; Gerard
Bradley; Linda Chavez;
Robert Destro; Dinesh
D’Souza; Laura Garcia;
Robert George; Mary Ann
Glendon; Dolores Grier; Alan
Keyes; Stephen Krason;
Lawrence Kudlow; Thomas
Monaghan; Michael Novak;
Kate O’Beirne; Thomas
Reeves; Patrick Riley;
Robert Royal; Russell Shaw;
William Simon; Jr., Paul
Vitz; and George Weigel
Membership: 350,000
Revenue: $2,628,533
(2005); Net Assets
$7,950,716 (2005)
Publications:
Catholic League’s Report on
Anti-Catholicism
(published annually),
Catalyst journal
(published ten times a year)
Affiliates: Chapters
located in El Paso, Texas;
Ann Arbor, Michigan;
Baltimore, Maryland; Los
Angeles, California;
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
and Rockford, Illinois |
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The Catholic League for
Religious and Civil Rights
(Catholic League) proclaims
that it “works to safeguard
both the religious freedom
rights and the free speech
rights of Catholics whenever
and wherever they are
threatened” and acts “as a
watchdog agency and defender
of the civil rights of all
Catholics.” |
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The Catholic League claims
to defends the Church
against any “slanderous
assaults” that appear in
newspapers or on radio and
television by issuing press
releases and encouraging
boycotts of sponsors. The
organization was involved in
the right-wing campaign to
confirm both John Roberts
and Samuel Alito to the
Supreme Court by warning
those opposed to these
nominees about, and
sometimes accusing them of,
anti-Catholic bigotry. The
Catholic League has also
been involved in battling
the so-called “War on
Christmas,” organizing
against stores and
corporations who use the
term “holiday” instead of
“Christmas.” In 2005,
Donohue blasted Wal-Mart,
saying it was “practicing
discrimination” and
“insulting Christians by
effectively banning
Christmas.” |
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The Catholic League was
founded in 1973 by Father
Virgil C. Blum. According to
his bio, William Donohue
serves on the board for the
Washington Legal Foundation,
the Educational Freedom
Foundation, the Society of
Catholic Social Science,
Catholics United for the
Faith, the Jewish Action
Alliance, Ave Maria
Institute, Christian Film &
Television Commission, and
Project Moses. He is also an
adjunct scholar at the
Heritage Foundation and
serves on the board of
directors of the National
Association of Scholars. |
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“Hollywood is controlled by
secular Jews who hate
Christianity in general and
Catholicism in particular.
It’s not a secret, OK? And
I’m not afraid to say it.”
– Bill Donohue on opposition
to Mel Gibson’s “The
Passion” movie, MSNBC’s
“Scarborough Country,”
12/08/04
“The fact that Jew baiting
did not accompany the
nominations of Ginsburg and
Breyer shows how this nation
has progressed.
Unfortunately, within 24
hours of Roberts’
nomination, Catholic baiting
has raised its ugly head.
And the fact that it is
coming from a mainstream
liberal source is even more
disconcerting. We hope this
is not the beginning of an
ugly few months.”
– On the issue of Supreme
Court nominee John Roberts’
faith,
News Release, 07/20/05
“The anti-religious
secularists on the Left are
more concerned about keeping
abortion-on-demand legal and
keeping our society free
from religious influence
than any other issues. It is
what defines them. Imbued
with hate, they are already
targeting the Christian
status of Harriet Miers.”
– On the short-lived
nomination of Harriet Miers
to the Supreme Court,
News Release, 10/05/05
“Some are already commenting
that if Alito is confirmed
he would be the fifth
Catholic on the Supreme
Court. For example, the
Associated Press ran a story
at 7:45 a.m.—before Bush
formally announced his
choice for the high
court—with the headline,
‘Alito Would be the Fifth
Catholic Justice on Supreme
Court.’ So what? Currently,
Jews comprise 22 percent of
the Justices, even though
they are only 1 percent of
the population. Is that a
problem?
“The next time the
‘Catholic’ issue is raised,
it would be wise to remember
that both Sen. Kennedy and
Sen. Santorum are Catholic.”
– On the nomination of
Samuel Alito to the Supreme
Court,
News Release, 10/31/05
“First, the cultural
fascists banned crčches, and
now they want to ban the
Christmas tree. All of this
is done, perversely, in the
name of tolerance and
diversity.”
– On the supposed “War on
Christmas,”
News Release, 12/07/05
“Foley’s lawyer says his
client never molested
anyone, which begs the
question: why play the
Catholic card? Together with
his other maladies, Foley is
obviously seeking to
exculpate his behavior,
despite protestations to the
contrary by his attorney …
As for the alleged abuse,
it’s time to ask some tough
questions. First, there is a
huge difference between
being groped and being
raped, so which was it Mr.
Foley? Second, why didn’t
you just smack the clergyman
in the face? After all, most
15-year-old teenage boys
wouldn’t allow themselves to
be molested. So why did
you?”
– Commenting on the scandal
involving former congressman
Mark Foley,
News Release, 10/04/06
Updated: October
2006 |
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The Cato Institute is a
libertarian think tank that
often works in coalitions
with right-wing groups.
Cato’s extensive
publications program deals
with a host of policy issues
including budget issues,
Social Security, monetary
policy, natural resource
policy, military spending,
government regulation,
international trade, and
myriad other issues. While
the Cato Institute has
increased its ties to
right-wing policymakers over
the years, it often reveals
it's libertarian philosophy
in addressing government
intrusion into privacy
issues, recently calling the
proposed federal marriage
amendment “unnecessary,
anti-Federalist, and
anti-democratic.”
Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Avenue,
N.W.
Washington DC 20001-5403
Website:
www.cato.org
Established: 1977
Founders: Edward
Crane and Charles G. Koch
President: Edward
Crane
Finances: $12,975,701
(2003)
Employees: 90 staff
members, 60-adjunct
scholars, 16 fellows, 14
Board Members
Board of Directors:
K. Tucker Andersen, Senior
Consultant, Cumberland
Associates LLC; Frank Bond,
Chairman, The Foundation
Group; Edward H. Crane,
(President); Richard J.
Dennis, President, Dennis
Trading Group; Ethelmae C.
Humphreys, Chairman, Tamko
Roofing Products, Inc.;
David H. Koch, Executive
Vice President, Koch
Industries, Inc.; John C.
Malone, Chairman, Liberty
Media Corporation; William
A. Niskanen, Chairman, Cato
Institute; David H. Padden,
President, Padden & Company;
Lewis E. Randall, Board
Member, E*Trade Financial;
Howard S. Rich, President,
U.S. Term Limits; Frederick
W. Smith, Chairman & CEO,
FedEx Corporation; Jeffrey
S. Yass, Managing Director,
Susquehanna International
Group, LLP; Fred Young,
Former Owner, Young Radiator
Company (Board
of Directors)
Publications:
Inquiry magazine, Cato
Journal, quarterly magazine
Regulation, bimonthly
Cato Policy Report, as well
as books, monographs,
briefing papers and shorter
studies. |
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- A libertarian public
policy organization that
aspires to work outside
the traditional
conservative v. liberal
political framework.
- Labels itself a
“market-liberal”
organization with the
caveat that liberal “has
clearly been corrupted
by contemporary American
liberals.”
- Cato was named for “Cato’s
Letters” - a series
of libertarian tracts
that the organization
credits as a catalyst
for the American
Revolution.
- Cato leads the push
for privatization of
government services; as
early as 1983, Cato
initiated the first push
for the privatization of
Social Security, and has
heavily backed it ever
since.
- Cato supports the
wholesale elimination of
eight cabinet agencies –
Commerce, Education,
Energy, Labor,
Agriculture, Interior,
Transportation and
Veterans Affairs – and
the privatization of
many government
services.
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- In 2001, the
Washington Post,
noting Cato’s influence,
said it “has spent about
$3 million in the past
six years to run a
virtual war room to
promote Social Security
privatization.”
- Cato sponsors
periodic policy forums
and book forums, major
policy conferences, Cato
has held major
conferences in London,
Moscow, Shanghai, and
Mexico City.
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- Cato Institute was
founded by Ed Crane with
a $500,000 grant from
Charles Koch, a chemical
and petroleum heir who
was active with Crane in
the Libertarian Party.
- In 2002, the
Washington Post
called Crane “the man
who housebroke
libertarianism.”
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- David Boaz,
published in Wall
Street Journal,
New York Times,
Washington Post,
Los Angeles Times,
National Review,
and Slate on-line
- Doug Bandow, writer
for Fortune,
worked as special
assistant to President
Ronald Reagan
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- Former Rep. Tim
Penny (D-MN), Commission
to Strengthen Social
Security
- Sam Beard,
Commission to Strengthen
Social Security
- Carolyn Weaver,
Commission to Strengthen
Social Security
- Randy Clerihue,
spokesman, Commission to
Strengthen Social
Security
- Andrew Biggs, staff
member, Commission to
Strengthen Social
Security
- Mark Groombridge,
Special Assistant,
Office of the Under
Secretary for Arms
Control and
International Security,
State Department
Other non-Bush
Administration alumni
include former board
members: Rupert Murdoch and
Theodore J. Forstmann, also
founding chairman of Empower
America, now
FreedomWorks. |
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Cato's corporate sponsors
include: Philip Morris, R.J.
Reynolds, Bell Atlantic
Network Services, BellSouth
Corporation, Digital
Equipment Corporation, GTE
Corporation, Microsoft
Corporation, Netscape
Communications Corporation,
NYNEX Corporation, Sun
Microsystems, Viacom
International, American
Express, Chase Manhattan
Bank, Chemical Bank,
Citicorp/Citibank,
Commonwealth Fund,
Prudential Securities and
Salomon Brothers. Energy
conglomerates include:
Chevron Companies, Exxon
Company, Shell Oil Company
and Tenneco Gas, as well as
the American Petroleum
Institute, Amoco Foundation
and Atlantic Richfield
Foundation. Cato's
pharmaceutical donors
include Eli Lilly & Company,
Merck & Company and Pfizer,
Inc. |
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80% of Cato’s income comes
from individual donations
and subscriptions, 8% from
corporations (such as
ExxonMobil, which donated
$30,000 during 2001),
another 8% from foundations,
and the remainder from
conference and book sales,
etc. Cato has received
$15,633,540 in 108 separate
grants from only nine
different foundations:
Castle Rock Foundation;
Charles G. Koch Charitable
Foundation; Earhart
Foundation; JM Foundation;
John M. Olin Foundation,
Inc.; Claude R. Lambe
Charitable Foundation; Lynde
and Harry Bradley
Foundation; and the branches
of the Scaife Foundation |
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"A soup-to-nuts agenda to
reduce spending, kill
programs, terminate whole
agencies and dramatically
restrict the power of the
federal government." -
Washington Post on the
Cato Handbook for Congress
"My contact with [Cato] was
strange. They’re ideologues,
like Trotskyites. All
questions must be seen and
solved within the true faith
of libertarianism, the idea
of minimal government. And
like Trotskyites, the guys
from Cato can talk you to
death." - Nat Hentoff,
columnist |
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“I think Franklin Roosevelt
was a lousy president. What
he did – which is to impose
this great nanny state on
America – was a great
mistake.” - Ed Crane
Updated: September
2006 |
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4401 Wilshire Drive, 4th
Floor
Los Angeles, California
90010
www.cspc.org and
www.frontpagemag.org
President/Founder:
David Horowitz
Established in: 1988
by David Horowitz and Peter
Collier
Finances: $2.9
million (2002 budget)
Employees: 5 (listed
on website)
Membership: claims
40,000 supporters
Publications:
Front Page Magazine
Affiliated with:
Front Page Magazine,
Individual Rights Foundation |
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CSPC serves as the home
for founder David Horowitz’s
various anti-Left,
anti-Democrat Party
enterprises, such as the
controversial FrontPage
Magazine and the legal group
the Individual Rights
Foundation.
CSPC sells and
distributes pamphlets and
information on fighting the
Left.
CSPC also sells
right-wing books and heavily
promotes David Horowitz’s
own books. Horowitz titles
include: Hating Whitey
and Other Progressive Causes,
The Hate America Left
and The Politics of Bad
Faith: The Radical Assault
on America’s Future.
CSPC also hosts the
“Wednesday Morning Club”
which is a forum for
right-wingers in the
entertainment industry.
Guest speakers for the club
include: Governor George W.
Bush (1999), then Secretary
of Defense Dick Cheney, Newt
Gingrich, Robert Bork,
Representatives Tom DeLay
and Henry Hyde, Senators
Trent Lott, Bill Frist and
Joseph Lieberman, editor of
the Weekly Standard
Fred Barnes, columnist
George Will, and many other
pundits and politicians.
After controversial
right-wing columnist Ann
Coulter got fired from
National Review Online
for the radical, anti-Muslim
comments she made after the
September 11th attacks,
David Horowitz’s
FrontPage Magazine
picked up her regular
column.
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CSPC gets regular,
generous grants from top
right-wing foundations.
CSPC has received nearly
$5 million dollars from the
Bradley Foundation alone
since 1989.
CSPC has received
donations from all of
Richard Scaife’s
foundations, the Olin
Foundation, and the Carthage
Foundation.
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“Paradoxically, at the same
time, the destructive Left
sees in American democracy
and the Constitution that
created it, a powerful
weapon it can use to destroy
the system. Consequently –-
and again somewhat
paradoxically -- the
anti-American Left has
directed a significant part
of its political energy
towards attacks on the
American court system and on
the Constitution itself.”
–David Horowitz, "Out of
Many, One" November 24, 2003
"Everybody knows -- but no
one wants to say -- that the
Democratic Party has become
the party of special
interest bigots and racial
dividers. It runs the
one-party state that
controls public services in
every major inner city,
including the corrupt and
failing school systems in
which half the students --
mainly African American and
Hispanic -- are denied a
shot at the American dream.
It is the party of race
preferences which separate
American citizens on the
basis of skin color
providing privileges to a
handful of ethnic and racial
groups in a nation of nearly
a thousand. The Democratic
Party has shown that it will
go to the wall to preserve
the racist laws which
enforce these preferences,
and to defend the racist
school systems that destroy
the lives of millions of
children every year." –David
Horowtiz, "Challenging the
Racist Democrats in
California," August 5, 2003
“Most of the groups that
adamantly oppose the USA
PATRIOT Act are oriented
toward worrying more about
terrorists’ civil liberties
than their murderous
intentions: The ACLU, People
for the American Way, Human
Rights Watch.” – from
“Anti-Patriot Feminists,”
Chris Weinkopf, Front Page
Magazine, July 10, 2003
Updated July 2004
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The Christian Coalition,
once one of the country’s
most influential Religious
Right groups, has seen its
fortunes decline in recent
years since the departure of
high profile leaders Pat
Robertson and Ralph Reed. At
the height of its influence,
the Christian Coalition was
best known for the
distribution of slanted
voter guides and political
surveys and for its strategy
of urging conservative
Christian candidates to
conduct stealth campaigns to
win elections.
Christian Coalition of
America
P.O. Box 37030
Washington, DC 20013-7030
Website:
www.cc.org
Founder and former
President: Rev. Pat
Robertson
President: Dr. Joel
C. Hunter was announced as
President in October 2006 to
replace Roberta Combs
Founded: 1989
Membership: Claimed
nearly 2 million members at
the height of its influence,
but other data suggested
300,000-400,000 members.
Directors or Trustees as
of 2004: Dr. Billy
McCormack; Drew McKissick;
Roberta Combs, Chair
Finances: In 1999,
the Christian Coalition was
stripped of its 501(c)(3)
non-profit status for
violating various IRS rules
that govern non-profits.
Contributions to the group
have dropped from a record
of $26.5 million in 1996 to
their 2004 revenue, which
was $1,321,774. The CC is
now a non-profit 501(c)(4)
organization supported
through member dues.
State chapters: As
many as 30 chapters were
listed on their website,
though those lists have
since been removed. Several
state chapters have dropped
their affiliation in 2006.
Publications: The
coalition creates and
distributes voter guides
during primaries and
elections in every state.
They also have action alerts
and newsletters via e-mail
on state and federal
legislation.
Affiliated Groups:
Pat Robertson also created
the 700 Club, Christian
Broadcasting Network,
American Center for Law and
Justice, and Regent
University, which awards
graduate and law degrees and
offers a bachelor degree
completion program. Two CC
projects that are no longer
associated with the group
are the Samaritan Project
and the Catholic Alliance.
The Christian Coalition
launched the Catholic
Alliance in an attempt to
boost its membership among
pro-family, anti-choice
Catholics. The Samaritan
Project was the Christian
Coalition's vehicle for
outreach to African
Americans. |
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The Christian Coalition (CC)
has two central goals: to
control the agenda of the
Republican party by working
from the grassroots up; and
to train and elect
pro-family, Christian
candidates to public office.
The group has had
considerable success in both
areas, and their impact in
state and national elections
can be detected through
their work during primaries
and ability to mobilize
Christian conservative
voters. The CC describes
itself as “the largest and
most active conservative
grassroots political
organization in America.” |
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- In recent years, the
Coalition has fallen on
hard times. IRS records
show that the Christian
Coalition's red ink
climbing. Its debts
exceeded its assets by
$983,000 in 2001, $1.3
million in 2002, $2
million in 2003 and
$2.28 million at the end
of 2004. Some of the
most active and
influential chapters,
such as the Christian
Coalition of Iowa, have
cut ties with the
national organization. [source]
- In 2000, the
Christian Coalition
launched what they claim
was their biggest
election year campaign
ever, distributing 70
million voter guides to
their members and
conservative churches in
every state. Robertson
is given credit for
throwing his support
behind Bush very early
in his candidacy, and
helping Bush gain the
support of the Religious
Right. The coalition is
credited with assisting
Bush with winning the
South Carolina
presidential primary
through their strong
get-out-the-vote
activities. During the
2000 election Pat
Robertson taped a
telephone message
criticizing presidential
candidate John McCain on
the eve of the February
Michigan primary.
- The coalition is a
major lobbying force on
Capitol Hill and has
many strong ties to
Congress.
- The Christian
Coalition’s annual
conference, “Road
to Victory,”
speakers list reads like
a veritable who’s who in
right-wing and
mainstream conservative
circles. In 2000 their
list of speakers
included: Senate
Majority Leader Trent
Lott, House Majority
Leader Dick Armey, House
Speaker Dennis Hastert,
Majority Whip Tom DeLay,
Rev. Jerry Falwell, RNC
chairman Jim Nicholson,
and then-presidential
candidate George W. Bush
via videotape.
- The Christian
Coalition's principal
"contribution" to
electoral politics is
the distribution of
election-eve voters
guides. Nominally
nonpartisan but plainly
directive, the guides
outline the candidates'
positions on a variety
of issues. The
Coalition's
descriptions, however,
are often manipulative.
They describe a
supporter of the
National Endowment for
the Arts, for example,
as a proponent of
"tax-funded obscene
art." Many candidates
refuse to respond to the
questionnaires for fear
of distortion, however
the group filled it in
for them by reviewing
voting records. These
“non-partisan” voter
guides eventually led to
the group losing its
tax-exempt status. The
Federal Election
Commission charged that
the Christian Coalition
endorsed Republican
candidates with its
voter guides in the 1990
and 1992 elections, and
illegally coordinated
its activities with the
Bush reelection
campaign.
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- The Christian
Coalition's initial
approach to elections,
popularly known as
"stealth" tactics, has
three essential parts:
targeting low-profile
elections that normally
attract few voters,
focusing
get-out-the-vote efforts
on certain conservative
churches, and
instructing the
candidates to hide their
views from the public by
avoiding public
appearances and refusing
to fill out
questionnaires. In 1992,
Ralph Reed told a
Coalition gathering,
"The first strategy, and
in many ways the most
important strategy, for
evangelicals is
secrecy."
- The Coalition's
strategy first attracted
national attention in
1990, when a coalition
of right-wing groups led
by the Christian
Coalition helped
candidates in San Diego
win 60 of 90 races for a
variety of offices, such
as school and hospital
boards.
- Reed boasted of
their early success with
a few choice comments
that helped make him
famous. "[S]tealth was a
big factor in San
Diego's success," he
said. "But that's just
good strategy. It's like
guerrilla warfare. If
you reveal your
location, all it does is
allow your opponent to
improve his artillery
bearings. It's better to
move quietly, with
stealth, under cover of
night." Continuing, "I
want to be invisible. I
do guerrilla warfare. I
paint my face and travel
at night. You don't know
it's over until you're
in a body bag. You don't
know until election
night." Later, under
intense pressure, Reed
renounced his covert
tactics and now denies
the group ever used
them.
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- The Christian
Coalition has undergone
several changes in
leadership since the
departure of Executive
Director Ralph Reed [see
PFAW’s
report on Reed] in
September of 1997. It
has also suffered a
severe decline in
donations, from $26.5
million in 1996 to an
estimated $3 million in
2000. As a result of
this steep loss in
revenue, the group has
reorganized by cutting
staff and dropping its
minority outreach
program, the Samaritan
Project. Another recent
stumbling block for the
Christian Coalition has
been a series of racial
discrimination lawsuits
by their employees.
- In February of 2001,
ten black employees
filed a racial
discrimination suit
against the
organization. Alleging
that they were treated
with Jim Crow-style
segregationist rules,
the black employees also
stated in their lawsuit
that the Christian
Coalition’s director was
“uncomfortable” when the
black employees joined
company-sponsored prayer
sessions and eventually
stopped inviting them.
In March, two more black
employees and a white
employee filed
discrimination charges
against the
organization. The white
employee claims he was
fired by the evangelical
organization when he
refused the director’s
request to spy on the
black employees who had
filed the lawsuit.
- In December 2001,
Pat Robertson stepped
down as the President of
the Christian Coalition.
Robertson said it was
because he wanted to
spend more time on his
ministry work.
- In March 2004 a law
firm that has worked for
the CC since 1989 asked
a judge to garnish the
assets of the group for
$75,000 in unpaid legal
fees.
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On women’s Equality: "I know
this is painful for the
ladies to hear, but if you
get married, you have
accepted the headship of a
man, your husband. Christ is
the head of the household
and the husband is the head
of the wife, and that's the
way it is, period.” – The
700 Club, 01/08/92
Referring to the President
of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez,
Pat Robertson had this to
say; "If he thinks we're
trying to assassinate him, I
think we really ought to go
ahead and do it. It's a
whole lot cheaper than
starting a war." – The 700
Club, 08/22/05
" [The people in the United
States] have allowed rampant
secularism and occult, etc.
to be broadcast on
television. We have
permitted somewhere in the
neighborhood of 35 to 40
million unborn babies to be
slaughtered in our society.
We have a court that has
essentially stuck its finger
in God's eye and said we're
going to legislate you out
of the schools. We're going
to take your commandments
from off the courthouse
steps in various states.
We're not going to let
little children read the
commandments of God. We're
not going to let the Bible
be read, no prayer in our
schools. We have insulted
God at the highest levels of
our government. And, then we
say "why does this happen?"
Well, why its happening is
that God Almighty is lifting
his protection from us. And
once that protection is
gone, we all are vulnerable
because we're a free
society, and we're
vulnerable. We lay naked
before these terrorists who
have infiltrated our
country. There's probably
tens of thousands of them in
America right now. They've
been raising money. They've
been preaching their hate
and overseas they've been
spewing out venom against
the United States for years.
All over the Arab world,
there is venom being poured
out into people's ears and
minds against America. And,
the only thing that's going
to sustain us is the power
of the Almighty God." – 700
Club, 09/13/01
"The worse thing in the
world for somebody who is a
person of color, black,
African American, whatever
term is in vogue these days
to hold grudges and say well
100 years ago my ancestors
were in slavery, and
therefore I hate you. That
doesn't fly. And to live in
the past is the most numbing
experience because what it
does is sap your energy for
the future. And, what
everybody's got to do is to
say before God I'm going to
ask God to bring forgiveness
into my life. And, I am just
totally against these
leaders who stir up the
divisions and the hatred.
You've seen it - talking
about all these offenses and
things that happened. And,
they're doing it for
publicity. They're doing it
to raise money. They're
doing it to get a following
so they'll be elected to
some office, and so forth.
That's wrong. To play on the
hatred of people for your
own personal gain is
abhorrent, and there are
many people who do that." –
700 Club, 02/06/01
"The concept that one God,
"Thou shall have no other
gods before me", will
somehow upset a Hindu,
that's tough luck! America
was founded as a Christian
nation. Our institutions
presuppose the existence of
a Supreme Being, a Being
after the Bible. And we as
Americans believe in the god
of the Bible. And the fact
that somebody comes with
what amounts to an alien
religion to these shores
doesn't mean that we're
going to give up all of our
cherished religious beliefs
to accommodate a few people
who happen to believe in
something else. You just
can't do that. And that's
been the thing that's been
pushed over and over again.
Clarence Thomas, Supreme
Court Justice, said as I
read the constitution, it's
very clear. It says Congress
shall make no law respecting
an establishment of
religion. It says nothing of
about a school district
letting book covers be
passed out" – 700 Club,
10/05/00
Pat responds to the question
“Certain denominations are
beginning to accept
homosexual behavior in the
church. Do you feel that it
is for benefit, political
gain or social acceptance?”
sent in by a 700 Club
viewer. His response was,
“"I think that we have a
pressure in our society
right now called political
correctness where it is not
appropriate any longer to
criticize anybody for their
religion, their lifestyle,
their race, their creed,
their color, national
origin, disabilities, or
anything. You can't
criticize anybody for
anything. And so, if
somebody has a quote
lifestyle, that's their
thing, and if somebody said,
'I'll make it with a duck',
well, you know, who are you
to criticize them. Well that
isn't what the Bible says.
The Bible has standards, and
the standard makes it very
clear that the acceptance of
homosexuality in a society
is the last stage after God
has given a people up."…
"How can a church open their
arms and say 'You keep on
with the lifestyle.'" – 700
Club, 10/17/00
"In the Old Testament and
the New Testament boys and
girls didn't make decisions
like this, they were
betrothed by their parents.
We've got a couple here at
Regent University whose
parents arranged the
marriage and they're very,
very happy. I honestly think
if we went back to that kind
of thing you'd have a whole
lot less problems--It'll
help. I think it would cut
down the divorce rate." –
700 Club, 0214/00
"We want...as soon as
possible to see a majority
of the Republican Party in
the hands of pro-family
Christians by 1996." –
Denver Post, 10/26/92
"The feminist agenda is not
about equal rights for
women. It is about a
socialist, anti-family
political movement that
encourages women to leave
their husbands, kill their
children, practice
witchcraft, destroy
capitalism, and become
lesbians." – Pat Robertson
direct mail, Summer 1992
"I believe that during the
next couple of years there
will be a fierce struggle
between the militant
leftists, secular humanists,
and atheists who have
dominated the power centers
of American culture for the
past 50 years and the
Evangelical Christians,
pro-family Roman Catholics,
and their conservative
allies. The radical left
will lose its hold, and by
the end of this decade
control of the major
institutions of society will
be firmly in the hands of
those who share a
pro-family, religious,
traditional value
perspective." – Pat
Robertson's Perspective,
July-August/1991
Updated: September
2006
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The Christian Legal Society
(CLS) is a nationwide
network of lawyers and law
students who are committed
to “serving Jesus Christ
through …the practice of
law.” Through its Center for
Law and Religious Freedom,
CLS advocates and litigates
issues ranging from
religious liberty to
reproductive choice.
Christian Legal Society
4208 Evergreen Lane Suite
222
Annandale, VA 22003-3264
Website:
www.clsnet.org
President: James A.
Davids
Founded/Place: 1961
in Chicago, Illinois, by
Paul Bernard, Gerrit P.
Groen, Henry Luke Banks, and
Elmer Johnson.
Executive Director/CEO:
Samuel B. Casey
Board of Directors:
Euguene H. Fahrenkrog, Jr.
(Chairman), Peter F. Rathbun
(Secretary), and Timothy C.
Klenk (Treasurer).
Membership: Includes
attorneys, judges, law
students, and anyone else
who pays CLS dues and
professes their commitment
to the Faith. They are
organized in more than 1100
cities into attorney
chapters, law student
chapters, and fellowships
throughout the United
States.
Source
Finances: $1,945,268
(2004); CLS is a 501(c)(3)
organization
Publications: The
Christian Lawyer
(quarterly), The
Christian Lawyer Digest
(an audiotape soon to be
available on CD), The
Defender (publication of
CLS' Center for Law and
Religious Freedom).
Affiliate Groups:
Center for Law and Religious
Freedom (litigation arm of
CLS) |
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CLS’ vision is succinct:
“Seeking Justice with the
Love of God.” Their mission
is "To be the national
grassroots network of
lawyers and law students,
associated with others,
committed to proclaiming,
loving and serving Jesus
Christ, through all we do
and say in the practice of
law, and advocating biblical
conflict reconciliation,
legal assistance for the
poor and the needy,
religious freedom and the
sanctity of human life.”
Source |
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- CLS hosts annual,
national conventions in
Naples, Florida, which
unites all members
nationwide and holds
prayer and religious
ceremonies, while
discussing the ministry
of law.
- CLS has been
involved in thousands of
litigation suits, many
dealing with First and
Fourteenth Amendment
rights; notably, those
dealing with in-school
recitations of the
Pledge of Allegiance,
and the separation of
church and state.
- Formed the Center
for Law and Religious
Freedom in 1975 to
address religious
liberties and the
sanctity of life issues
in federal, local, and
state governments.
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According to CLS’ 990 form
for 2004, the organization
reported $1,018,819 in
“gifts, grants, and
contributions received.” |
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Christian Legal Society was
officially founded in 1961
by a group of attorneys and
professors who met at the
1959 American Bar
Association national
convention. Both founders
were determined to create a
nationwide association of
Christian lawyers to create
a network for sharing
problems and for sharing
fellowship. The goal was to
integrate their faith with
their profession. Today,
CLS’s
core purpose is to
enlist “lawyers and law
students everywhere to
faithfully serve Jesus
Christ in the diligent study
and ethical practice of
law.” |
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National: Alabama,
Arizona, California,
Colorado, District of
Columbia, Florida, Hawaii,
Illinois, Indiana, Kansas,
Maryland, Massachusetts,
Minnesota, Mississippi, New
York, Oklahoma,
Pennsylvania, Texas,
Vermont, Virginia, and
Washington.
International:
Australia, Canada, Great
Britain, Peru, and South
Africa. |
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“We are particularly pleased
that Judge Roberts, by
virtue of his public service
and private practice, has an
excellent working knowledge
of the provisions of our
Constitution that protect
our first and most vital
liberties of free speech,
association and religious
free exercise…We are also
pleased the President
nominated someone who, by
virtue of his appellate
experience, promises upon
his confirmation to make an
immediate, positive and
long-term impact on the
respect the Supreme Court
needs to preserve our
constitutional form of
government."
–Center for Law & Religious
Freedom Director Gregory S.
Baylor on the nomination of
Judge John Roberts to the
Supreme Court.
Source
“Since its founding in 1961,
CLS’ nine organizational
objectives, as set forth in
its amended not-for-profit
articles of incorporation,
have been:
- To proclaim Jesus as
Lord through all that we
do in the field of law
and other disciplines;
- To provide a means
of society, fellowship
and nurture among
Christian lawyers;
- To encourage
Christian lawyers to
view law as ministry;
- To clarify and
promote the concept of
the Christian lawyer and
to help Christian
lawyers integrate their
faith with their
professional lives;
- To mobilize, at the
national and local
levels, the resources
needed to promote
justice, religious
liberty, the inalienable
right to human life, and
biblical conflict
reconciliation
- To encourage,
disciple and aid
Christian students in
preparing for the legal
profession;
- To provide a forum
for the discussion of
problems and
opportunities relating
to Christianity and the
law;
- To cooperate with
bar associations and
other organizations in
asserting and
maintaining high
standards of legal
ethics; and,
- To encourage lawyers
to furnish legal
services to the poor and
needy, and grant special
consideration to the
legal needs of churches
and other charitable
organizations.”
Source
Updated: August
2006 |
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Club for Growth (CFG) touts
itself as the inheritor of
Ronald Reagan’s “vision of
limited government and lower
taxes” and it advances this
anti-government vision
through its support of
political candidates who hew
to its right-wing economic
orthodoxy. The Culb for
Growth has aggressively
opposed several moderate
Republicans often to the
consternation of GOP
political leaders.
Club for Growth
1776 K Street NW Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006
Website:
www.clubforgrowth.org
Established: Club for
Growth (CFG) was founded in
1999.
President/CEO:
Pat Toomey (former
Member of the U.S. House of
Representatives from
Pennsylvania’s 15th
District)
Founder: Stephen
"Steve" Moore
Executive Director:
David Keating
Board Members: CFG
President Pat Toomey, Vice
President Chuck Pike,
Richard Gilder, formerly
Chairman of the Manhattan
Institute, and Thomas
Rhodes, President of
National Review magazine,
associated with a variety of
right-wing organizations,
including the Heritage
Foundation.
Finances: CFG raised $9.2
million for its activities
during the 2002 election
cycle.
Affiliations: CFG has
spun off at least one local
chapter, the
Virginia Club for Growth.
Virginia CFG’s president and
founder is Peter Ferrara,
the former general counsel
and chief economist for
Americans for Tax Reform. |
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- Main agenda is
promoting tax cuts and
drastically reducing the
size of the federal
government.
- Club for Growth PAC
patterns itself after
EMILY's List, a
progressive group that
raises campaign funds
for pro-choice women.
CFG encourages donors to
mail in checks for
favored candidates. By
“bundling” these checks
and sending them off to
candidates, CFG can have
a large impact on
individual races while
avoiding the rules that
govern more traditional
political action
committees.
- CFG has more than
9,000 members, dominated
by Wall Street
financiers and
executives.
- CFG’s ex-president
and founder Steve Moore
has called for closing
several government
departments, including
Education, Commerce,
Labor and Agriculture.
As always, CFG isn't
afraid to take on
Republicans who disagree
with its policy goals.
- One of CFG’s targets
in 2004 was Sen. John
McCain, (R-Arizona) an
opponent of some of
President Bush's latest
tax cut proposals.
According to Moore, CFG
members “loathe” McCain
and hoped to find “a
true, Reagan
conservative” to face
him in the 2004 primary.
- During the 2004
Presidential election,
CFG launched a $1
million, 30-second
television
commercial depicting
Democratic candidate
John Kerry as a spinning
weather vane for his
stance on a variety of
issues.
- CFG’s PAC gave
$215,634 to GOP
candidates in 2004.
- Following the 2004
election, Club for
Growth hired its first
lobbyist in an effort to
increase their influence
on Capitol Hill.
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Club for Growth is
comprised of two connected
entities:
- First, CFG is a
“527” organization,
which is allowed to
collect unlimited
contributions without
disclosing donors’
names, and to run “issue
ad” campaigns during
elections. These ads do
not directly call for
the election or defeat
of a candidate, and
“527” groups do not have
to disclose donors’
identity or reveal its
activities to the IRS or
the FEC.
- Second, it is a
political action
committee (PAC), and
organization capable of
giving limited donations
directly to campaigns
and is regulated by the
FEC.
Given the fact that
contributions are unlimited,
the spending by the “527” is
far larger than that of the
PAC, though specific
finances are hard to trace.
However, in total, CFG
raised $9.2 million for its
activities during the 2002
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- Stephen Moore is
currently an editor and
contributor to the
National Review, and
an economics
correspondent for
Human Events. He is
also President of the
Free Enterprise Fund
- Before founding the
Club for Growth, Moore
was the director of
fiscal policy studies at
the Cato Institute, and
has stayed on as a
senior fellow.
- Moore has also
served at the Heritage
Foundation and as
committee staff to
former Rep. Dick Armey,
now co-chair of
FreedomWorks.
- In December of 2004
then-CFG President Steve
Moore left his position
after accusations that
he, and/or members of
his new organization,
the Free Enterprise
Fund, had taken CFG’s
donor and mailing lists.
Though there were
threats of legal action,
no more came of the
accusations.
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"It's unfortunate that they
keep going after moderate
Republicans. We thought it
was time to stop them."
–Sarah Chamberlain Resnick,
Republican Main Street
Partnership
Rep. Jim Greenwood (R-PA)
calls Club for Growth
“cannibals” for its attacks
on moderate Republicans.
–Wall Street Journal,
3/16/2000
“[Moore] is the E.F. Hutton
of economic growth. When he
talks, conservatives
listen.”
–U.S. Rep. Rick Keller
(R-FL), who CFG supported in
his first campaign in 2000
“When you have 100 percent
of Republicans voting for
the Bush tax cut, you know
that they're looking over
their shoulder and not
wanting to have Steve Moore
recruiting candidates in
their district.”
–U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake
(R-AZ), who CFG supported in
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“We want to be seen as the
tax-cut enforcer in the
[Republican] party.”
– Stephen Moore, Seattle
Post-Intelligencer,
6/20/2001
“I can say this because I'm
not an elected official: the
most selfish group in
America today is senior
citizens. Their demands on
Washington are: 'Give us
more and more and more.'
They have become the new
welfare state, and given the
size and political clout of
this constituency, it's very
dangerous. One of the
biggest myths in politics
today is this idea that
grandparents care about
their grandkids. What they
really care about is that
that Social Security check
and those Medicare payments
are made on a timely basis.”
–Stephen
Moore
“We're trying to let
candidates know that if they
ever voted for a tax
increase, we'll never
support them and in fact
we'll work to defeat them.
We're trying to get the word
out to even the lowest
grass-roots level that if
you're a Republican you
aren't allowed to vote for
taxes.”
–Stephen
Moore
“Reagan's third term has
arrived.”
–Stephen
Moore on President
George W. Bush
Updated: August
2008 |
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The Collegiate Network was
established in 1979 to
provide financial and
technical assistance to
right-wing student
newspapers on college
campuses. It is heavily
funded by right-wing
foundations and claims its
newspapers have a combined
distribution of more than
two million each year.
Collegiate Network
3901 Centerville Road
P.O. Box 4431
Wilmington, DE 19807
Website:
www.collegiatenetwork.org
President: T. Kenneth
Cribb
Finances: $1,249,161
(2003)
Affiliated with:
Intercollegiate Studies
Institute
Publications:
Campus magazine, Stop
the Presses!, online news;
Start the Presses!,
handbook; and a network of
80 student-run college
newspapers
Formally known as:
Institute for Educational
Affairs (changed in 1980) |
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- The Collegiate
Network (CN) calls
itself “The Home of
Conservative College
Journalism,” and
provides financial and
technical assistance to
student editors and
writers of conservative
publications at colleges
and universities.
- From CN’s mission
statement, “to focus
public awareness on the
politicization of
American college and
university classrooms,
curricula, student life,
and the resulting
decline of educational
standards.”
- Among the college
campuses where 80
CN-connected newspapers
can be found: Princeton
University, Yale
University, American
University, Amherst
University,
SUNY-Binghamton, Boston
College, Bowdin College,
North Carolina State
University, Brown
University, University
of California- Berkeley,
UNC-Chapel Hill, Johns
Hopkins University,
University of Chicago,
University of Iowa, SUNY
Albany, Brandeis
University, University
of Texas at Austin,
Cornell University,
Boston College, Bucknell
University, Catholic
University, Dartmouth
University, Georgetown
University, George
Washington University,
Harvard University,
Kenyon College,
Vanderbilt University,
and Villanova
University.
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- CN helps students
establish, organize and
fund right-wing
newspapers. CN hosts
bi-annual training
seminars on college
student journalism and
teaches students how to
set up their own
newspaper. CN awards
general operations
grants to many of its
members.
- CN hosts an annual
Editor’s Conference
featuring right-wing
media celebrities, such
as John Leo; Weekly
Standard editor Fred
Barnes; Wall Street
Journal editorial
writers John Fund,
William McGurn, and
Robert Bartley; Thomas
Sowell; Robert Bork; and
Supreme Court Justice
Antonin Scalia.
- Campus Outrage
Awards, referred to as
the "Pollys," are
nominations by
right-wing students to
expose “radical campus
activists” who
“undermine the
traditional curriculum,
implement speech codes
that persecute
politically incorrect
students, enforce
group-identity politics
with sensitivity
seminars, and treat
students with a
double-standard
emanating from a
multiculturalist
perspective.” The
Wall Street Journal
has called the Pollys "a
great public service."
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- Columnist Ann
Coulter wrote for
Cornell Review — “My
only regret with Timothy
McVeigh is he did not go
to the New York Times
Building.”
Read
- Rich Lowry wrote for
Virginia Advocate
- Dinesh D’Souza wrote
for
Dartmouth Review;
author of
The End of Racism
— a book, among other
claims, that attributes
racial inequality and
oppression to African
Americans themselves.
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- Founders Tod
Lindberg and John
Podhoretz are now both
professional writers.
Lindberg is a columnist
often published in the
Washington Times
and is an editor at the
Hoover Institution.
Podhoretz is a writer
for the New York Post.
- CN’s President T.
Kenneth Cribb worked for
the Reagan
Administration for eight
years. Cribb was
Assistant to the
President for Domestic
Affairs in the Reagan
Administration,
counselor to the
Attorney General of the
United States, Deputy
Chief Counsel of the
Reagan-Bush Campaign and
supervised thirty of
President-elect Reagan's
transition teams.
- Cribb has been
published in National
Review, The
American Spectator,
The Intercollegiate
Review, Modern
Age, and Human
Events.
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The Collegiate Network
has received, from the
years 1995-2003, $4,615,000
in grants from conservative
foundations such as the
Sarah Scaife Foundation, the
Lynde and Harry Bradley
Foundation, the Kirby
Foundation, Carthage
Foundation, and the John M.
Olin Foundation, among
others.
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"Editing America’s leading
conservative magazine
[National Review] is no easy
task. But I learned the ins
and outs of taking on the
far Left as the editor of
the Virginia Advocate,
the Collegiate Network’s
independent publication at
the University of Virginia.”
— Rich Lowry, National
Review
"When I was 20 years old and
writing for the Michigan
Review, I hoped that one
day I might work for
National Review. Today I
do, and the Collegiate
Network is a huge part of
the reason why.” — John J.
Miller, National Review
"As an alternative source of
information on today's
campuses, the papers in the
Collegiate Network cannot be
beaten for timely and
newsbreaking stories." —
John Fund, The Wall
Street Journal
"Affirmative Action,
multiculturalism, grade
inflation, bureaucratic
weaseling - these are all
fat targets for the slings
and arrows of CN papers, who
deflate the most
self-important of the
educrats. Journalists at
certain dailies could learn
from these college students.
There is journalism for
clones . . . and then there
is journalism for
individuals - the Collegiate
Network." — Jeff Jacoby,
Boston Globe
Updated: April 2006 |
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Thought it claims to be an
“organization comprised of
more than 75 grassroots
organizations,” the
Coalition for a Fair
Judiciary (CFJ) appears to
be little more than a
one-person, part-time
operation run by right-wing
operative Kay Daly.
Coalition for a Fair
Judiciary
1155 21st Street NW Suite
300
Washington, DC 20036
Website:
www.fairjudiciary.com
President/Executive
Director: Kay Daly
Founded: 2001 by Kay
Daly (originally Americans
for Ashcroft)
"Experts" List: Jay
Sekulow (president,
American Center for Law and
Justice), Jan LaRue
(Chief Counsel,
Concerned Women for America),
Phyllis Schlafly (president,
Eagle Forum), and
Genevieve Wood, (political
consultant,
Family Research Center),
among others.
Membership:
Approximately 70-80 smaller
grassroots organizations,
top officials in some
mainstream conservative
organizations
Finances: CFJ is a
501(c)(4) organization
Publications: "Daly
Report" with Kay Daly on
RighTalk—a daily radio
program |
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The Coalition for a Fair
Judiciary was created as an
umbrella organization for
roughly 75 smaller
center-right grassroots
organizations dedicated to
confirming the nominations
of conservative,
“constitutionalist” judges,
and to combat “judicial
activism.” After the
successful support for the
confirmation of John
Ashcroft for Attorney
General following the 2000
Presidential election,
President Kay Daly organized
the 75 grassroots
organizations to create CFJ
as a 501(c)4 organization. |
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The Coalition focuses
primarily on organizing and
mobilizing its grassroots
bases by encouraging
constituents to engage in
letter-writing, editorial
contributions to local
newspapers, calling in to
radio talk-shows, and to
make direct contact with
their Congressmen.
Kay Daly is eager enough to
physically fly in
supporters for Senate
judiciary hearings in order
to pack the confirmation
hearings with friendly faces
and maximize visibility of
constituents.
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Kay Daly is the President of
the Coalition for a Fair
Judiciary. An experienced
political strategist and
corporate marketer, Daly
received the “Ronald
Reagan Award” at the
American Conservative
Union’s “CPAC” conference in
2003 where ACU’s president,
David Keene, called her “the
new Phyllis Schlafly.”
She is a tireless and
determined campaigner, and
is especially concerned with
promoting Bush’s judicial
nominees. She is “not afraid
to get her hands dirty on
behalf of client or party,”
and has been the center of
several controversial and
suspicious “information
gathering” scandals, all of
which she has denied (source).
Daly received a citation
from Senator Rick Santorum
(R-PA) for “Distinguished
Service to the United States
Senate.” |
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Originally a coalition of
groups organized to support
the nomination and
confirmation of John
Ashcroft as Attorney General
following the 2000
Presidential election, Kay
Daly founded the Coalition
for a Fair Judiciary as an
umbrella organization for
this coalition of over 75
“grassroots” organizations.
Among these groups are the
notable Americans for Tax
Reform, the Family Research
Council, and the Christian
Coalition. It is a 501(c)(4)
organization, meaning it is
political, and donates
specifically to political
campaigns and efforts. In
this case, the Coalition was
formed to support
“impartial” conservative
judicial nominees. |
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“One need not look further
than the ill-conceived
"V-Day" campaign to
demonstrate just how
downright bizarre feminism
has become. Basically, V-Day
is an alternative feminist
holiday to that evil
celebration of love on St.
Valentines Day. So instead
of candy, flowers, and
romantic dinners on February
14th, feminists are
organizing events to
celebrate the vagina. That's
right, an entire day for
females across the nation to
focus on their genitalia.
Isn't it the entire
antithesis of feminism to
reduce women (and therefore
their value) down to nothing
more than their genitalia?
How in the world does that
prevent the sexual
objectification of women?”
–Kay R. Daly, "Feminist
Follies," GOPUSA, February
28, 2005
“Many conservative parents
who can beautifully
articulate the most
intricate conservative
philosophy are almost
completely blind to the
liberal claptrap that has
infected their child-rearing
practices.”
–Kay R. Daly, “It's a Matter
of Parenting: The Twixters,”
January 18, 2005
"The Left, apparently
unaware of the outcome of
the last two elections, will
continue to attempt to
dictate to the President the
terms of the nomination and
confirmation process. The
Constitution, however, is
clear on that matter which
is quite inconvenient to
those on the Left who have
attempted to mask judicial
activists as consensus
nominees and any other
choice as 'outside the
mainstream.' It is nonsense
to believe that Senators Ted
Kennedy, Chuck Schumer and
Harry Reid, along with their
pals at NARAL, NOW, the ACLU
and People for the American
Way have the slightest
notion what 'the mainstream'
of America believes.”
–Kay R. Daly, “CFJ
Praises the Roberts
Nomination, Laments the
Reaction from the Left,”
July 19. 2005
Updated: July 2006
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Launched at the behest of
Senate Republicans and
initially led by right-wing
stalwart C. Boyden Gray, the
Committee for Justice exists
primarily for the purpose of
providing the appearance of
“grassroots” support and
activism for President
George W. Bush’s judicial
nominees.
1275 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
Website:
www.committeeforjustice.org
Chairmen: C. Boyden
Gray, Ronald A. Cass (former
Dean of Boston University
School of Law), Spencer
Abraham (former Senator,
former Secretary of Energy
under George W. Bush,
co-founder of the Federalist
Society)
Place/Date of Founding:
Washington, D.C. in 2002 by
former White House Counsel
C. Boyden Gray and Sean
Rushton
Executive Director:
Sean Rushton
Board of Directors:
C. Boyden Gray, Edward M.
Rogers, and Edwin Williamson
(all former members of
George H.W. Bush’s
administration)
Board Members: Frank
Keating (President and CEO
of the American Council of
Life Insurers), Connie Mack,
Jennifer C. Braceras (Senior
Fellow at the Independent
Women’s Forum), John Engler
(former Michigan governor
and current President of
National Association of
Manufacturers), among
others.
Finances: $26,250
(2003 revenue); $122,611
(2003 expenses)
Publications: Online
“Daily Blog” and numerous
television ads promoting
judicial nominees.
Affiliate Groups:
Committee for Justice
Foundation
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- The Committee for
Justice (CFJ) is staffed
by legal scholars and
practitioners, and was
created for the purpose
of promoting and
supporting
constitutionalist (as
opposed to “activist”)
judicial nominees to the
federal courts. It
strives to educate the
public on the importance
of judges and the court
system to American life.
- CFJ
defines
“constitutionalism” as
“the belief that a
judge’s proper role is
as neutral interpreter
of the natural law, not
as pioneer of new law or
social policy through
judicial activism.”
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- Partner at the law
firm of Wilmer Cutler &
Pickering and lobbyist
for corporate clients
such as Citigroup, Inc.
- In 2002, Gray was
recruited by
Representative Trent
Lott to start an
organization
specifically tailored to
oppose the filibuster of
judicial nominees in the
Senate. With additional
support from Bush
political strategist
Karl Rove, Gray formed
the CFJ, and began his
mission to raise funds
from corporate sources.
- Gray has strong ties
to the Bush family; at
the onset of CFJ, George
H.W. Bush – for whom
Gray had worked as Legal
Counsel and Counsel to
the Presidential Task
Force on Regulatory
Relief while Bush was
Vice President; and
later as Director of the
Office of Transition
Counsel for the Bush
transition team and
Counsel to President
Bush from 1989-1993 –
threw a large
fund-raising cocktail
party in his Houston
home, raising $250,000
for the new
organization. Gray
served as Counsel to the
Presidential Task Force
on Regulatory Relief,
chaired by Vice
President Bush, then
later as Director of the
Office of Transition
Counsel for the Bush
transition team, and as
Counsel to the first
President Bush from
1989-1993. In 1993 he
returned to William
Cutler & Pickering.
- Gray sits on the
Boards of
Progress for America
(a conservative group
that spent millions in
opposition to John F.
Kerry’s race for the
presidency), and
FreedomWorks, a
nonprofit organization
in favor of lower taxes
and less government
regulation.
- Named Ambassador to
European Union by
President Bush in July
2005.
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- CFJ bolsters support
for ultra-conservative
judicial nominees, many
of whom are opposed by
Democratic senators, by
strategically airing and
publishing
advertisements in favor
of the nominee in a
senator’s home state. In
August of 2005, CFJ
President Rushton
reported that his group
would be targeting
Democratic senators in
the red states of
Arkansas, Louisiana,
Nebraska, Colorado,
Indiana, and North and
South Dakota with radio
ad buys later on in the
month.
- The organization has
lent its support to
nominees such as Charles
Pickering, Janice
Rogers-Brown, and Miguel
Estrada, with ads
featuring
African-American and
Latino politicians.
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CFJ was created in 2002 by
C. Boyden Gray in order to
advocate greater
constitutionalism in the
federal courts. Its primary
goal is to see the
conservative Bush nominees
through the Senate
confirmation process, and
does so largely by appealing
to the public with
television and published
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“This is a single-issue
litmus test that strikes at
the heart of an independent
judiciary. It proves that
the Democratic Party is
increasingly focused solely
on the issue of abortion on
demand. Their greatest fear
is a nonpolitical judge who
will read the law as it's
written."
– Sean Rushton, responding
to female U.S. Senators who
say that they will vote
against Supreme Court
nominee John G. Roberts Jr.
unless he vows to uphold
abortion rights.
Washington Times, July
29, 2005
Updated: May 2006
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Founded by Beverly LaHaye,
wife of Religious Right
activist Tim LaHaye, as a
counter to the progressive
National Organization of
Women, Concerned Women for
America (CWA) describes
itself as “the nation's
largest public policy
women's organization.” CWA
opposes gay rights,
comprehensive sex education,
drug and alcohol education,
and feminism, while
advocating what it calls
“pro-life” and “pro-family”
values.
Concerned Women for America
1015 Fifteenth Street NW -
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
Website:
www.cwfa.org
Founder and Chairman:
Beverly LaHaye
President: Wendy
Wright
Founded: 1979, San
Diego, CA
Finances: Concerned
Women for America -
$8,484,108 (2004); Concerned
Women for America
Legislative Action Committee
- $555,477 (2004)
Membership: CWA
claims over 500,000 members.
State chapters: 500
regional groups across the
country.
Staff: 34
Donations: In 2002,
CWA reported earnings in the
form of “gifts, grants and
contributions received” in
the amount of $10,731,558
Publications: Family
Voice (published monthly,
has 200,000 subscribers) and
Issues at a Glance
(monthly). Family Watch, a
church communication,
reaches 500,000 people in
churches across the country.
CWA also offers many books,
cassettes, and video tapes
to their supporters on a
wide variety of subjects.
Radio: CWA's daily
radio show, "Concerned Women
Today," is broadcast on 75
stations and reaches an
estimated weekly audience of
over 1 million.
Affiliate groups:
Concerned Women for America
Education and Legal Defense
Foundation, Concerned Women
for America Legislative
Action Committee (CWALAC),
the Beverly LaHaye
Institute, and the Culture
and Family Institute.
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- Concerned Women for
America is “the nation’s
largest public policy
women’s
organization…[CWA seeks]
to protect traditional
values that support the
Biblical design of the
family.”.
- CWA is anti-gay,
anti-choice,
anti-feminism and
anti-sex education.
Beverly LaHaye started
CWA to respond to the
advances of feminism
after watching NOW
founder Betty Friedan on
television in 1978. CWA
identifies feminism as
“anti-god, anti-family.”
CWA identifies
state-level Equal Rights
Amendments (ERAs) as
responsible for the
breakdown of families,
“The ERA proposes the
elimination of our
God-given roles as men
and women, resulting in
the redefinition -- and
eventual destruction --
of family.”
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- CWA has lobbied
against the Freedom of
Choice Act and gay
rights legislation in
many states. Grassroots
activity in most states
is led by a CWA Area
Representative and a
steering committee.
According to its 2003
990 Report, CWA spent a
total of $92,560 in
lobbying expenditures to
influence both public
opinion and legislative
bodies.
- This group monitors
state legislation,
organizes Prayer/Action
chapters and coordinates
the CWA's “Project 535”
grassroots congressional
lobbying program.
(“Project 535” refers to
the total number of
Members of Congress in
both the House and
Senate.)
- CWA fights against
sex education curricula
that is not completely
abstinence based and
opposes anti-drug and
alcohol abuse programs
that emphasize
self-esteem. Many
challengers to books and
curricula in public
schools use CWA-produced
materials.
- CWA has been active
in the fight against
using Harry Potter books
in schools. Publications
such as “Harry Potter:
Seduction of the Occult”
claim that the books
promote the practice of
witchcraft among
children. CWA offers
books and videos such
as, “Harry Potter:
Witchcraft Repackaged:
Making Evil Look
Innocent.” (Produced by
Tim LaHaye, Beverly
LaHaye’s husband.)
- CWA has also been
active in supporting the
teaching of Creationism
and “Intelligent Design
theory” in science
classrooms.
- CWA’s anti-gay work
covers many issues, from
supporting the Boy
Scouts of America ban
against gay
participants, to
opposing any openly gay
people in President
Bush’s administration.
CWA has been active in
opposing any and all gay
and lesbian civil rights
measures, including
supporting the right to
discriminate against
gays and lesbians in
employment. CWA supports
the “Truth in Love”
campaign that says that
homosexuality is a sin
and claims gays and
lesbians can become
“straight” through “the
love of Jesus Christ.”
CWA established the
Culture and Family
Institute (CFI) to
combat gay and lesbian
civil rights. Robert H.
Knight, a long time
anti-gay crusader, leads
the Culture and Family
Institute.
- During John
Ashcroft’s confirmation
hearings in the Senate,
CWA and many other
“pro-family” groups held
a press conference of
conservative women
leaders, which they
claim resulted in 13,000
e-mails to senators,
phone calls from
members, hand-deliver
information to senators
and appeared on several
major news networks. CWA
called Ashcroft’s
critics
“anti-religionists.”
- As a leader of the
religious right, Beverly
and her husband Tim
LaHaye are strong
supporters of other
Religious-Right groups
and leaders. For
instance, in the summer
of 2001 the LaHayes gave
Jerry Falwell’s Liberty
University $4.5 million.
(Beverly LaHaye is a
trustee of the
university.)
- Beverly LaHaye,
alongside many other
conservative leaders,
has lobbied to de-fund
the National Endowment
for the Arts (NEA).
In 1991, she testified
before the Committee on
Appropriations, Interior
Subcommittee, of the
House of Representatives
to argue for de-funding
of the NEA.
- In 2002, CWA
vehemently opposed
ratification of CEDAW
(the United Nation’s
Convention on the
Elimination of
Discrimination Against
Women), claiming its
pro-women empowerment
and equality sections
comprised a “leftist
utopian wish list.” The
Convention, which
opposes the
discrimination or
subordination of women
across the globe, was
criticized by LaHaye
Institute Fellow Janice
Shaw Crouse, as imposing
contemporary
colonialist, neo-Marxist
agendas. CEDAW was
ratified on January
7, 2005, by 71
countries, and endorsed
by 76 signatories. The
United States was not
one of them.
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- In 1994 CWA filed
suit on behalf of an
anti-abortion protester
who was arrested during
a protest against the
federal Freedom of
Access to Clinic
Entrances Act (FACE),
which banned protesters
from blocking clinic
entrances. In 1995 the
Court of Appeals upheld
FACE and CWA appealed to
the Supreme Court,
although the Court
refused to hear the
case.
- In 1994 the Virginia
State Democratic
Committee filed an
injunction against CWA
to stop the distribution
of CWA’s “nonpartisan”
voter guides. CWA and
the Family Foundation
(of Virginia) appealed
to the courts, which
ordered the ban lifted.
- In 1993 CWA-Iowa
claimed victory by
helping to defeat the
state ERA with a 52
percent majority vote.
- In 1988, Beverly
LaHaye testified before
the Senate Judiciary
Committee in the
confirmation hearings
for Judge Anthony
Kennedy to the U.S.
Supreme Court.
- During the 1987
Supreme Court nomination
hearings for Robert
Bork, CWA led a national
petition drive,
sponsored a “Women for
Bork” rally, and
organized 350 people to
lobby senators on Bork’s
behalf.
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Mike Farris: Founder
and former President (until
2000) of the
Home School Legal Defense
Association, Mike Farris
worked for CWA as a
full-time attorney while
still upholding his
responsibilities to
home-schooling. HSLDA is an
organization that defends a
parent’s right to
home-school their children,
and frequently defends
parents who have been
contacted by Social Services
for reasons ranging from
educational neglect to
physical child abuse. Farris
is no longer President, yet
he still remains the
Chairman of the Board and
General Counsel at HSLDA.
Farris was the Republican
nominee for Lieutenant
Governor of Virginia in
1993, and is the President
of Patrick Henry College.
Farris is also the founder
and president of
The Madison Project, a
political action committee
supporting “Republicans who
clearly demonstrate their
conservatism.”
Michael Schwartz:
Schwartz was the Vice
President for Legislative
Affairs and the Vice
President of Governmental
Relations at CWA. During his
career with CWA, Schwartz
co-authored Gays, AIDS,
and You, and was a
leading advocate for the
sanctity of life, parental
rights, and religious
freedom. Schwartz is
currently the chief of staff
in the office of Senator Tom
Coburn (R-OK).
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Many of the CWA state groups
are very active on local
issues. For instance, in
1998 the CWA-California Bay
Area chapter helped gather
60,000 necessary signatures
to force the Board of
Supervisors to either repeal
or place on the ballot a
domestic partnership
ordinance. The Board
repealed the ordinance. |
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“Christian values should
dominate our government. The
test of those values is the
Bible. Politicians who do
not use the Bible to guide
their public and private
lives do not belong in
office.”
Read
“Most women know the
feminist agenda has failed.
They see our culture
crumbling from its
influence. In fact, feminism
has harmed women and
families worldwide as its
proponents have used the
United Nations to spread
their agenda." (CWA’s Family
Voice, July-August, 1999,
pg. 5)
"Yes, religion and politics
do mix. America is a nation
based on biblical
principles. Christian values
dominate our government. The
test of those values is the
Bible. Politicians who do
not use the bible to guide
their public and private
lives do not belong in
office." (“Ms.” magazine,
2/87)
On censorship: "I am aware
that America is and must
always be a land of freedom
including freedom of speech.
But there is a right time
and place for everything."
(CWA News, 3/91)
Mrs. LaHaye warned her
members that homosexuals
"want their depraved
'values' to become our
children's values.
Homosexuals expect society
to embrace their immoral way
of life. Worse yet, they are
looking for new recruits!"
(CWA direct mail, 5/92)
Updated: April 2006
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316 Pennsylvania Ave., SE,
Ste. 203
Washington, DC 20003
www.eagleforum.org
President/Founder:
Phyllis Schlafly
Executive Director:
Lori (Cole) Waters
Date of founding:
1972
Place of founding:
Alton, IL
Membership: 80,000
Finances: $2.3
million (2000)
Staff: 8
State Chapters: 30
listed on website.
Publications: The
Phyllis Schlafly Report,
published monthly. From the
Eagle's Nest, a weekly
newsletter just for teens.
The Eagle’s Voice, a weekly
e-mail newsletter for
college students. “Crisis in
the Classroom,” a video on
“hidden agendas” in public
schools. “Radical Feminism,”
a video which outlines the
destructive force of
feminism. Schlafly’s weekly
syndicated column appears in
100 newspapers. EF also
publishes other reports on
their issues.
Radio: Schlafly’s
radio commentaries are heard
daily on 460 stations, and
her radio talk show on
education called "Phyllis
Schlafly Live" is heard
weekly on 40 stations. Cole
has appeared on the United
Radio Network NewsMaker, USA
Radio Network.
Television: Cole has
been a guest on Fox News The
O'Reilly Factor, Hannity and
Colmes , Beyond the News,
CNN Talk Back Live, ABC’s
Politically Incorrect , and
MSNBC.
Affiliate Groups:
Eagle Forum Education and
Legal Defense Fund, the
Eagle Forum’s foundation.
The Eagle Forum Collegians,
a network for conservative
college students. The Eagle
Forum PAC contributes to
right-wing political
campaigns. Schlafly
co-founded the Republican
National Coalition for Life
in 1990. |
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The Eagle Forum has
expanded from a group that
spent a decade campaigning
against a single issue to
lobbying congress on a
variety of issues,
establishing leadership
training seminars, and
reaching out to college
students to help develop
future conservative leaders.
Phyllis Schlafly is
often identified as the
mother of the women’s
conservative movement, and
through EF she has been an
outspoken opponent of many
issues including: sex
education (unless its
“abstinence only”),
reproductive rights, AIDS
education, sexual harassment
legislation, federal support
for daycare and family
leave, United States
involvement with the United
Nations, the international
Chemical Weapons Treaty,
affirmative action,
bilingual education,
multiculturalism and
diversity education, gay and
lesbian rights, teaching the
theory of evolution in
schools, environmental
protection efforts, the
dangers of pornography, and
immigration.
Schlafly has championed
“traditional family values,”
such as women staying home
to care for their children,
and has raised 6 children in
addition to writing or
editing 20 books, earning a
Master’s in Political
Science in 1945 from
Harvard, and spearheading
national campaigns for over
thirty years. Mrs. Schlafly
is also a lawyer and served
as a member of the
Commission on the
Bicentennial of the U.S.
Constitution, 1985-1991,
appointed by President
Reagan.
Schlafly has testified
before more than 50
Congressional and State
Legislative committees on
constitutional, national
defense, and family issues.
The Eagle Forum has
organized against curricula
and textbooks in public
schools that violate
“Christian values” and
Schlafly’s work is cited
frequently by local
schoolbook censors. EF also
campaigns heavily against
the National Education
Association and the American
Teacher's Federation,
claiming that both groups
intentionally obstruct the
ability of children to learn
so that they can make a
profit.
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Phyllis Schlafly established the Eagle Forum (EF) to combat the “Equal
Rights Amendment” and the
radical feminist agenda.
Schlafly takes credit
for defeating the Equal
Rights Amendment, and her
anti-feminism efforts made
her a household name in the
Equal Rights Amendment
battle in the 1970’s; She
was responsible for
popularizing the
misconception that if the
ERA was passed, separate
bathrooms for the sexes
would be illegal.
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“The teachers unions are
more eager to expand job
opportunities for the
remedial reading
bureaucracy, and for
servicing the social
problems caused by
illiteracy, than they are in
teaching the basics.” –
website essay, “How to Make
America Better”
“Abolishing the Department
of Education was one of
Ronald Reagan's campaign
promises when he ran for
President in 1980.
Fulfilling that promise is
long overdue, and the time
to do it is now…The goal [in
public schools] is clearly
to infuse (i.e., cause to
penetrate) the gay/lesbian
propaganda into every level
of school: every grade K
through 12, every academic
subject, and every school
and social activity. “
-The Phyllis Schlafly
Report, September 1995
“Nothing about contraception
should be taught in schools.
There is no question that it
will encourage sexual
activity.” – New York Times,
10/17/92
“You can’t get into
negotiations with the
feminists because you will
lose. They will slit your
throat. They have no sense
of fair play or compromise.”
–National Affairs Briefing,
8/92
[Updated September 2002]
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316 Pennsylvania Ave. SE,
Suite 203
Washington, DC 20003
www.efcollegians.org
Founded: by Phyllis
Schlafly in 1993
President: Phyllis
Schlafly
Assistant Director:
Jessica Echard
Finances: unknown,
see Eagle Forum
Affiliated with:
Eagle Forum
Publications:
Eagle’s Voice, a weekly
newsletter |
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EFC’s main issues:
fighting feminism and
women’s studies curricula,
opposing “the gay agenda,”
opposing affirmative action
programs, opposing
multicultural approaches to
education, and targeting the
campus funding of “liberal”
student organizations.
EFC helps students
sponsor right-wing speakers
and bring them to their
campuses to “counter the
multitude of liberal
messages in the classrooms,
the dorms, the student
center, and the special
lectures.” The only speaker
heavily promoted through the
group is Phyllis Schalfy.
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ECF has chapters on
college and university
campuses. These groups focus
on electing conservative
students to student
government.
Hosts an annual
Leadership Summit in
Washington, DC. Guest
lecturers have included:
Senator Rick Santorum
(R-PA), CNN host Tucker
Carlson, Rep. Tom Tancredo
(R-CO), and Rep. Saxby
Chambliss (R-GA). The 2003
conference claimed to have
had students from 119
schools. The 2004 conference
included the following
speakers: Phyllis Schlafly,
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX),
Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA),
Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), Rep.
Mike Pence (R-IN), Rep. Todd
Akin (R-MO), Rep. Trent
Franks (R-AZ), Rep. John
Hostettler (R-IN), Rep.
Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and
Tim Goeglein of the White
House Office of Public
Liaison. The 2004 conference
claimed to have had students
from over 100 schools.
Previous speakers also
include Ann Coulter and
House Majority Leader Dick
Armey.
EFC has a“Book
Project”whose central
purpose is to promote
Phyllis Schlafly’s books and
get students to pressure
college and university
libraries to purchase copies
of her books. The Book
Project also suggests that
students pressure their
Women’s Studies Departments
to make Schlafly’s recent
book on “feminism's
forty-year war against
women,” Feminist
Fantasies, required
reading.
EFC offers students
internships in their
national Washington DC
headquarters.
Updated July 2004
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801 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
www.frc.org
President: Tony
Perkins
Date of founding:
1983
Membership: 455,000
members.
Finances: $10 million
(2000 revenue)
Staff: 120
State groups: 40
Publications:
Washington Watch
(monthly) and Family
Policy (bimonthly).
Ed Facts (available via
fax, e-mail or internet on a
weekly basis).
CultureFacts (available
by fax or e-mail). I.E.
(Ideas & Energy) monthly
newsletter provides articles
on political, social, and
cultural trends for
high-school students. Also
produces numerous issue
papers.
Radio: Ken Connor’s
“Washington Watch,” a daily
radio program hosted by
FRC’s president.
Affiliate groups:
American Renewal, Family
Policy Councils |
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Since the early 1990’s, FRC has emerged as a leading conservative
think-tank championing
“traditional family values”
by lobbying for
state-sponsored prayer in
public schools, private
school “vouchers,”
abstinence-only programs,
filtering software on public
library computers, the right
to discriminate against gay
men and lesbians.
FRC’s objective is to
establish a conservative
Christian standard of
morality in all of America’s
domestic and foreign policy.
FRC has dedicated itself
to working against
reproductive freedom, sex
education, equal rights for
gays and lesbians and their
families, funding of the
National Endowment for the
Arts and the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting. FRC
supports a school prayer
amendment and would like to
‘disestablish’ the
Department of Education.
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FRC has testified before congress on many “pro-family” issues, filed
amicus briefs, and published
a lot of reports that they
regularly circulate to
politicians.
In September 2001, FRC’s
president attacked President
Bush for his “implicit
endorsement of the
homosexual political agenda”
with the appointment of two
openly gay men by the Bush
administration.
FRC has also defended
the Boy Scout’s
discriminatory practices
against gay men and lesbians
and has criticized the Girl
Scouts for not having the
same practice. FRC has
joined many other right-wing
conservative groups by
attacking and boycotting
Disney’s “gay-friendly”
policies. FRC has lobbied
against many “equal rights”
measures that extend civil
rights protections to gay
and lesbian people, and has
promoted the “ex-gay”
movement as a way to combat
civil rights measures for
gay men and lesbians.
FRC strives to ban all
federal or state support for
family planning services and
overturn the right to an
abortion. FRC is a strong
supporter of
“abstinence-only” education
and opposes sex education
that addresses
contraception.
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FRC was originally
established by Dr. James
Dobson, of the behemoth
right-wing group Focus on
the Family, to lobby for
“traditional family values”
in Washington, DC. In 1988
the group was led by Gary
Bauer, former head the
Reagan Administration’s
Office of Policy Development
and Reagan’s chief adviser
on domestic policy. The
ambitious Bauer set out to
make FRC the voice of social
conservatives in Washington,
DC.
Under Bauer, FRC became
a division of Dr. James
Dobson’s Focus on the Family
from 1988 until October
1992, when IRS concerns
about the group’s lobbying
led to an amicable
administrative separation.
When Ralph Reed stepped down
as executive director of the
Christian Coalition, Bauer
emerged as an emerging star
of the religious right.
Bauer’s leadership
helped establish the group
as one most well-known
conservative lobbying groups
in Washington, DC. In 1999,
Bauer left FRC to run for
president of the United
States. After his failed bid
for the presidency, in 2000
Bauer returned to American
Values, a group he had
formed years ago but had
been dormant for several
years.
In 1999, Attorney Ken
Connor was tapped to be
FRC’s next president, a
seasoned anti-choice
activist from Florida.
Connor stepped down as FRC's
president in August 2003.
FRC appointed former
Louisiana state Rep. Tony
Perkins as their new
president in September 2003.
Perkin's Louisiana
legislative background
includes:
author of legislation requiring public schools to install filtering
software.
author of American
History Preservation
Act, which "prevents
censorship of America's
Christian heritage in
Louisiana public
schools."
authored legislation
providing "a daily time
of silent prayer in
Louisiana public
schools."
author of the first
Covenant Marriage Law.
In 1998, Perkins founded
the Louisiana Family Forum
due to his concern for
"increasing influence of the
homosexual community on
public policy issues."
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“We are encouraged that the
President is now saying he
will support amending the
Constitution to protect
marriage. However, I am
concerned that the President
thinks counterfeit
institutions such as
same-sex unions are OK and
do not threaten to devalue
the real thing. This
administration has spent
millions of dollars to
prevent the counterfeiting
of our currency which
threatens the health of our
economy. Counterfeit
marriages called "civil
unions" pose a serious
threat to the health of our
culture, and while the
President may believe this
is an issue to be resolved
at the state level, he
should use his moral
leadership to steer states
away from such
culture-threatening unions -
not encourage them by
showing indifference or
political tolerance." -Tony
Perkins, Washington
Update,
December 17, 2003
"Supporters of V. Gene
Robinson, the newly
consecrated homosexual
Episcopal bishop, claim his
elevation sends "a powerful
message of love and
tolerance." However, it is
not "tolerant" to brush off
opposition to the
consecration of a homosexual
bishop. Nor is it "loving"
to suppress evidence that
homosexual behavior is a
"death-style" that is
sending young people to an
early grave." -Tony Perkins,
Washington Update,
November 4, 2003
“Do you really think that
when our troops from Delta
Force crawl into Osama bin
Laden’s cave in Afghanistan
or into the face of the
muzzle of a terrorist
machine gun, that they are
doing it so that women can
kill their children, so that
pornographers can peddle
their smut, so that people
of the same sex can marry?
If those features of
American life become the
fixtures of American life, I
fear that our nation may not
long endure.” -- President
Ken Connor,
from “Reflections After the
Terror,”October 2, 2001
"This is another attempt by
the homosexual lobby to
indoctrinate children as
young as kindergarten in the
homosexual lifestyle. Young
people who are sexually
confused need the facts
about homosexuality. They
need to know that research
shows they aren't `born
gay,' that there is hope for
a way out of the lifestyle,
and that continuing in
homosexuality presents
serious health risks. The
NEA’s proposal would censor
such honesty." --Family
Research Council spokeswoman
Genevieve Wood on the
National Education
Association, Washington
Times, July 4th, 2001
“With today’s effective
[internet] filtering
technology, there is no
excuse for schools and
libraries to become a
virtual dirty peep-show open
to kids and funded by
taxpayers." -- spokeswoman
Jan LaRue, March 20, 2001
press release
"...one of the primary goals
of the homosexual rights
movement is to abolish all
age of consent laws and to
eventually recognize
pedophiles as the 'prophets'
of a new sexual order."
--“Homosexual Behavior &
Pedophilia,” a FRC
publication, July 1999,
http://www.frc.org/misc/bl057.pdf
"Gaining access to children
has been a long-term goal of
the homosexual movement."
--"Homosexual Behavior and
Pedophilia," FRC
publication, July 1999,
http://www.frc.org/misc/bl057.pdf
[Updated December 2003]
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Since its inception, the
Federalist Society has
played a key role in
advancing the right-wing
agenda. As a ideological
proving ground for
ultra-conservative
activists, lawyers, and
scholars, the Federalist
Society has long served as a
valuable professional
network for those on the
Right and has proved to be a
valuable resource from which
the Bush administration has
culled not only numerous
administration officials,
but also judicial nominees.
Federalist Society for Law
and Public Policy Studies
1015 18th Street NW Suite
425
Washington, DC 20036
Website:
www.fed-soc.org
Established: 1982 by
a group of right-wing law
students President/Executive
Director: Eugene Meyer
Board of Directors: National
Co-Chairmen Prof. Steven
Calabresi and David M.
MacIntosh, Directors Prof.
Gary Lawson, and Eugene B.
Meyer, Hon. T. Kenneth Cribb
(President of Collegiate
Network), and Mr. Brent O.
Hatch, treasurer.
Membership: The FS
Lawyers Division has 25,000
legal professionals; Student
Division has more than 5,000
law students at 145 law
schools; 60 metropolitan
lawyers’ chapters; 15
nationwide practice groups;
and a new Faculty Division
with unpublished membership
numbers.
Finances: $5,450,536
(total revenue for 2004)
Grants: Since 1985,
The Federalist Society has
received over $12 million in
grants from conservative
foundations, such as the
Earhart, Bradley, Simon, and
Olin Foundations, as well as
the Carthage, Koch, and
Scaife Foundations.
Publications: Several
e-mail newsletters on
different topics, a
quarterly law journal, a
“Conservative and
Libertarian Pre-Law Reading
List,” and various reports
on legal issues. |
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- The Federalist
Society hopes to
transform the American
legal system by
developing and promoting
far-right positions and
influencing who will
become judges, top
government officials,
and decision-makers. FS
is “dedicated to
reforming the current
legal order.”
- The Federalist
Society is a well
established network of
right-wing lawyers,
politicians, pundits,
and judges.
Many members of the
Federalist Society
advocate a rollback of
civil rights measures,
reproductive choice,
labor and employment
regulations, and
environmental
protections.
In Federalist Society’s
guide to forming and
running a chapter of the
society, FS says it
“creates an informal
network of people with
shared views which can
provide assistance in
job placement.”
- The Federalist
Society has 15 different
“practice groups” that
focus on particular
legal issues, such as
civil rights and labor
and employment law.
- Read PFAW
Foundation's detailed
report,
The Federalist Society:
From Obscurity to Power
[PDF file].
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- Former Attorney
General John Ashcroft
- Former Secretary of
the Department of Energy
Spencer Abraham
- Secretary of the
Department of Interior
Gale Norton
- Former Solicitor of
Labor Eugene Scalia
(Supreme Court Justice
Antonin Scalia’s son)
- Former General
Counsel of the
Department of Education
Brian Jones
- Former Deputy
Attorney General Larry
Thompson
- Former Solicitor
General Ted Olson
- Former Assistant
Attorney General for
Legal Policy Viet Dinh
- Inspector General of
Department of Defense
Joseph E. Schmitz
- Former Asst.
Attorney General for
Environment and Natural
Resources Thomas L.
Sansonetti
- Former Principal
Deputy Solicitor General
Paul Clement [Currently
Solicitor General]
- Former Associate
Deputy Attorney General
and former Director of
the Federal Trade
Commission's Office of
Policy Planning R. Ted
Cruz
- Former Director of
National Institute of
Justice Sarah V. Hart
- Former Associate
White House Counsel
Bradford Berenson
- Former Associate
White House Counsel Noel
Francisco
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- Samuel Alito,
confirmed to the U.S.
Supreme Court
- John Roberts,
confirmed to the U.S.
Supreme Court
- Janice Rogers Brown,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
DC Circuit
- Miguel Estrada,
nominated to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
DC Circuit [withdrawn]
- Brett Kavanaugh,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
DC Circuit
- D. Brooks Smith,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Third Circuit
- Michael Chertoff,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Third Circuit, currently
Secretary of the
Department of Homeland
Security
- William Haynes,
nominated to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Fourth Circuit
- Edith Brown Clement,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Fifth Circuit
- Priscilla R. Owen,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Fifth Circuit
- Henry Saad,
nominated to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Sixth Circuit
[withdrawn]
- Susan Neilson,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Sixth Circuit
- Deborah Cook,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Sixth Circuit
- Jeffrey Sutton,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Sixth Circuit
- David W. McKeague,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Sixth Circuit
- Diane Sykes,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Seventh Circuit
- Steven Collonton,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Eighth Circuit
- Raymond Gruender,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Eighth Circuit
- Carlos Bea,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Ninth Circuit
- Carolyn B. Kuhl,
nominated to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Ninth Circuit
[withdrawn]
- Jay Bybee, confirmed
to the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit
- Harris L. Hartz,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Tenth Circuit
- Michael McConnell,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Tenth Circuit
- Timothy M.
Tymkovich, confirmed to
the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Tenth
Circuit
- William Pryor,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Eleventh Circuit
- Thomas B. Griffith,
confirmed to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
DC Circuit
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- Justice Antonin
Scalia, U.S. Supreme
Court
- Senator Orrin Hatch
(R-Utah)
- Kenneth Starr,
former White House
Independent Counsel
whose investigation led
to President Clinton’s
impeachment
- Judge Robert Bork,
failed Supreme Court
nominee
- Linda Chavez,
President of the
Center for Equal
Opportunity
- Charles Murray,
controversial author who
asserted that some races
are inherently less
intelligent than others
- Don Hodel, former
Christian Coalition
president
- Michigan Governor
John Engler
- Justice Maura
Corrigan, Michican
Supreme Court Chief
Justice (4 other
justices on the state
supreme court are also
members of the FS)
- Former Attorney
General Don Stenberg,
Nebraska
- Former Attorney
General Alan Lance,
Idaho
Updated: May 2006 |
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Focus on the Family founder
and chairman James Dobson is
perhaps the most influential
right-wing Christian leader
in the country, with a huge
and loyal following that he
can reach easily through an
impressive media empire.
Focus on the Family
8605 Explorer Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
Website:
http://www.family.org/
Founder:
Dr. James C. Dobson
President/Chief Executive
Officer:
James D. Daly
Established: 1977
Finances:
$137,848,520 (2004 Focus on
the Family revenue);
$24,988,036 (2004 Focus on
the Family Action revenue)
Board of Directors:
Ted Engstrom, Bobb Beihl,
Lee Eaton, Shirley Dobson,
Don Hodel, Stephen W. Reed,
Robert Hamby, Anthony
Wauterlek, Daniel
Villanueva; Lt. Gen. Patrick
P Caruana, Elsa Prince
Broekhuizen, Steve Largent,
Dr. Albert Mohler, Jr., Dr.
Kathleen Nielson (2004)
Staff: approximately
1,300 employees
Publications: 2.3
million subscribers to ten
monthly magazines. Magazine
titles include: Focus on
the Family, Citizen
Magazine, Parental
Guidance, Clubhouse
and Clubhouse Jr.
Focus on the Family also
publishes a wide variety of
books, tapes, films and
videos.
Media: Dr. Dobson is
heard daily on more than
3,400 radio facilities in
North America, in 15
languages, on approximately
6,300 facilities in 164
countries. Dobson’s
estimated listening audience
is over 220 million people
every day, including a
program translation carried
on all state-owned radio
stations in the Republic of
China. In the United States,
Dobson appears on 80
television stations daily.
State affiliates: FOF
is affiliated with 36 state
groups such as the
Pennsylvania Family
Institute, the North
Carolina Policy Council and
the Rocky Mountain Family
Council.
Affiliate groups:
Focus on the Family
Institute, FOF’s college
program, and
Focus on the Family Action,
which is FOF’s cultural
action organization formed
under the IRS section
501(c)(4). FOF has 74
different international
ministries and has
established conservative
Christian ministries for
attorneys, doctors,
teachers, and other groups. |
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- Focus on the
Family's mission is to
cooperate with the Holy
Spirit in disseminating
the Gospel of Jesus
Christ to as many people
as possible, and,
specifically, to
accomplish that
objective by helping to
preserve traditional
values and the
institution of the
family.
- Focus on the Family
(FOF) is the largest
international
religious-right group in
the United States, a
multi-media empire that
includes its own
“campus” and zip code in
Colorado Springs,
Colorado.
- FOF is a strong
supporter of the Defense
of Marriage Act; since
the decision of
Massachusetts to
recognize same-sex
unions, FOF closely
monitors the status of
same-sex marriage
prevention measures
being enacted in each
state across the
country.
- Focus on the Family
Action launched an ad
campaign in 16 states
urging calls to U.S.
senators in support of
an up-or-down vote on
President Bush’s
judicial nominees.
- FOF provides
“Evangelical Christian”
self-help in a variety
of forums, via radio and
their publications, and
by conducting seminars
across the country to
help evangelical
Christians become
involved in the
political process. Focus
on the Family uses its
radio show and magazine,
Citizen, to urge
"pro-family" voters to
become active in state
and local primaries and
caucuses.
- FOF is anti-choice,
anti-gay, and against
sex education curricula
that are not strictly
abstinence-only. Local
schoolbook censors
frequently use Focus on
the Family's material
when challenging a book
or curriculum in the
public schools. FOF also
focuses on religion in
public schools,
encouraging Christian
teachers to establish
prayer groups in
schools.
- FOF supports
student-led prayer in
public schools, although
it points out that it
doesn’t support
teacher-led prayer for
fear that a teacher
would encourage
Christian students “to
pray to Allah, Buddha or
the goddess Sophia
against the wishes of
the parents and/or
students.” (“Religion in
Public Schools,”
February 1998.)
- FOF also supports
private school vouchers,
tax credits for
religious schools,
rejects education
efforts that address
multiculturalism or
homosexuality, and
recommends that
Christian parents
withdraw from the
Parents and Teachers
Association (PTA) on the
grounds that it has a
liberal social agenda.
FOF supports faith-based
social services and
“charitable choice.”
- FOF works against
“special rights” for
homosexuals and hate
crime legislation, and
supports “reparative
therapy” for
homosexuality, which has
been widely discredited
and rejected by the vast
majority of doctors and
physicians. FOF sponsors
“Love Won Out,”
conferences held around
the U.S. that claim to
prove that
“homosexuality is
preventable and
treatable,” where many
of the speakers are
“ex-gays.” “Love Won
Out” is from the title
of a book by John Paulk,
an “ex-gay” who is the
host of the conferences
and is an employee of
Focus on the Family.
- For those ex-gays
who cannot change, FOF
considers sexual
celibacy another option.
FOF regularly asserts
the idea that there is a
“homosexual agenda” and
associates homosexuals
with pedophilia and
recruitment of children
as sex partners.
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- According to
Ministry Watch,
Focus on the Family is
the eighth largest
ministry in terms of
revenues in their
database. FOF receives a
substantial portion of
its revenue from its
countless resources,
including book,
periodical, CD, video,
and magazine sales, as
well as conference and
retreat costs, yet
still, in its 2004 990
form, declares
$118,263,318 of grants,
contributions and gifts
received from donors.
Focus on the Family’s
ownership of its land
(it prefers to own
rather than rent its
space) and buildings add
up to $48 million on its
books, and in 2004 they
cited the cost of upkeep
and improvements on
their property to be
over $101.5 million.
- James Dobson pays
FOF a yearly sum of
$5000 for radio show
fees.
- Shirley Dobson, wife
of James and head of the
National Day of Prayer,
works in conjunction
with FOF for funding for
the events of the
National Day of Prayer;
in 2004 the total cost
of the events came to
$164,000, which was
apparently in part
reimbursed by a $150,000
donation to FOF by the
National Prayer
Committee (NPC).
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- Dobson served as the
President and CEO of the
group from the time it
was founded until he
stepped down in Spring
of 2003. Dobson still
serves as the Chairman
of the Board and the
host of Focus on the
Family radio broadcasts.
- Dr. James Dobson is
the author of 17 books,
most of which deal with
raising Christian
children in a culture
that he views as hostile
to fundamentalist
Christians.
- Dr. Dobson has been
heavily involved with
Republican
administrations as an
expert on the “family.”
Dobson was appointed by
President Ronald Reagan
to the National Advisory
Commission to the office
of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention,
1982-84. From 1984-87 he
was regularly invited to
the White House to
consult with President
Reagan and his staff on
family matters. He
served as co-chairman of
the Citizens Advisory
Panel for Tax Reform, in
consultation with
President Reagan, and
served as a member and
later chairman of the
United States Army's
Family Initiative,
1986-88. Dobson served
on Attorney General
Edwin Meese's Commission
on Pornography, 1985-86.
- Dobson also
consulted with former
President George H.W.
Bush on family related
matters.
- In December 1994,
Dr. Dobson was appointed
by Senator Robert Dole
to the Commission on
Child and Family
Welfare, and in October,
1996, by Senate Majority
Leader Trent Lott to the
National Gambling Impact
Study Commission.
- James Dobson also
founded and helped
establish another
successful conservative
group, Washington, DC’s
Family Research Council.
Established in 1981 by
Dobson, the group was
designed to be a
conservative lobbying
force on Capital Hill.
In the late 1980’s the
group officially became
a division of FOF, but
in 1992, IRS concerns
about the group’s
lobbying led to an
administrative
separation.
- James Dobson has a
PhD in child development
from the University of
Southern California.
- Read PFAW's
in-depth report on
James Dobson.
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Before coming to FOF Jim
Daly worked at International
Paper, where he gained
experiences in banking,
insurance, and product
sales. He joined FOF in
1989, when he started out as
the assistant to the
President of Public Affairs.
He eventually moved on to
manage the International
Field Director position
which address relations in
Asia, Africa, and Australia.
His position now as
President is the result of
his experienced corporate
and business skills, coupled
with his ability to make
cross-cultural ties.
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In response to 9/11:
“Question: Has God withdrawn
His protective hand from the
US?”
James Dobson responds:
“Christians have made
arguments on both sides of
this question. I certainly
believe that God is
displeased with America for
its pride and arrogance, for
killing 40 million unborn
babies, for the universality
of profanity and for other
forms of immorality.
However, rather than trying
to forge a direct
cause-and-effect
relationship between the
terrorist attacks and
America’s abandonment of
biblical principles, which I
think is wrong, we need to
accept the truth that this
nation will suffer in many
ways for departing from the
principles of righteousness.
"The wages of sin is death,"
as it says in Romans 6, both
for individuals and for
entire cultures. ”
– Focus on the Family
website
“[The homosexual] agenda
includes teaching
pro-homosexual [sic]
concepts in the public
schools, redefining the
family to represent "any
circle of people who love
each other," approval of
homosexual adoption,
legitimizing same-sex
marriage, and securing
special rights for those who
identify themselves as gay.
Those ideas must be opposed,
even though to do so is to
expose oneself to the charge
of being "homophobic."
– “Complete Marriage and
Family Home Reference Guide”
by James Dobson
"Does the Republican Party
want our votes, no strings
attached--to court us every
two years, and then to say,
'Don't call me; I'll call
you'--and to not care about
the moral law of the
universe?...Is that what
they want? Is that the way
the system works? Is this
the way it's going to be? If
it is, I'm gone, and if I
go, I will do everything I
can to take as many people
with me as possible."
– Statement from 02/07/98
Council for National Policy
meeting, Washington Times,
February 17, 1998
Updated: September
2006
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801 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
www.frcaction.org
Established: 1992
Finances: 501(c)(4)
lobbying organization
President: Kenneth
Connor
Executive Director:
Richard Lessner, Ph.D.
Formerly known as:American
Renewal |
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"A renewal of ethical
monotheism and traditional
Judeo-Christian standards of
morality-- the "Laws of
Nature and Nature’s God"--
to which the founding
fathers appealed in the
Declaration of
Independence.” (From
FRCAction’s mission
statement.)
Pledges to fight until
Roe v. Wade is repealed or
reversed.
Judiciary— FRCAction
fights for conservative
“strict constructionist”
appointments.
Rejects laws that give
civil rights/civil liberties
protections to gays and
lesbians. Fights against
laws that protect or
recognize same-sex couples
as a family.
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In 2001 and 2002 the
group has been targeting
Senate Majority Leader Tom
Daschle in his home state of
South Dakota in newspaper
and radio ads.
In March 2002, as
American Renewal (AR), the
group delivered over 5,200
of their “pro-family
citizen's petitions” to
Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl. AR
says that the petitions send
the following message,
“Millions of Americans who
support traditional moral
values want to see their
elected representatives
promote policies that
strengthen the family as a
special institution created
by God.”
AR worked against
same-sex marriage/civil
unions in Vermont. AR
continues to be involved in
Vermont and pledges to be
involved in any other state
where same-sex
marriage/civil unions are a
legislative issue.
Op-eds by AR's director
appear in major newspapers
such as the LA Times.
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AR sponsored a print
media campaign on behalf of
John Ashcroft, supporting
his confirmation. Full-page
ads appeared in USA Today
and other major newspapers.
Led the fight to reject
the Clinton-appointee
Joycelyn Elders from the
post of U.S. Surgeon
General.
In 1996 AR successfully
pressured the GOP to keep
conservative “pro-family”
statements and the
anti-abortion plank in the
Republican Party platform.
Executive Director
Richard Lessner was the
senior campaign advisor for
former FRC president Gary
Bauer’s failed bid for the
Republican presidential
nomination in 2000.
[Updated February 2004]
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717 Second St., NE
Washington, DC 20002
www.freecongress.org
President/Founder:
Paul Weyrich
Date of founding:
1977
Finances: $11.4
million (1997 revenue)
Publications: Free
Congress Commentaries, three
e-mail newsletters, “Notable
News Now,” “Coalition for
Constitutional Liberties,”
and “Coalition for Judicial
Restraint, ” as well as
reports and op-eds.
Media: Paul Weyrich
is a cable tv and radio talk
show host, as well as an
op-ed contributor for The
New York Times, The
Washington Post, The Wall
Street Journal.
Affiliated with: Free
Congress, Coalitions for
America |
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Free Congress Research and Education Foundation (FCF) describes its
mission as fighting the
culture war and returning
America back to its
traditional conservative
roots. “[O]ur main focus is
on the Culture War. Will
America return to the
culture that made it great,
our traditional,
Judeo-Christian, Western
culture? Or will we continue
the long slide into the
cultural and moral decay of
political correctness? If we
do, America, once the
greatest nation on earth,
will become no less than a
third world country.”
FCF’s targets include
multi-culturalism, “judicial
activism,” Democratic
politicians, and “moral
decay and political
correctness.”
Weyrich’s vision is for
cultural conservatives to
eventually dominate all
aspects of American culture
and politics.
Since the tragedy of
9/11, FCF has published many
anti-Islamic papers and
essays, “This hard-hitting
new paper dissects and
devastates the notion that
Islam is a ‘peaceful,
tolerant’ religion. It isn't
and it never has been. Learn
why and how Islam is making
war on Christians
everywhere- and what the
West needs to do in
response.”
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Paul Weyrich, president of Free Congress, has had an extensive history
with the Religious Right and
is often referred to as the
father of the Religious
Right.
Weyrich helped draft
Rev. Jerry Falwell to head
the Moral Majority, and
founded the Heritage
Foundation.
After less than a year
at the Heritage Foundation,
Weyrich went on to establish
the Free Congress Foundation
(FCF). During the early
1980s, the foundation had a
reputation as being a
pacesetter for Religious
Right politics, in part
because of the coalitions
that operated under the
group's umbrella project,
Coalitions for America.
These coalitions cooperated
to draft legislation, plan
media strategies, and
exchange ideas and research.
Much of FCF’s clout
among the religious right
centers around Weyrich’s
ability to organize. Weyrich
holds weekly a “ Weyrich
Strategy Lunch,” sponsored
by Coalitions for America,.
The lunch is held when
Congress is in session and
has 75 conservative leaders
representing their
organizations. These weekly
lunches include regular
briefings by leading Bush
administration officials and
key conservative
congressional leaders.
Weyrich is known for his
aggressive involvement in
grassroots activism. He
pioneered America's Voice
(formerly known as National
Empowerment Television), a
cable network designed to
rapidly mobilize Religious
Right followers for
grassroots lobbying.
Weyrich is also one of
the founders of American
Legislative Exchange Council
and is the former treasurer
(1981-1992) of the highly
secretive Council for
National Policy. Weyrich is
currently on the Executive
Committee of the CNP.
Weyrich’s awards from
other right wing groups
include: 1998 American
Patriot Award from Concerned
Women for America, September
1998; “One Who Makes A
Difference Award” from Eagle
Forum, September 1998;
President's Award from the
National Association of
Religious Broadcasters,
January 1998.
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As an institution, FCF has several areas of focus outlined by their
major “centers.” These
centers include: The Center
for Technology Policy, The
Center for Law and
Democracy, The Center for
Cultural Conservatism, and
the Center for Governance.
Under FCF’s Center for
Law and Democracy, the
Judicial Selection
Monitoring Project (JMSP)
lobbies for the appointment
of judicial conservatives to
the federal courts. Launched
in August 1992, the project
seeks to establish an
extensive national network
that can be ready to
organize support for
conservative appointees to
the courts and opposition to
moderate or liberal
appointees. JMSP’s former
director Thomas Jipping has
testified before congress
several times on various
issue of concern to FCF.
The Center for Cultural
Conservatism is chiefly
concerned with building
conservative constitutions
and defunding any
institutions that don’t
conform to a narrow belief
system.
“The New Traditonalist
Project” has a “manifesto”
which aggressively outlines
a battle plan to build up
cultural conservatives and
their institutions and
asserts that the “[Cultural
Conservative] Movement Must
Serve as a Force of Social
Intimidation…We must be
feared, so that they will
think twice before opening
their mouths.”
The Center for
Technology Policy
concentrates on
constitutional liberties,
publishes a weekly update
for its “Coalition for
Constitutional Liberties”
which reads like a “who’s
who” list of right-wing,
conservative groups. The
Center for Conservative
Governance organizes and
offers training for
conservatives groups to
become more active in the
political process--
currently it is working to
develop interactive, online
training in early 2002.
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“The politics of hubris will
not work. You may think the
Democrats in leadership will
end up operating in the best
interests of the country.
They will not. They will
slit your throat.” --“Open
Letter to President George
W. Bush,” 1/15/02
“The culture has continued
to deteriorate. Today, the
old rules of conduct are not
merely broken, they are
scorned. The ideology we
know as political
correctness -- it is really
Marxism translated from
economic into cultural terms
-- proclaims the old virtues
to be vices and the old
vices to be virtues…So what
is to be done? Continuing
with a strategy that has
failed is folly and
guarantees defeat. Instead
of attempting to use
politics to retake existing
institutions, my proposal is
that we cultural
conservatives build new
institutions for ourselves:
schools, universities,
media, entertainment,
everything -- a complete,
separate, parallel
structure. In every respect
but politics, we should, in
effect, build a new nation
among the ruins of the old.”
--“Separate & Free,”
Washington Post, 3/7/99
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“The [Free Congress]
Foundation has proposed a
new strategy to deal with
America’s cultural
disintegration: cultural
independence. Instead of
trying to retake existing
cultural institutions from
the forces of Political
Correctness, we propose that
cultural conservatives
should build their own
separate, parallel
institutions. This is
already occuring [sic] in
primary and secondary
education through the home
schooling movement. The
Foundation seeks to promote
similar efforts in respect
to every major cultural
insitution [sic] , including
higher education, the media,
entertainment, and high
culture including art,
architecture and music.
While these would begin as
institutions for a cultural
minority, their success
would over time make
traditional Western culture
once again the majority
American culture.” --“A
Short History of Cultural
Conservatism,” by William
Lind, Director of The Center
for Cultural Conservatism.
“The purpose of the ideology
known commonly as
"multiculturalism" is to
destroy America. In the
21st-century world of
fourth-generation warfare,
it is likely to succeed. To
understand why we first must
understand both phenomena…
While many average Americans
recognize American Muslims
as a dangerous fifth column,
the multiculturalist elite
demands a ‘tolerance of
diversity’ that Islam itself
does not know. A Republican
administration invites
mullahs to the White House
to celebrate Islamic
holidays. That
multiculturalism preaches
the suicide of the West is
no surprise to those who
know its historic origins.”
--“Multiculturalism Reigns
Over the West,” by William
Lind, Insight Magazine,
12/31/01
[Updated September 2002]
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FreedomWorks was formed with
the 2004 merger of Citizens
for a Sound Economy, headed
by former House Majority
Leader Dick Armey, and
Empower America, co-founded
by supply-side pioneer Jack
Kemp, to push for lower
taxes – especially on
investment and inheritance –
smaller safety-net programs,
and fewer regulations on
business and industry.
FreedomWorks
1775 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
- 11th Floor
Washington, DC 20006-5805
Website:
www.freedomworks.org
Chairman: Dick Armey
President: Matt Kibbe
Formed: 2004, with
the merger of Citizens for a
Sound Economy (founded 1984)
and Empower America (founded
1993)
Board of Directors:
Dick Armey; Matt Kibbe;
James H. Burnley; Thomas
Knudson; Richard J.
Stephenson; Bill Jaeger; Ted
Abram (American Institute
for Full Employment); and
Frank M. Sands, Sr.
Finances: $5,772,520
($3,082,191, 2004 revenue
for FreedomWorks, Inc., a
501(c)4, and $2,690,329,
2004 revenue for
FreedomWorks Foundation, a
501(c)3. In addition,
FreedomWorks PAC spent just
$1,862 on 2006
candidates by September 30.
Publications:
Congressional scorecard,
candidate survey,
FreedomTalks (blog),
various reports and opinion
columns
Affiliate Groups:
FreedomWorks Foundation,
FreedomWorks PAC |
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FreedomWorks
claims full-time staff
in ten states and “over
800,000 grassroots
volunteers nationwide.” The
group puts together a
variety of campaigns both
nationally and in individual
states.
In 2003, FreedomWorks’
predecessor organization
Citizens for a Sound Economy
orchestrated a major
campaign to fight a tax
increase in Alabama,
proposed by the state’s
Republican governor, who
cited a
Christian duty to aid
the poor. “The 7,000 members
of Alabama CSE made
defeating Gov. Bob Riley’s
tax increase their top
priority,” Armey
wrote after the
referendum failed. “In a 100
day campaign CSE members and
staff crisscrossed the
state, distributed
literature, yard signs,
bumper stickers and flooded
talk radio and local papers
with our voice for lower
taxes, less government and
more freedom.”
Shortly after the 2004
elections, abortion
opponents lobbied against
incoming Senate Judiciary
Chairman Arlen Specter
(R-Pennsylvania), who is
pro-choice. Although not
involved in the abortion
issue, FreedomWorks, then
co-chaired by former White
House counsel C. Boyden Gray
(who formed the Committee
for Justice to push Bush’s
judicial nominees) joined
the effort with a web site
NotArlen.com,
calling for a chairman
who “will enthusiastically
back the president’s
judicial nominees and
domestic economic agenda.”
The group heavily lobbied
for carving “personal
retirement accounts” out of
Social Security. A few
months before the merger of
their two groups to form
FreedomWorks, Dick Armey and
Jack Kemp formed a separate
501(c)4 group, the
Alliance for Retirement
Prosperity, to advocate
privatization. During
President Bush’s national
tour in early 2005 promoting
his Social Security reform
plan, FreedomWorks bused in
members to town hall
meetings, and its activists
– such as
Sandra Jacques,
FreedomWorks’ Iowa state
director – even appeared on
stage with the president as
“regular folks.” Although
Bush’s legislative effort
appears to have collapsed,
FreedomWorks continues its
campaign, pressing potential
2008 presidential candidates
to take a
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In
2004, Citizens for a
Sound Economy (CSE) and
Empower America merged to
form FreedomWorks.
CSE was founded by
prominent right-wing funder
David Koch in 1984. In the
1990s the group “won
plaudits from both the
business community and GOP
leaders” for its role in
mobilizing grassroots
opposition against Clinton
administration proposals on
an energy tax and health
care, according to National
Journal, which noted that
“Even some business
lobbyists acknowledged that
CSE has at times served as a
fig leaf for corporate
lobbying efforts.” CSE spent
$1 million on a 1993
campaign against the
proposed energy tax,
including advertising and
bringing grassroots pressure
on Congress; most of the
money came from corporations
and trade groups such as the
American Petroleum Institute
and the National Association
of Manufacturers. CSE spent
$5 million against Clinton’s
health care proposal,
dogging the White House’s
nationwide bus tour with its
own bus and rallies. For a
1997 campaign, CSE spent
hundreds of thousands of
dollars per week running
radio ads in 20 markets
against proposed new EPA air
standards.
An internal CSE document
obtained by
The Washington Post
in 2000 outlined the close
correlation between
corporate donations and
issue advocacy.
Empower America was founded
in 1993, after Bill
Clinton’s election to the
presidency, as a kind of
“shadow government” of
policy advocacy, in the
words of co-founder Jack
Kemp, a former congressman
and Housing secretary and
future vice-presidential
candidate. Gathering Kemp,
Bush “drug czar” William
Bennett, former UN
Ambassador Jeane
Kirkpatrick, and former
Minnesota congressman Vin
Weber, The Wall Street
Journal said the group
“illustrates how such
tax-exempt nonprofits have
become safe harbors for
elite figures in the
conservative movement.”
Leading up to Kemp’s 1996
bid, the group provided a
“base” for him “to make $1
million to $2 million a
year” giving speeches, and
it played a key role in the
Dole-Kemp campaign.
Its early activities
included operating
“candidate schools” for
Republicans in the 1994
elections, running attack
ads against Clinton’s health
plan, and opposing from the
right an early Republican
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President George W. Bush:
“Folks, you’ve got to get to
know this organization ...
They have been doing a great
job all over the country
educating people.”
FreedomWorks Chairman Dick
Armey on the Religious
Right: “Where in the hell
did this Terri Schiavo thing
come from? There’s not a
conservative,
Constitution-loving,
separation-of-powers guy
alive in the world that
could have wanted that bill
on the floor. …
Dobson and his gang of thugs
are real nasty bullies. I
pray devoutly every day, but
being a Christian is no
excuse for being stupid.”
FreedomWorks honorary
co-chair Jack Kemp on the “golden
opportunity“ to
implement a right-wing
economic “blueprint” after
Katrina: “[T]he capital
gains tax is not a tax on
the rich, it’s a
tax on the poor who want
to get rich.”
Updated: December
2006 |
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The best-known and most
influential right-wing think
tank, the Heritage
Foundation owes much of its
success to savvy marketing
and PR and the generous
donations of right-wing
benefactors, foundations and
wealthy corporations. The
foundation boasts about its
influence on Capitol Hill
yet insists that it does not
“lobby.”
Heritage Foundation
214 Massachusetts Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20002
Website:
www.heritage.org
President/Executive
Director: Dr. Edwin
Feulner
Established: In 1973
by Joseph Coors (of Coors
Beer) and Paul Weyrich.
Finances: $52,292,374
revenue (2004); $123 million
in assets (2004) (2004 990)
Officers: Edwin J.
Feulner, Jr., President;
Phillip N. Truluck,
Executive Vice President;
Stuart M. Butler, Vice
President; Becky Norton
Dunlop, Vice President;
Michael G. Franc, Vice
President; Rebecca Hagelin,
Vice President; Kim R.
Holmes, Vice President; John
Von Kannon, Vice President &
Treasurer; Edwin Meese III,
Ronald Reagan Distinguished
Fellow in Public Policy;
Robert E. Russell, Jr.,
Counselor and
others.
Board of Trustees:
David R. Brown, M.D.,
Chairman; Richard M. Scaife,
Vice Chairman; J. Frederic
Rench; Douglas F. Allison;
Holland H. Coors; Midge
Decter; Edwin J. Feulner,
Jr.; Jerry Hume; Kay Cole
James; Hon. J. William
Middendorf, II; Barb Van
Andel-Gaby; and
others.
Employees: 173
excluding fellows
Membership: 275,000
Publications: annual
report, monthly newsletter
“Insider,” publishes
numerous detailed public
policy papers for Congress,
average of 10 or more a
month. |
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- Heritage
Foundation’s mission is
“to formulate and
promote conservative
public policies based on
the principles of free
enterprise, limited
government, individual
freedom, traditional
American values, and a
strong national
defense.”
- Heritage is the
largest conservative
think tank in
Washington, DC.
- It researches,
publishes, lectures on,
and markets right-wing
public policy.
- It organizes
right-wing activists on
domestic and foreign
policy issues.
- Heritage’s
publications are
distributed to many
thousands of people,
including Members of
Congress, congressional
aides and staff,
journalists, and major
donors.
- It takes credit for
much of President Bush’s
policy, both domestic
and foreign, referring
to Bush’s policies as
“straight out of the
Heritage play book.”
- Heritage supports
faith-based initiatives,
school vouchers, ban on
abortion, overturning
affirmative action
programs.
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- The Heritage
Foundation (HF)
suggested that Bush open
up an “Office of
Marriage Initiatives” to
promote marriage, but
instead Bush folded HF’s
“pro-marriage” proposals
into his welfare reform
package, setting aside
$300 million dollars for
states and local
communities to “promote
marriage.”
- Heritage’s new
office space, renovated
in 2002, includes intern
and fellow apartments, a
200-seat auditorium, a
private fitness center,
and two floors dedicated
to expanding the
research department.
- Published
“Priorities for the
President,” written for
President Bush. Heritage
also wrote “A Budget for
America,” a companion
volume written for the
Bush administration.
- Internet activities:
in 2001, Heritage
reported 4.8 million
visitors to their
homepage, and 14.4
million visitors to
their conservative
Internet portal,
Townhall.com.
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- According to
Media Transparency,
the Heritage Foundation
received $61,944,537 in
foundation grants from
organizations such as:
the Lynde and Harry
Bradley Foundation, the
Scaife Foundations, the
John M. Olin Foundation,
Inc., Castle Rock
Foundation, JM
Foundation, Claude R.
Lambe Charitable
Foundation, the Richard
and Helen DeVos
Foundation, and the
Charles G. Koch
Charitable Foundation.
- Heritage has
received donations from
the East Asian nations
of South Korea and
Taiwan; SourceWatch
reports that in 1988
Korean intelligence
discovered that Heritage
received $2.2 million
from the South Korean
National Assembly during
the 1980’s. Although
Heritage denies this
claim, they do admit to
receiving a $400,000
grant from the Korean
conglomerate Samsung.
- The Korea
Foundation, a conduit of
the Korean government,
has also donated almost
$1 million to Heritage
in the past three years.
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- Elaine Chao:
Department of Labor
Secretary; formerly a
Heritage Distinguished
Fellow
- Kay Coles James:
Director of the Office
of Personnel Management;
formerly Heritage’s
Citizenship Project
director
- Angela Antonelli:
Chief Financial Officer
of the Department of
Housing and Urban
Development; formerly
Heritage’s director for
Roe Institute for
Economic Policy Studies
- Mark Wilson: Deputy
Assistant Secretary of
Labor; formerly Heritage
Foundation’s Research
Fellow
- Alvin Felzenberg: a
member of Rumsfeld’s
“team” at the Department
of Defense; formerly
Heritage Foundation’s
Visiting Fellow
- Gale Norton:
Secretary of the
Interior; Founder of the
National Chair of the
Council of Republicans
for Environmental
Advocacy (heavily funded
by Heritage Foundation).
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- Famous Heritage
staffers include: Ed
Meese (President Ronald
Reagan’s Attorney
General), William
Bennett (Reagan’s
Chairman of the National
Endowment for the
Humanities and Secretary
of Education, and
President Bush Sr.’s
“drug czar”). Virginia
Thomas (wife of Supreme
Court Justice Clarence
Thomas) Heritage
President Edward J.
Feulner was a consultant
for the Reagan
administration, serving
as chairman of the
Advisory Commission on
Public Diplomacy.
- High profile right
wing Heritage board
members have included:
Richard Scaife, Joseph
Coors, Holland “Holly”
Coors, Steve Forbes, Jay
Van Andel (co-founder
and senior chairman for
Amway Corporation), and
Barb Van Andel-Gaby (the
vice president of
corporate affairs for
Amway Corporation),
among others.
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- Prominent right-wing
figure Paul Weyrich was
Heritage’s first
president. Heritage’s
start was financially
supported by co-founder
Joseph Coors, of
Colorado’s Coors Brewing
Company.
- Right-wing financier
Richard Scaife became a
major funder of the
Heritage Foundation
after its first year,
donating millions of
dollars through the
Sarah Scaife Foundation.
- Corporate sponsors
of the organization have
included: General
Motors, Ford Motors,
Proctor and Gamble,
Chase Manhattan Bank,
Dow Chemical, the
Reader’s Digest
Association, Mobil Oil,
and Smith Kline
Corporation.
- In 1980, Heritage
published a
1,077-page book called
Mandate for
Leadership, which
contained 2000 policy
recommendations. It was
presented to Attorney
General Ed Meese a week
after Reagan’s election.
Meese was quoted as
saying that “the Reagan
Administration will rely
heavily on the Heritage
Foundation.” These
recommendations
included: rollback of
minority programs,
dramatic increase in
military spending, and
cutting taxes. In 1985
Heritage claimed that
the Reagan
administration’s policy
reflected 60 to 65
percent of their policy
measures. Heritage
publishes a new edition
every four years for
subsequent
administrations.
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The Wall Street Journal
says, “No policy shop has
more clout than the
conservative Heritage
Foundation.”
“Keep up the wonderful work
of truth which emanates from
Heritage.”
– John Ashcroft in
praise of Heritage
“Some of the finest
conservatives in America
today do their work in The
Heritage Foundation. For
those of you new to all
this, The Heritage
Foundation is America’s
leading conservative think
tank.”
– Rush Limbaugh, November
10, 2000.
Read
The Democratic Policy
Committee Annual Report
says, “It is hard to
overstate the impact The
Heritage Foundation has had
on the direction of U.S.
policy since the late
1970’s.”
Read.
“The Heritage Foundation
will continue to be a key
element in the phalanx of
rightist groups with an
agenda of austerity for the
poor, hostility to
minorities and women, upward
distribution of wealth for
the rich, economic
domination of the Third
World, with repression and
bloodletting for those who
rebel.”
– Russ Bellant, The Coors
Connection, 1991
Updated: December
2006 |
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Bishop Harry Jackson, a
fervent opponent of gay
rights and an equally
fervent supporter of
President George W. Bush,
founded the High Impact
Leadership Coalition to
promote his “Black
Contract With America on
Moral Values,” a
six-point platform calling
for a prohibition of
same-sex marriage, school
vouchers, and private Social
Security investment
accounts, among other
things. During the 2004
election, Jackson played a
prominent media role in
efforts to encourage
African-Americans to vote
for President George W.
Bush.
High Impact Leadership
Coalition
PO Box 505
College Park, MD 20741-0505
Website:
www.himpactus.com
Chairman/President:
Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Jr.
Founded/Place:
February 1, 2005 in Los
Angeles, CA
Publications: “Battle
Scars? Wear ‘Em like a
Badge!” pamphlet; “Black
Contract with America on
Moral Values” pamphlet,
book, and CD; The In-laws,
Outlaws and a Functional
Family, a book by Bishop
Harry Jackson; Surviving and
Thriving in the Midst of
Crisis by Pastor Michele;
The Warriors Heart, a guide
through daily life as a
Christian by Bishop Jackson.
Co-author with George Barna
of “High Impact African
American Churches” (Regal
Books, 2004). |
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The stated goal of the High
Impact Leadership Coalition
(HILC) is – according to its
website – to “help educate
and empower church,
community, and political
leaders in urban communities
in the United States focus
on moral value issues.”
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The High Impact Leadership
Coalition (HILC) is
particularly opposed to
marriage equality for
same-sex couples, and
promotes a biblical
interpretation of marriage.
“The Black Contract with
America on Moral Values” –
composed by Bishop Harry
Jackson – lists the
following policies as
necessary for politicians
and political parties to
promote in order to “improve
the plight of black
America”:
- Family
Reconstruction;
protection of marriage,
end abortion, black
child adoption by
“stable Christian
families”
- Wealth Creation;
transformation of
minority communities to
encourage indigenous
business, “prison
after-care,” Social
Security reform, job
manufacturing to lower
unemployment
- Education Reform;
school choice that
doesn’t destabilize
existing public schools,
increase black education
participation, lessen
drop-out rates,
encourage No Child Left
Behind structure
- Prison Reform;
improve “3 strikes
you’re out” system,
avoid recidivism with
legislation like the
Second Chance Act
- Health Care;
affordable health care
for blacks, long-term
health education
- African Relief;
direct funds to build
infrastructure and stop
the genocide in Sudan,
stop U.S. companies from
exploiting the Khartoum
people by negotiating
with it’s government for
fossil fuels.
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- The mission of the
High Impact Leadership
Coalition (HILC) is to
have, as it indicates on
its website, people sign
the “Black Contract with
America on Moral Values”
which is explained in
the “Issues” section of
this profile. HILC first
and foremost focuses its
energy on a strictly
heterosexual definition
of marriage.
- Members of the High
Impact Leadership
Coalition joined Senate
Majority Leader
Bill Frist
(R-Tennessee) in a May
19, 2005, press
conference in support of
the stalled judicial
nomination of Judge
Janice Rogers Brown.
- In August 2005,
Bishop Harry Jackson
spoke at the "Justice
Sunday II: God Save
the United States and
This Honorable Court.”
event sponsored by Focus
on the Family and Family
Research Council.
- Apart from the L.A.
Conference in February
of 2005, other national
Contract with Black
America conferences will
be/have been held in
Miami, New York,
Chicago,
Atlanta, Houston,
and Washington, DC.
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At a conference on February
1, 2005, a large group of
black pastors met at the
Crenshaw Christian Center in
Los Angeles, where the
Bishop Harry R. Jackson III
unveiled the “Black Contract
with America on Moral
Values.” The pastors were
accompanied by, and the
event was co-sponsored by,
the Rev. Louis P. Sheldon of
the
Traditional Values Coalition
– a “Christian right network
of churches with close ties
to the White House, RNC
chair Ken Mehlman, and other
senior Bush administration
officials.” The number one
priority of the black
pastors at the conference
was to endorse a
heterosexual, biblical
interpretation of marriage
on behalf of the black
community.
Many critics claim that this
group was formed and
inspired by the GOP in an
attempt to reach out to
minorities on issues of
homosexuality. Jasmyne
Cannick, director of public
relations at the Black AIDS
Institute, says “When a
group of black pastors
decides that the number one
priority for black Americans
is the protection of
heterosexual marriage,
they're doing the GOP's
dirty work.” |
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“I have been praying,
preaching and talking about
these issues locally for
many years…our nation is in
a moral crisis and the
Church must lead the way to
healing our nation. It is
time for both righteousness
and justice to reign in
America and strong biblical
principles must lead the
way," –
Bishop Jackson, senior
pastor of the nearly 3,000
member Hope Christian Church
just outside Washington, DC.
“I believe that what God is
doing today is calling for
the black church to team
with the white evangelical
church and the Catholic
Church and people of moral
conscience. And in this
season, we need to be able
to tell both [political]
parties, 'listen, it's our
way or the highway.' We're
not just going to sit back.
You and I can bring the rule
and reign of the Cross to
America and we can change
America on our watch,
together.” –Bishop Jackson,
speaking at the Family
Research Council’s “Justice
Sunday II” event.
Updated: April
2006
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The Hispanic Alliance for
Progress Institute (HAPI)
claims to be a grassroots
organization but its Board
of Advisors and Policy Board
are made up of high-level
Republican political
operatives with deep ties to
various Republican
administrations. As part of
the “National Coalition To
End Judicial Filibusters,”
HAPI – in conjunction with
the
Committee for Justice,
Grover Norquist’s
Americans for Tax Reform,
James Dobson’s
Focus on the Family, the
Family Research Council,
and others – supported the
use of the so-called
“nuclear option” to
eliminate Senator's ability
to filibuster against
President George W. Bush’s
right-wing judicial
nominees.
Hispanic Alliance for
Progress Institute
1101 Pennsylvania Avenue -
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20004
Website:
www.haprogressinstitute.org
Chairman: The
Honorable Manuel Lujan, Jr.
[Former GOP U.S.
Representative, New Mexico,
and Secretary of the
Interior under the Bush I
Administration; Founder,
Excellence in Education
Scholarship Foundation, New
Mexico]
Board of Advisors:
Mr. Adrian Arriaga, Texas;
Mr. Andres Bande, New York;
Mr.
Elias Behar-Ybarra,
Florida; Mr.
Cesar A. Cabrera, Puerto
Rico; Mr.
Jose Canchola, Arizona;
Mr. Lupe Cruz, California;
Mr. Ted Cruz, Texas; Mrs.
Patricia Diaz-Dennis,
Texas; Mr.
Robert A. Estrada,
Texas; Hon.
Lou Gallegos, New
Mexico; Hon.
Raul A. Gonzalez, Texas;
Mr. Abel Guerra, Florida;
Hon.
Jimmy Gurule, Indiana;
Ms. Margaret Martin, Texas;
Mr.
Jacob Monty, Texas; Mr.
Jose Nino, Maryland;
Mrs. Rita Nunez, New Mexico;
Hon. Bob Pacheco,
California; Mr. Raul Romero,
DC; Mr. Louis Sanchez,
Florida; and Dr. Josh
Valdez, California.
Policy Board: Mr.
Juan Carlos Benitez, DC;
Mr.
Rudy Beserra, Georgia;
Mr.
Troup Coronado, DC; Mrs.
Ann Costello, DC; Mr.
Henry Gandy, DC; Mr.
Mike Hernandez, Texas; Mr.
Juan Carlos Iturregui,
DC; Mr. Joseph Samora, DC;
Mr. Scott Styles, Virginia;
and Mrs.
Bobbie Kilberg,
Virginia.
2005 Corporate Members:
Altria Corporate Services,
Inc., American International
Group (AIG), Bellsouth
Corporation, Ford Motor
Company, IBC Bank, National
Association of Realtors, and
R.J. Reynolds. |
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The Hispanic Alliance for
Progress Institute (HAPI)
claims to be a grassroots
organization but its Board
of Advisors and Policy Board
are made up of high-level
Republican political
operatives with deep ties to
Republican administrations
(Reagan, Bush I and Bush
II). HAPI’s boards are
composed almost entirely of
Republican players,
including lobbyists, donors,
and political appointees.
Lujan and his former boss,
President George H.W. Bush,
launched the organization at
a 2004 gala in New York
City. |
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- Supports the
nomination of Priscilla
Owen to the Supreme
Court of the United
States.
- As part of the
“National Coalition To
End Judicial
Filibusters,” HAPI – in
conjunction with other
conservative
organizations such as
the
Committee for Justice,
Grover Norquist’s
Americans for Tax Reform,
the
Free Congress Foundation,
Focus on the Family,
the
Family Research Council,
and the
Liberty Legal Institute
– supported the use of
the so-called “nuclear
option” to eliminate the
ability to filibuster
judicial nominees.
- Supports CAFTA,
claiming it would lower
tariffs and promote job
growth, allowing more
growth in the textile
industry, “a huge
helping hand at a time
when China is sucking up
textile manufacturing
jobs.” HAPI launched a
fundraising and
phone-calling campaign
to promote legislation
that would pass CAFTA in
Congress.
- Corporate Member,
CoMPASS – Coalition
for the Modernization
and Protection of
America’s Social
Security – an
organization formed to
promote Social Security
reforms proposed by
President George W. Bush
such as personal
retirement accounts.
- The Hispanic
Alliance for Progress
Institute has awarded
its “American Dream”
award to U.S. Attorney
General Alberto
Gonzales, Secretary of
Commerce Carlos
Gutierrez,
U.S. Rep. Joe Barton
(R-Texas), White House
Chief of Staff Andrew
Card, and
Sen. Pete Domenici
(R-New Mexico) for their
efforts on behalf of
Hispanic Americans.
Updated: July 2006 |
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mailing address:
Hoover Institution
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6010
www-hoover.stanford.edu
Established:1919 by
Herbert Hoover
Director: John
Raisian
Finances: $25 million
annual budget, $250 million
endowment
Employees:
approximately 250
Media:
Uncommon Knowledge, a
weekly half-hour television
program on public policy
carried on NPR and PBS.
Publications: Policy
Review (bimonthly), Hoover
Digest (quarterly),
Education Next (quarterly),
Hoover Institution
newsletter (weekly), as well
as the Hoover Press, which
publishes works by many of
Hoover Institution’s
fellows. |
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Hoover is well-known for its prominent influence over national
Republican policy.
Named for founder
Herbert Hoover, the Hoover
Institution is “a prominent
center devoted to
interdisciplinary
scholarship and advanced
research in the social
sciences with an emphasis on
public policy relevance. The
Institution houses one of
the world's largest private
archives and libraries on
political, economic, and
social change in the 20th
century and has more that
100 researchers consisting
of both resident fellows and
visiting scholars from
throughout the world.”
Three Primary
Programmatic Themes:
American Institutions and
Economic Performance,
Democracy Free Markets, and
International Rivalries and
Global Cooperation
Hoover’s approach to
some of these areas is
described as: “Societies
based on individualism
rather than classes, thus
confronting the issues of
race, gender, ethnicity, and
so forth;” and “The
appropriate scope of
government's involvement in
areas such as education,
health care, and the
environment as it provides
public services and
regulates private
enterprise.”
Some of Hoover’s major
issues: education reform
that centers around private
school vouchers and charter
schools, dismantling
affirmative action,
privatization of social
services, “flat tax” and
other tax reduction schemes,
deregulation of industry,
Reagan’s policy legacy, and
“character education.”
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Hoover is well-known for its influential role in developing President
Bush’s economic policy, the
Hoover Institution is
“the…conservative think tank
President Bush looks to for
ideas.”
Forging strong ties
between right-wing
ideologues, right-wing think
tanks and right-wing policy
makers; many of its scholars
have worked for various
Republican Presidential
Administrations-- Nixon,
Ford, Reagan, George H.W.
Bush, and the current
President W. Bush.
Currently there are 8
Hoover fellows on the
Defense policy board
advising Defense Secretary
Rumsfeld.
California Gubernatorial
candidate Arnold
Schwartzenegger hired
several Hoover Institution
members as consultants for
his 2003 election campaign.
Hoover publishes and
funds research and public
policy by its own scholars
and fellows.
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Organized by Presidential
Administration Affiliation
President George W.
Bush’s Administration:
Condoleezza Rice, Assistant to President George W. Bush for National
Security Affairs, served as
a Hoover senior fellow 1991-
1993, corporate board member
for Chevron, the Hewlett
Foundation, and Charles
Schwab.
John F. Cogan, economic
advisor to President George
W. Bush, appointed by
President Bush to serve on a
bipartisan commission on
Social Security reform in
2001.
Williamson M. Evers,
education policy advisor to
George W. Bush, appointed to
White House Commission on
Presidential Scholars,
appointed by Secretary of
Education Paige to National
Educational Research Policy
and Priorities Board,
research fellow at
Independent Institute;
formerly served on
California State Commission
for the Establishment of
Academic Content and
Performance Standards,
editor-in-chief of Cato
Institute’s Inquiry
Magazine.
Kiron K. Skinner, member
of Secretary of Defense
Rumsfeld's Defense Policy
Board.
President George H.W.
Bush’s Administration:
Peter M. Robinson, edits
Hoover Digest and hosts
Hoover's television program,
“Uncommon Knowledge.” Former
Vice President George Bush’s
chief speechwriter, special
assistant and speechwriter
to President Ronald Reagan,
worked for Rupurt Murdoch
(owner of Fox Television);
Robinson authored the “tear
down this wall!” Berlin Wall
address by President Reagan.
John B. Taylor,
undersecretary for
international affairs at the
U.S. Department of the
Treasury under President
G.W. Bush.
Bill Whalen, published
in Washington Times,
National Review Online,
Insight Magazine (Washington
Times publication), and
RightTurns.com. Former
speechwriter for the 1992
Bush-Quayle election
campaign.
Diane Ravitch, former
assistant secretary for
educational research and
improvement and as a
counselor to the U.S.
Department of Education
under President George H.W.
Bush,
www.dianeravitch.com,
member of the board for the
New America Foundation.
President Reagan’s
Administration:
Ronald Reagan is a
Hoover Institution Honorary
Fellow.
Robert Bork, Reagan
judicial nominee to Supreme
Court.
John H. Bunzel, former
commissioner of the U.S.
Civil Rights Commission
during the Reagan
Administration, author of
“Anti-Politics in America;
New Force on the Left.”
Milton Friedman, senior
research fellow since 1977,
recipient of the 1976 Nobel
Memorial Prize, member of
President Ronald Reagan's
Economic Policy Advisory
Board, “informal” economic
advisor for several
presidential campaigns:
Barry Goldwater, Richard
Nixon, and Ronald Reagan.
Robert E. Hall, advised
several government agencies
on national economic policy,
Justice Department, the
Treasury Department, and the
Federal Reserve Board during
Reagan Administration. Hall
co-authored an early Wall
Street Journal article on
“The Flat Tax” in 1981.
Ed Meese, former
attorney general of the
United States under
President Reagan,
distinguished fellow at the
Heritage Foundation.
Paul Craig Roberts,
syndicated columnist, former
Fellow at the Cato
Institute, former editor and
columnist for the Wall
Street Journal, served as
Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury for Economic Policy
under President Reagan.
Peter M. Robinson, edits
Hoover Digest and hosts
Hoover's television program,
“Uncommon Knowledge.” Former
Vice President George Bush’s
chief speechwriter, special
assistant and speechwriter
to President Ronald Reagan,
worked for Rupurt Murdoch
(owner of Fox Television);
Robinson authored the “Tear
down this wall!” Berlin Wall
address by President Reagan.
George P. Schultz,
Secretary of State under
President Reagan, chairman
of President Ronald Reagan's
Economic Policy Advisory
Board, worked for President
Nixon as Secretary of Labor.
President Nixon’s
Administration:
Richard T. Burress,
joined Hoover in 1973.
Formerly: assistant to
President Ford, deputy
counsel to President Richard
Nixon, member of the Reagan
for President Committee,
staff director of the
Republican Policy Committee,
minority counsel of the
House of Representatives
Committee on Education and
Labor, deputy assistant
general counsel of the
National Labor Relations
Board, and special agent of
the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, assistant to
the chairman of the
Republican National
Convention, assistant to the
permanent chairman of the
Republican National
Convention.
Milton Friedman, senior
research fellow since 1977,
recipient of the 1976 Nobel
Memorial Prize, member of
President Ronald Reagan's
Economic Policy Advisory
Board, “informal” economic
advisor for several
presidential campaigns:
Barry Goldwater, Richard
Nixon, and Ronald Reagan.
George P. Schultz,
Secretary of State under
President Reagan, chairman
of President Ronald Reagan's
Economic Policy Advisory
Board, worked for President
Nixon as Secretary of Labor.
President Ford’s
Administration:
Richard T. Burress,
joined Hoover in 1973.
Formerly: assistant to
President Ford, deputy
counsel to President Richard
Nixon, member of the Reagan
for President Committee,
staff director of the
Republican Policy Committee,
minority counsel of the
House of Representatives
Committee on Education and
Labor, deputy assistant
general counsel of the
National Labor Relations
Board, and special agent of
the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, assistant to
the chairman of the
Republican National
Convention, assistant to the
permanent chairman of the
Republican National
Convention.
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Newt Gingrich, former
Speaker of the House and “de
facto leader of the
Republican Party” in the
mid-nineties, elected to
U.S. House of
Representatives in 1978.
Pete Wilson, former
governor of California
(1991-1999), former Senator,
former mayor of San Diego,
and former California
Assemblyman.
Clint Bolick, co-founder
of Institute for Justice
Peter Berkowitz,
published in National Review
Michael J. Boskin,
member of corporate board of
directors for: Exxon Mobil,
Oracle Corporation
Timothy Charles Brown,
published in Wall Street
Journal, Washington Times
Weekly
Bruce Bueno De Mesquita,
received grants from Scaife
Foundation and Carthage
Foundation
Dinesh D’Souza, senior
domestic policy analyst
during the Reagan
administration, prominent
right-wing writer and
speaker.
Mary Eberstadt,
published in Weekly
Standard, American
Spectator, Wall Street
Journal, and former special
assistant to Ambassador
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick. Author
of controversial
“’Pedophilia Chic’
Reconsidered” published in
Weekly Standard 01/2001.
Chester E. Finn, Jr.,
president and trustee of the
Thomas B. Fordham
Foundation, National
Association of Scholars
boardmember, Center of the
American Experiment
boardmember; former senior
fellow at Hudson Institute,
founding partner of Edison
Project, assistant secretary
for research and improvement
and counselor to the
secretary of the U.S.
Department of Education.
Published in: Weekly
Standard, the Christian
Science Monitor, the Wall
Street Journal, Commentary,
the Public Interest, the
Washington Post, the
Chronicle of Higher
Education, Harvard Business
Review, the American
Spectator, the Boston Globe,
and the New York Times.
Co-author of “The Educated
Child” with Reagan education
secretary William J.
Bennett.
R. Richard Geddes,
former Heritage Foundation
fellow, published by Cato
Institute, American
Enterprise Institute.
Marci Kanstoroom,
research director at the
Thomas B. Fordham
Foundation.
Stanley Kurtz,
contributing editor at
National Review Online,
published in Weekly
Standard, Wall Street
Journal.
Tod Lindberg, published
in Weekly Standard,
Washington Times columnist,
Wall Street Journal.
Jennifer Roback Morse,
founding member of the
Academic Advisory Boards of
the Acton Institute for the
Study of Religion and
Liberty, the Institute for
Justice, and the Women's
Freedom Network. Published
in American Enterprise,
Fortune, Reason, the Wall
Street Journal, and Religion
and Liberty.
Paul Craig Roberts,
syndicated columnist, former
Fellow at the Cato
Institute, former editor and
columnist for the Wall
Street Journal, served as
Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury for Economic Policy
under President Reagan.
Richard Sousa, senior
associate director at
Hoover.
Thomas Sowell,
syndicated columnist
published in over 150
newspapers.
Shelby Steele, author of
controversial books on race
relations, member of the
National Association of
Scholars, published in Wall
Street Journal, contributing
editor for Harper’s.
Charles J. Sykes, senior
fellow at the Wisconsin
Policy Research Institute.
Robert Zelnick, Emmy
Award-winning journalist,
covered political and
congressional affairs for
ABC Morning News, World News
Tonight Saturday/Sunday, and
This Week. Recently
published “Winning the
Florida Election: How the
Bush Team Fought the Battle”
(Hoover Press, 2001) and
"The Myth of a Stolen
Election," (Wall Street
Journal, July 17, 2001).
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Vice President Dick
Cheney, Feburary 2003
Hoover Overseers Meeting:
"I do think we are off to a
good start, and it is
important that we have the
support and enthusiastic
involvement of organizations
like the Hoover Institution,
one of the leading think
tanks and sources of ideas.
Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza
Rice, John Taylor, and many
others have been key as we
developed our campaign and
policy. We want to thank you
for what you have done for
us and ask you to be a part
of the debate during the
next few years."
Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld,
February 2003, Hoover
Overseers Meeting:
“I'm delighted to be able to
be here. I just came out of
a meeting with the president
with Mitch Daniels, who I
understand is going to be
here soon. And I saw Karl
Rove over there, who I guess
is going to be one of your
panelists or something later
today. They're all friends
of Hoover and recognize that
this institution is surely
one of the -- America's
great centers of learning.”
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The Independent Women’s
Forum (IWF) is an
anti-feminist organization
housing various "experts"
who weigh in on a wide array
of issues ranging from
feminism and family issues
to economics, environmental
policy, and international
affairs. IWF bills itself as
the "home to the next wave
of the nation’s most
influential scholars – women
who are committed to
promoting and defending
economic opportunity and
political freedom."
Independent Women’s Forum
1726 M Street NW - Tenth
Floor
Washington, DC 20036
Website:
www.iwf.org /
www.shethinks.org
Established: 1992
President & CEO:
Michelle D. Bernard
National Advisory Board
Chairman: Christina Hoff
Sommers
Board of Directors:
Heather R. Higgins,
Chairman; Mary Arnold; Carol
T. Crawford; Randy Parris
Kendrick; Larry Kudlow;
Nancy Mitchell Pfotenhauer;
and R. Gaull Silberman
Directors Emeritae:
Lynne V. Cheney; Midge
Decter; Kimberly O. Dennis;
Wendy Lee Gramm; Elizabeth
Lurie; Kate O’Beirne; and
Louise V. Oliver
Finances: $1,317,157
(2004)
Publications: The
Women’s Quarterly, Ex
Femina newsletter,
Shethinks magazine,
Inkwell (blog), and issue
reports
Affiliate Organization:
Independent Women’s Voice |
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- The International
Women's Forum (IWF) is
an anti-feminist women’s
organization founded to
counter the influence of
the National
Organization for Women
(NOW) and "radical
feminists" on society.
- Frequent targets:
Title IX funding,
affirmative action, the
Violence Against Women
Act, full integration of
women in the military,
and those who oppose
President Bush’s
controversial judicial
nominees.
- Opposes the United
Nation’s Convention on
the Elimination of all
forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW).
- IWF’s credo/mission:
"The Independent Women's
Forum provides a voice
for American women who
believe in individual
freedom and personal
responsibility. We have
made that voice heard in
the U.S. Supreme Court,
among decision makers
[sic] in Washington, and
across America's
airwaves. It is the
voice of reasonable
women with important
ideas who embrace common
sense over divisive
ideology."
- IWF was organized in
defense of Supreme Court
nominee Clarence Thomas
during his controversial
nomination hearings.
- In the words of
Media Transparency, “The
Independent Women’s
Forum is neither
Independent, nor a
Forum. Not independent
because it is largely
funded by the
conservative movement.
Not a forum because it
merely serves up women
who mouth the
conservative movement
party line."
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- To raise awareness
about their ideas in the
media and through its
speakers bureau, made up
of their high profile,
often controversial
members and supporters.
- "Taking Back the
Campus" project which
focuses on helping
"students inundated with
rigid political
correctness," offering
articles, research and
student activist guides,
including SheThinks
Web-based magazine.
- IWF frequently makes
the case that it is men
and boys, not women and
girls, who suffer due to
gender-based
discrimination in
American society.
- Rejects the idea of
pay inequities between
men and women and that
there are "glass
ceilings" in the
workplace.
- IWF claims it will
be launching a 501(c)(4)
sister organization
called the Independent
Women’s Voice for
greater advocacy
purposes.
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- Former Board Member
Elaine Chao, Secretary
of Labor, Bush
Administration
- Former Board Member
Linda Chavez, Secretary
of Labor nominee,
President of Center for
Equal Opportunity
- IWF Director
Emeritae Lynne Cheney
- IWF’s CEO Nancy
Pfotenhauer, appointed
by Bush to the U.N.
Commission on the Status
of Women
- Board Member Pat
Ware, Presidential
Advisory Council on
HIV/AIDS
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From the years 1994-2003,
IWF received a total of
$6,971,000 in 90 grants from
foundations such as the
Sarah Scaife Foundation, the
Lynde and Harry Bradley
Foundation, and the John M.
Olin Foundation, among
others. From 1994 to 2001,
the top five foundation
supporters were: Sarah
Scaife Foundation, $1.2
million; Olin Foundation,
$700,000; Bradley
Foundation, $420,000;
Carthage Foundation,
$300,000; and Castle Rock
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Christina Hoff Sommers,
IWF’s National Advisory
Board Chairman, is currently
a scholar at the American
Enterprise Institute, and
the author of two
controversial books The
War Against Boys: How
Misguided Feminism Is
Harming Our Young Men
and Who Stole Feminism?
How Women Have Betrayed
Women. Sommers has been
published in Wall Street
Journal, New York
Times, Washington
Post, Boston Globe,
USA Today,
National Review, New
Republic, Weekly
Standard and the
Chicago Tribune.
According to SourceWatch,
"IWF members include women
who are paid to write
papers that denigrate the
idea of equity for girls and
women in education."
Who the IWF "Loves" – Ann
Coulter, Peggy Noonan, Miss
Manners, Nora Vincent,
Michelle Malkin, among
others. Who the IWF, in
their own language, "Hates"
– Maureen Dowd, Susan
Estrich, Ellen Goodman, and
Kathy Pollitt. [source] |
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"In my book, Who Stole
Feminism, I question the
basic premise of the
contemporary American
feminist movement: that
American women are
oppressed. I do not believe
that women in contemporary
American society are
oppressed; they do not
constitute a subordinate
class. I believe American
women are among the freest
and most liberated in the
world. It is no longer
reasonable to say that as a
group women are worse off
than men." – Christina Hoff
Sommers,
“Sex, Lies, and Feminism”
speech, University of
Chicago, January 2003
"Our nation’s Founders would
be proud of the work and
ideals of the Independent
Women’s Forum. This is a
group of dedicated and
caring women committed to
the principles of individual
freedom and personal
responsibility for
everyone…I am optimistic
about the opportunities
younger generations of women
will have because of the
path that was cleared by
women like those in the
Independent Women’s Forum.
Together, we can make
changes that are in the best
interests of all working
women." – Secretary Elaine
Chao,
April 2001 statement
"One of the most important
of the institutions captured
by the Left is the Supreme
Court. For the last half
century, the Court has been
a revolutionary force in
American culture and
politics, taking the lead in
remaking America. For
example, in past terms,
there have been decisions
defining the family,
protecting pornography,
adopting rules rendering it
virtually impossible to
prosecute obscenity,
refusing states the
authority to support
all-male military academies,
creating special rights for
homosexuals, limiting school
disciplinary procedures, and
banishing religion from
public life. And, of course,
inventing a right to
abortion." – Robert Bork,
writing for
Ex Feminia
newsletter, October 2000
"Without a doubt, the
definition of feminism is
controversial. What started
with the gutsy Susan B.
Anthony morphed itself into
the The Feminine Mystique
and eventually degenerated
into a movement of
hypocritical, male-bashing
libertines." – from
SheThinks.org
"Women went to college, the
old joke went, to get their
'Mrs.' Now they can attend
conferences in kinky sex and
S&M, or take courses in
lesbian and gay studies--and
that is not a joke." –
Candice deRussy,
"Sex and Bondage 101"
"[T]o the extent there is
any hope at all of arresting
America's moral decay,
conservative elites must
take the lead not only in
lamenting the consequences
of the sexual revolution,
but in actually enforcing a
sense of shame. Enforcement,
moreover, may mean more than
judgmental gossip. It also
may mean sanctions ranging
from chilly social greetings
to total social ostracism
and even loss of a job." –
Melinda Ledden Sidak,
"Not at My Table"
Updated: December
2006 |
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The Institute for Justice
(IJ) sees itself as the
Right Wing’s preeminent
public interest law firm,
committed to “challenging
government's control over
our lives.” Unlike other
such groups on the Right, IJ
says it does not engage in
“compromise” but rather
advances “a tactically and
philosophically consistent,
long-term strategy” that
allows it to “succeed on
principle” rather than “fail
on politics.”
Institute for Justice
901 N. Glebe Road - Suite
900
Arlington, VA 22203
Website:
www.ij.org
Founded: 1991 by
Clint Bolick and Chip Mellor
President/General Counsel:
William “Chip” Mellor III
Board of Directors:
David Kennedy (chairman) -
President Emeritus, Earhart
Foundation; Mark Babunovic -
Vice President, Bank of New
York; Arthur Dantchik,
Partner, Susquehanna
Investment Group; Robert A.
Levy - Senior Fellow in
Constitutional Studies, Cato
Institute; Jim Lintott -
Principal, Freedom
Management Group LLC; Chip
Mellor - President and
General Counsel, Institute
for Justice; Stephen
Modzelewski - Managing
Member, Maple Engine L.L.C.;
Abigail Thernstrom -
Commissioner, U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights,
and Senior Fellow, Manhattan
Institute; Gerrit Wormhoudt
- Attorney-at-Law, Fleeson,
Gooing, Coulson and Kitch.
Finances: $7,507,175
(2005 revenue)
Publications:
Liberty & Law, a
bimonthly newsletter,
Carry the Torch, a
report on IJ, law review
articles, also publishes
reports on a variety of
issues.
Affiliate Groups: The
Institute for Justice has
affiliate offices located in
Arizona, Minnesota, and
Washington; The IJ also
created the Castle
Coalition, a “nationwide
grassroots property rights
activism project” that
“teaches home and small
business owners how to
protect themselves and stand
up to the greedy governments
and developers who seek to
use eminent domain to take
private property for their
own gain.” |
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- Self-described as
“America’s premier
libertarian public
interest law firm.”
- IJ provides pro bono
legal advice and
representation on
conservative legal
cases.
- Strong supporter of
“school choice” and
vouchers. Includes high
profile litigation in
Cleveland and Milwaukee.
- Opposes affirmative
action policies, refers
to them as “racial
preferences” and
“reverse
discrimination”—in an
opinion piece for the
Wall Street Journal,
Clint Bolick criticized
President Clinton’s
nominee of Lani Guinier,
a former lawyer for the
NAACP Legal Defense
Fund, calling her
“Clinton’s Quota Queen”
because of her idea to
draw more
racially-conscious
districts with the hope
of having greater
racially-proportionate
representation in the
legislature and the
courts.
- Supports
government-subsidized,
faith-based social
service programs.
- IJ has an extensive
training program for
young lawyers and law
students and sponsors an
annual Policy Activists
Conference on their
issues.
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- The Institute for
Justice's School Choice
Research Center provides
pro-voucher research.
- IJ is active in
defending private
property and opposing
what it considers abuse
of the government’s
power of eminent domain.
- IJ has an annual
Policy Activist
Conference on Public
Interest Litigation that
trains conservative
activists to use
litigation as an
advocacy tool.
- IJ holds
conservative lawyer
conferences to train
them to identify
potential cases and
create highly visible
lawsuits, as well as
other litigation
tactics.
- IJ’s grassroots work
is performed by their
Human Action Network
(HAN), which is made up
of lawyers who have
attended their
conferences. The HAN is
a network of hundreds of
lawyers that IJ
organizes to match with
pro bono cases, give
legal advice, and work
together on their
issues. These lawyers
also serve to inform IJ
on grassroots
activities.
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- Clint Bolick,
formerly of right-wing
Landmark Legal
Foundation, and Chip
Mellor, former president
of right-wing Pacific
Research Institute,
founded the
organization. Bolick has
since gone on to become
the president of the
Alliance for School
Choice.
- Grants and
contributions from major
right-wing foundations
include: Olin
Foundation, Bradley
Foundation, Sarah Scaife
Foundation, Kirby
Foundation, Donner
Foundation, and the
Claude R. Lambe
Foundation.
Updated: September
2006 |
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The Intercollegiate Studies
Institute (ISI) is helping
to identify, educate and
promote the next generation
of right-wing leaders,
primarily through its
funding of college
newspapers, its speakers
programs and its promotion
of conservative professors
and journalists.
Intercollegiate Studies
Institute
3901 Centerville Road
Wilmington, DE 19807
Websites:
www.isi.org and
www.isibooks.org
President: T. Kenneth
Cribb
Chairman: Edwin J.
Feulner, Jr., president of
the Heritage Foundation
Vice-President: John
F. Lulves, Jr.
Board of Trustees: E.
Victor Milione (President
Emeritus); Jay Bayard Boyle,
Jr. (Vice President); Alfred
Regnery; Edwin Meese (former
Atty. General for President
Ronald Reagan); T. William
Boxx; James Burnley; Richard
Allen; Holland Coors (of
Coors Brewing Company); M.
Stanton Evans; Robert
Miller; Marion Wells; George
Carey; Arthur Rasmussen;
Thomas Pauken; William
Campbell; Merrill Moyer; and
Edwin J. Feulner, Jr. [Board
of Trustees]
Date Established:
1953
Finances: $10,669,218
(2004)
Publications:
Campus America Student
Newspaper, education
pamphlets; Modern Age,
quarterly review; The
Intercollegiate Review,
scholarship and opinion;
Modern Age journal;
The Political Science
Reviewer; Continuity,
semi-annual journal,
Intercollegiate Review
and its own publishing
company, ISI Books.
Affiliated Groups:
The Collegiate Network,
Young America’s Foundation
and the Fund for American
Studies. |
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The declared mission of the
Intercollegiate Studies
Institute (ISI) is to combat
the supposed left-wing
indoctrination on college
campuses by organizing
lectures, conferences,
publications, and
fellowships for students and
faculty, “ISI seeks to
enhance the rising
generation's knowledge of
our nation's founding
principles — limited
government, individual
liberty, personal
responsibility, the rule of
law, market economy, and
moral norms.” |
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- Sponsors the
Collegiate Network,
which supports over
seventy different
right-wing publications
on college and
university campuses.
Publications include the
Harvard Salient,
Princeton Tory,
Stanford Review,
Yale Free Press,
Duke Review, theRed
and Blue at the
University of
Pennsylvania and the
Virginia Advocate at
the University of
Virginia.
- ISI sponsors its own
fellowship programs for
graduate students whose
work fits within its
agenda.
- ISI hosts regional
conferences for college
students all over the
United States.
- Promotes the hiring
of conservative
educators and
journalists.
- ISI event speakers
have included President
Ronald Reagan, President
George W. Bush
(videotaped message),
ISI alumnus Antonin
Scalia, Senate Majority
Whip Mitch McConnell,
Doug Bandow, Dinesh
D’Souza, Jeane
Kirkpatrick, William F.
Buckley and Marvin
Olasky.
- ISI Books publishes
the work of: Doug
Bandow, Michael Barone,
William Bennett, L.
Brent Bozell, William F.
Buckley and more than
eighty right-wing
authors.
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Right-wing donors include:
Sarah Scaife Foundation;
Allegheny Foundation; The
Lynde and Harry Bradley
Foundation; Earhart
Foundation; JM Foundation;
John M. Olin Foundation;
Philip M. McKenna
Foundation; Claude R. Lambe
Charitable Foundation;
Castle Rock Foundation; and
the Carthage Foundation.
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“By the time the Reagan
Revolution marched into
Washington, I had the troops
I needed---thanks in no
small measure to the work
with American youth ISI has
been doing since 1953. I am
proud to count many ISI
products among the
workhorses of my two terms
as President.” – Ronald
Reagan
“It’s my pleasure…to support
ISI, which is an
organization that I was
affiliated with long before
I was who I am in
Washington. I was a
professor…when I first began
to take part in the ISI
program of trying to
stimulate the intellectual
debate in the nation’s
capital.” – Supreme Court
Justice Antonin Scalia
“Were it not for the ISI
chapter during my
undergraduate days, I would
not have gained the
philosophical underpinnings
that are necessary for one
to develop political
knowledge and
understanding.” – Edwin J.
Feulner Jr., president of
The Heritage Foundation and
former chairman of ISI’s
Board of Trustees.
Updated: September
2006 |
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An offshoot of Rick
Scarborough’s
Vision America, the
primary purpose of the
Judeo-Christian Council for
Constitutional Restoration
(JCCCR) appears to be
leveling allegations of
anti-Christian bigotry
against any member of the
federal judiciary who issues
rulings that do not advance
to the right-wing agenda.
The organization first came
to prominence in 2005 when
it held a conference
entitled “Confronting the
Judicial War on Faith.”
PO Box 10
Lufkin, TX 75902
Website:
www.stopactivistjudges.org
Chairman: Dr. Rick
Scarborough (President and
Co-Chairman of Vision
America)
Executive Committee:
Jerry Falwell (The Moral
Majority), Rick Scarborough,
Alveda King (The Alexis de
Tocqueville Institute,
Priests for Life), Mike
Valerio, Ray Flynn
(Catholics for the Common
Good), Mike Farris (Home
School Legal Defense Fund),
Frank Pavone (Priests for
Life), Dave Meyers, Phyllis
Schlafly (Eagle Forum), and
Tom Smith
Membership: Major
ministries, churches,
pro-family groups,
conservative non-profit
organizations |
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The Judeo-Christian Council
for Constitutional
Restoration is a coalition
of ministries and
organization united for the
purpose of confronting a
“growing assault on the
faith by an
ever-overreaching
judiciary,” and combating
“judicial activism.” |
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The Judeo-Christian Council
for Constitutional
Restoration (JCCR) was
founded in early 2004, and
formalized in January of
2005 as a result of what its
founders felt had been a
culmination of assaults
against religion and faith
in the form of court
decisions. The main thrust
for the formation of the
JCCCR came after former
Chief Justice of the Alabama
Supreme Court Roy Moore was
removed from his position
for refusing to take down a
Ten Commandments monument
from the Alabama Judiciary
building. In addition, the
case of Terri Schiavo, the
incapacitated woman whose
husband was allowed by a
federal judge to remove here
from life support after she
was diagnosed as being in an
incurable persistent
vegetative state, served as
an impetus for forming the
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- The JCCCR rejects
certain Supreme Court
civil liberty decisions,
such as those allowing
freedom of reproductive
rights, prohibiting
coercive sectarian
prayer in public
schools, overturning
sodomy laws, and
removing religious
symbols like the Ten
Commandments from public
spaces.
- In 2005 the JCCCR
campaigned to impeach
Judge Joseph Bataillon
of Nebraska because of
his view that banning
the marriage of same-sex
couples is in violation
of the 14th Amendment of
the Constitution. JCCCR
claims that Bataillon’s
action will effectively
subvert the intention of
the Constitution.
- JCCCR's conference
Confronting the Judicial
War on Faith, held
April 7-8, 2005,
addressed “judicial
tyranny…from a faith
perspective.” Key
speakers included House
Majority Leader Tom
DeLay Congressman Lamar
Smith of Texas, David C.
Gibbs, Esq. (lead
attorney for the parents
of Terri Schiavo),
former Alabama Chief
Justice Roy Moore,
Ambassador Alan Keyes,
Phyllis Schlafly, Tony
Perkins (of the Family
Research Council), Tom
Jipping (aide to Sen.
Orin Hatch), Mike Farris
(of Patrick Henry
University and the Home
School Legal Defense
Association), Alveda
King (niece of Dr.
Martin Luther King,
Jr.), Patrick Reilly (of
the Cardinal Newman
Society), and Rabbi
Aryeh Spero. About the
JCCCR Conference
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“The President must be true
to his word. He must keep
his faith with the folks who
elected him twice. In other
words, he must replace
Sandra Day O’Connor with a
strict constructionist. The
president has a God-given
opportunity to change the
balance on the Supreme
Court. On issue after
issue—abortion, sodomy,
public display of the Ten
Commandments—O’Connor has
sided with the court’s
liberal bloc. Time and
again, Justice O’Connor and
her colleagues have used the
Constitution as an excuse to
force weird social
experiments on the nation.”
—Rick Scarborough on the
2005 Supreme Court vacancy,
July 1, 2005.
“Not to be outdone,
lawyer-author Edwin Vieira
told the gathering [JCCR’s
2005 conference] that
Kennedy [Supreme Court
Justice Anthony Kennedy]
should be impeached because
his philosophy, evidenced in
his opinion striking down an
anti-sodomy statute,
‘upholds Marxist, Leninist,
satanic principles drawn
from foreign law.’
Ominously, Vieira continued
by saying his ‘bottom line’
for dealing with the Supreme
Court comes from Joseph
Stalin. ‘He had a slogan,
and it worked very well for
him, whenever he ran into
difficulty: “no man, no
problem,”’ Vieira said.
The full Stalin quote, for
those who don't recognize
it, is ‘Death solves all
problems: no man, no
problem.’”
—Dana Milbank, “And
the Verdict on Justice
Kennedy Is: Guilty,”
Washington Post, April
9, 2005
“As the battle over the
Roberts nomination moves to
the floor of the Senate,
there's intense speculation
about President Bush's
second Supreme Court
nominee. Increasingly,
pro-faith conservatives are
telling the White House to
think Brown. Recently
confirmed to the DC Circuit
Court of Appeals (called the
second most powerful court
in the land), Janice Rogers
Brown is a dream nominee for
folks like you and me.”
—Rick Scarborough on the
vacancy to the Supreme
Court, September 22, 2005
“In every event in the life
of a nation -- as in our
personal lives -- God is
always speaking to us. It is
imperative that we hear Him
and heed His voice. These
thoughts I offer with deep
humility. Scriptures teach
us that God will not be
mocked. The scenes of
devastation in New Orleans
we're witnessing on the
nightly news show us a
catastrophe of Biblical
proportions. If that weren't
enough, the chaos that's
sweeping the ravaged city is
a sad reminder that when God
brings the deluge, the
floodgates will open and
unimaginable evil will wash
over us.”
—Rick Scarborough on
Hurricane Katrina, September
2, 2005
Updated: April
2006
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The Judicial Confirmation
Network (JCN) was created
just as the debate in the
Senate over Republican
leaders’ plans to eliminate
the use of the filibuster on
judicial nominations was
reaching its apex. JCN was
also active in the
right-wing campaign to
confirm Chief Justice John
Roberts and Justice Samuel
Alito.
Judicial Confirmation
Network
PO Box 791
Alexandria, VA 22313-0791
Website:
www.judicialnetwork.com
Executive Director:
Gary Marx (Bush-Cheney ’04,
The
Family Foundation of
Virginia)
Counsel: Wendy Long
(former law clerk for
Justice Clarence Thomas)
Founded: 2004
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The Judicial Confirmation
Network (JCN) was created to
ensure that “highly
qualified individuals” are
confirmed to United States’
highest courts. It calls for
a “fair, impartial
confirmation process” and
strongly advocates the
up-or-down vote. JCN
believes in judges who
“strictly interpret the
Constitution” and that do
not “impose his or her
personal or political agenda
on the people.” It firmly
supported Judge John Roberts
for confirmation to the
United States Supreme Court. |
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- JCN was very active
in the battle over the
“nuclear option” which
would have eliminated
the use of the
filibuster to block the
confirmation of judicial
nominees. In fact, JCN
came into existence
mainly to help fight
that battle.
- JCN quickly launched
a
national advertising
campaign in support
of the "nuclear option,"
targeting mainly
Democratic senators from
“red states” as well as
moderate Republicans.
- JCN was also very
active during the
confirmation process for
John Roberts,
defending his
record, praising him in
the
press and on
television, and
attacking Democrats.
- JCN partnered with
“dozens of other
grassroots and civic
organizations including
Focus on the Family,
Americans for Tax
Reform, the Committee
for Justice, Americans
for Limited Government
and the American Center
for Law and Justice” to
distribute its e-mails
and alerts.
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Gary Marx was invited by Jay
Sekulow, a close friend and
president of the
ultra-conservative American
Center for Law and Justice,
in 2004 to create the JCN.
The organization also has
very close ties to
Progress for America. |
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In preparation for Supreme
Court nomination battles,
the JCN was expected to be
the main repository of money
raised from business groups
and other Republican allies.
It promised to spend about
$18 million for radio and TV
ads, phone banks, and other
grassroots tools. |
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Before his position at JCN,
Marx served on the 2004
Bush-Cheney campaign as the
national conservative
coalition director who
helped organize
church-sponsored voter
drives in Ohio. Marx was
also involved in Bush’s
campaign while working at
the firm Century Strategies,
where his task was outreach
to pro-family conservative
voters during the primary
and general election races.
Century Strategies was
founded and is led by former
Christian Coalition director
Ralph Reed, who
advises Fortune 500
companies while heavily
endorsing political
candidates. Reed has worked
on seven presidential
campaigns and has advised on
88 campaigns for U.S.
Senate, Governor and
Congress in 24 states. He
was the Chairman of the
Georgia Republican Party in
2002, and ran unsuccessfully
for Lieutenant Governor of
Georgia in 2006. |
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"The Republican base, which
worked hard to elect
President Bush twice, does
not think the Supreme Court
should be stuck in the
mentality of the 1960s,
which has proven so
destructive to the rule of
law and respect for our
American institutions.
Liberal groups now arguing
for 'balance' on the Court
and the appointment of a
'moderate' Justice just want
to keep the Supreme Court on
a leftward march, away from
the Constitution. When the
people speak through their
elected representatives on
political and policy
matters, as they are
entitled to do in our
representative democracy,
the liberal Left runs to the
courts to implement opposite
policies through judicial
tyranny.”
—Wendy Long, “JCN: Americans
Deserve Better From U.S.
Supreme Court,” July 7, 2005
"Seeking a 'consensus'
candidate is not the right
thing to do. It is not what
the Constitution
contemplates, in our system
built on the consent of the
governed... By definition,
those will never be
'consensus' nominees.
Justices Ginsburg and Breyer
were not 'consensus'
nominees, nor should any
Republican nominees
be—particularly when
Republicans control the
Senate, for heaven's sake."
—Wendy Long, June 22, 2005
Updated: April
2006 |
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The Landmark Legal
Foundation specializes in
battling opponents of school
vouchers, unions, and
environmental regulations in
the name of opposing “big
government.” Landmark’s
president, Mark Levin, is a
high-profile right-wing
media figure who hosts his
own radio program,
contributes to the
National Review, and is
the author of Men in
Black: How the Supreme Court
Is Destroying America.
Landmark Legal Foundation
19415 Deerfield Avenue Suite
312
Leesburg, VA 20176
Website:
www.landmarklegal.org
President: Mark R.
Levin
Founded/Place: 1976
Advisory Council Member:
Becky Norton Dunlop
Board of Directors:
Roy Innis (Congress of
Racial Equality), Walter
Williams (CATO Institute,
Heritage Foundation), Edwin
Meese III, (Former Attorney
General), WM. Bradford
Reynolds (Federalist
Society), Steve A. Matthews,
Gary L. McDowell, Lawrence
F. Davenport, John
Richardson
Former President:
Jerald Hill
Finances: $1,728,056
(2003 revenue)
Media: The Mark Levin
Show, aired on the radio
weekly on WABC AM station.
Publications: Men
in Black: How the Supreme
Court is Destroying America,
a book by President Mark
Levin |
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Landmark Legal Foundation
(LFF) is a legal advocacy
group that litigates based
on the principles of
individual liberty, free
enterprise, and limited
government. Among others,
LLF has targeted the
National Education
Association, the Democratic
National Committee, the
AFL-CIO, Emily’s List, the
Environmental Protection
Agency, the Fish and
Wildlife Service, and the
Forest Service. |
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- Landmark Legal
Foundation (LLF)
initiates litigation
against major
non-profit,
governmental, and social
institutions.
- LLF focuses
primarily on education
and environmental
litigation, in an
attempt to dismantle
institutions that
preserve universal
public schooling and
that promote and fight
for a clean environment.
It assists state
legislators in their
pursuit to enact
educational reforms such
as providing school
vouchers, private
management of public
schools, and other
voucher initiatives.
- Mark Levin is a
contributing editor of
National Review,
as well as a frequent
contributor to the
Washington Times and
Human Events.
- Works for welfare
reform.
- Played a role in
supporting Paula Jones
during the Clinton
sexual scandal by
receiving funds from the
Scaife Foundation and
finding lawyers for
Jones. Salon, "Newsreal:
The men who kept Paula
Jones lawsuit going"
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- Landmark Legal
Foundation is a member
of Kay Daly’s Coalition
for a Fair Judiciary,
along with
Free Congress Foundation,
American Conservative
Union,
Family Research Council,
Concerned Women for
America, and the
Christian Coalition.
Source
- Landmark Legal
adamantly opposed the
Senate Democrats’ use of
the filibuster against
judicial nominees. In an
op-ed in January of
2005, Levin explained
that, “Whatever the
politics of ending the
Senate’s judicial
filibusters, and one can
only speculate,
defending the
Constitution is
paramount…By denying the
president numerous key
appointments to
vacancies on the federal
bench, the judiciary
grows increasingly
activist due to the
remaining numerous
Clinton appointees.”
Landmark Legal
Foundation
op-ed
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- According to
MediaTransparency,
Landmark received
$8,935,200 between 1986
and 2003 in a total of
118 grants.
- Landmark has
received $20,000 from
ExxonMobil Foundation
since 1998
- According to its 990
report, Landmark Legal
Foundation received
$1,567,258 in gifts,
grants, and
contributions in 2002.
- Other funders
include the
Allegheny Foundation,
Lynde and Harry Bradley,
Foundation, Inc.,
Carthage Foundation,
Castle Rock Foundation,
JM Foundation,
Charles G. Koch
Charitable Foundation,
Philip M. McKenna
Foundation, Inc.,
John M. Olin Foundation,
Inc.,
Sarah Scaife Foundation,
and the
Scaife Family Foundation.
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Landmark Legal Foundation,
one of the earlier
conservative legal
organizations, was founded
in 1976, and initially
called the Great Plains
Legal Foundation. It was
created to address the
special interest groups and
unions “dedicated to tearing
down [individual liberty,
free enterprise, and limited
government] and advancing
Big Government.” |
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Mark Levin is a former
employee of the Reagan
Administration, and
represented former Reagan
Attorney General Edwin Meese
during the Iran-Contra
investigation. He was a
leading advocate of the
impeachment of Bill Clinton,
and Rush Limbaugh named him
head of his (Limbaugh’s)
“legal division.” In 2001
Levin received the Ronald
Reagan Award from the
American Conservative Union.
Finally, Levin strongly
disapproves of the United
Nations, which he claims is
anti-Semitic and
disorganized (see quote
below).
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“How can [John Kerry]
support an organization that
anti-Semitic? I would like
to know how the U.N., given
the make-up of the august
body, is any different than
the KKK or all the rest of
it. They've got people in
that U.N. that are
torturers, mass-murderers,
anti-Semites,
anti-Americans,
anti-freedom, and we're
supposed to keep conferring
our decisions to them.
Why?”—Mark R. Levin
audio
“Landmark Legal Foundation
is presently engaged in a
two front battle – the most
ambitious and arguably the
most important we’ve ever
faced. It is quite literally
a battle for America's
future.
“We’re confronting the
nation’s chief obstacle to
substantive education reform
- the NEA - not only at the
national level, but in the
states where the union
spends millions in tax
exempt funds on unreported
and hence illegal political
activities. In the coming
months we will launch the
first wave of complaints
against key NEA state
affiliates. In addition, the
Foundation will undertake a
major outreach initiative to
regional, national and
specialty media and key
opinion leaders to garner
attention and caste the
spectrum of public debate
where it belongs – on the
actions of a union that has
no respect for the law.
Landmark’s complaints and
public outreach efforts will
bring to the state unions
the same unremitting and
unwelcome scrutiny from
governmental agencies and
the media that has resulted
in a full IRS field audit
and Labor Department
investigation of the
national union.
“We are also challenging
what may be the most
insidious legacy of modern
liberalism – judicial
activism and the radical
judges who use it to advance
an extremist social agenda.
America’s courts have become
the final bulwark for the
advocates of big government
who have been defeated time
after time at the ballot box
at the local, state and
federal level. Through an
aggressive and multifaceted
public education campaign,
Landmark’s Judicial Reform
Initiative is helping to
reshape the public debate
and crystallize public
sentiment about the mission
of America’s courts and the
proper limits on their
authority. With the Roberts
Nomination to the Supreme
Court currently before the
Senate – as well as the
ongoing controversy about
filibusters in the Senate
over nominees to federal
district and appeals courts,
this has become one of
Landmark’s highest
priorities.”
Source
Updated: August
2006 |
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1101 North Highland Street
Arlington, VA 22201
www.leadershipinstitute.org
President: Morton C.
Blackwell
Established: In 1979
by Morton C. Blackwell
Finances: $8,230,655
budget (2000)
Employees: 54
Graduates of LI programs:
Over 30,000 people
(according to LI)
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The Institute’s mission is “to increase the number and effectiveness
of conservative public
policy leaders. We not only
want to identify, recruit
and place conservatives, but
we want to properly equip
our future leaders as well.”
The Institute recruits,
trains and finds jobs for
right-wing activists in the
public policy field.
In 22 years, the
Institute has trained over
30,000 activists.
The Institute’s F.M.
Kirby National Training
Center has 18 educational
programs: Campaign
Leadership, Candidate
Development, Capitol Hill
staff, Capitol Hill writing,
Grassroots organizing,
Internet leadership, Public
Relations, Public Speaking,
Student Publications, Youth
Leadership, and Broadcast
Journalism. LI has space to
hold trainings to
accommodate nearly 500
people at a time and free
dormitory space is
available.
LI has an intern
program, an Employment
Placement Service and a
Broadcast Journalism
Placement Service. LI has
placed program graduates in
positions at: National Rifle
Association, Christian
Coalition, American
Conservative Union, and
working for Florida Governor
Jeb Bush.
LI alumni include: Ralph
Reed, Former Executive
Director of the Christian
Coalition, Senator Mitch
McConnell (R-Kentucky),
former Virginia Governor Jim
Gilmore, Grover Norquist,
President of Americans for
Tax Reform, Congressman
David McIntosh (R-Indiana),
Congressman Mark Souder
(R-Indiana).
The Institute also has a
“Bi-Partisan Congressional
Advisory Board” of 117
members, 4 are Democrats and
the rest are Republicans.
LI has organized over
200 conservative student
groups on college campuses
nationwide. LI specializes
in countering “political
correctness” on college
campuses.
LI receives funding from
many large conservative
foundations such as the F.M.
Kirby Foundation and the
DeVos Foundation.
President Ronald Reagan
said that the Leadership
Institute is "paving the way
for a new generation of
conservative leadership."
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Since 1991, Blackwell has served as Executive Director of the
secretive Council for
National Policy, a
foundation composed of
leaders of right wing public
policy organizations, major
donors and other noted
conservative leaders.
From 1981-1984, Morton
worked as the Special
Assistant to President
Reagan. Blackwell was a
liaison to conservative
groups, veteran's groups,
most religious
organizations, and civic and
fraternal groups.
Blackwell co-authored
President Reagan's Voluntary
Prayer Amendment.
[Updated September 2002]
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85 Devonshire Street, 8th
Floor
Boston, MA 02109
www.pioneerinstitute.org
Established: 1988 by
Lovett C. Peters
Founding Chairman:
Lovett C. Peters
Chairman: Colby
Hewitt, Jr.
President/Executive
Director: Stephen Adams
Finances: $2.5
million budget (2000)
Employees: 18
Affiliated with:
Massachusetts Charter School
Resource Center, Pioneer
Institute, Inc.
Publications: Books,
policy papers, “Pioneering
Spirit” magazine,
newsletters, and op-eds.
Pioneer Institute’s
Principal Issues:
PI “seeks to change the intellectual climate in Massachusetts” by
challenging the progressive
bias of the state.
PI describes itself as
“Massachusetts’s leading
think tank.” PI has three
“centers”—the Charter School
Resource Center, the Shamie
Center for Restructuring
Government and the Center
for Urban Entrepreneurship.
PI’s issues are broken
down into its “E4 strategy--
educational excellence,
effective public management,
economic opportunity, and
emerging issues.”
PI is a proponent of
school vouchers and
deregulation of workman’s
compensation insurance. PI
opposes bilingual education.
PI’s approach to
education reform is defined
by its support of school
vouchers and charter
schools.
PI’s founding chairman,
Lovett C. Peters, is also a
trustee for the Foundation
for Economic Education and
for Hillsdale College
PI’s work has been
acknowledged by other right
wing groups. Peters was
awarded the “Roe Award” from
the State Policy Network.
Both Peters and his wife
Ruth Stott Peters received
the “Champions of Freedom
Award” from the Mackinac
Center for Public Policy.
PI is a member of the
State Policy Network, “the
professional service
organization for America's
state-based, free market
think tank movement.”
[Updated September 2002]
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The Madison Project
(MP)
PO Box 100
Centreville, VA 20122
www.madisonproject.org
Established: 1994 by
Michael Farris
Chairman: Michael
Farris
President: Michael
Bowman
Publications: We the
People, a bimonthly
newsletter |
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The Madison Project is a
PAC was established to help
and support new conservative
“family values” anti-choice
candidates, to build a “true
pro-life, conservative
majority.”
Madison Project calls
itself “A Political Network
for Pro-Life Conservatives.”
[letterhead 1999]
The Madison Project
organizes and "bundles"
small contributions by
individuals to amass large
contributions. It is modeled
after Emily's List. [We the
people, nov/dec 1994]
Madison Project’s Board
of Directors include famous
conservatives Paul Weyrich
and Tim LaHaye. Madison
Project’s “Advisory
Committee” is a group of
congresspeople that the
group helped to elect.
MP does not support
incumbents and it often
focuses on elections in its
home state of Virginia.
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Candidates MP supported in
2002 election:
MP Wins:
Senate Races:
Missouri US Senate: Jim
Talent (v. Jean Carnahan)
House Races:
Colorado: 4th CD Marilyn
Musgrave (v. Stan Matsanka)
Florida: 13th CD Katherine
Harris (v. Jan Schneider)
New Mexico: 2nd CD Steve
Pearce (v. John Arthur
Smith)
New Jersey: 5th CD Scott
Garrett (v. Anne Summers)
Texas: 5th CD Jeb Hensarling
(v. Ron Chapman)
Losses:
Senate Races:
Delaware: US Senate:
Clatworthy (v. Biden)
Louisiana US Senate: Perkins
(v. Landrieu)
House Races:
California: 39th CD: Tim
Escobar (v. Linda Sanchez)
Kentucky: 4th CD: Geoff
Davis (v. Ken Lucas)
Louisiana 5th CD: Clyde
Holloway (v. Rodney
Alexander) |
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In 2000, MP claims they
elected 10 new pro-life
Republicans to Congress.
They also launched their
“Vote Your Values!”
get-out-the-vote project,
targeting conservative
religious voters in Michigan
and Florida. [11-17-00]
In Summer 1999, MP
headed a campaign to
“bundle” contributions for
the GOP House Managers who
prosecuted the impeachment
of President Clinton. MP
claims it gave more money to
the House Managers than
their own official House
Managers PAC. [11-17-00
direct mail]
During the 1999 primary,
MP ranked #1 among pro-life
organizations and #3 among
117 conservative
organizations in funneling
money to candidates. [ibid]
In 1996 MP gave $340,000
to 14 candidates, helping to
elect Sam Brownback (R-KS).
[MP 2/98 direct mail]
In 1994 MP gave $179,000
to 9 candidates. Of those
nine, 4 were elected. (Steve
Largent (R-OK), Mark
Neumann(R-WS), Andrea
Seastrand(R-CA), and Doc
Hastings(R-WS).) [ibid]
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In 2001 Farris was hired
by the Bush campaign as a
consultant. Farris stepped
down as Executive Director
and named Michael Bowman,
former Vice President of
Government Relations at the
Family Research Council.
[9-24-01, direct mail]
Farris was responsible
for arranging the
instrumental Fall 1999
meeting between top
conservatives and candidate
George W. Bush. The meeting
was an opportunity for Bush
to privately reassure the
far-right that they share
the same values. [WT
10-8-1999]
Michael Farris ran a
failed campaign for
lieutenant governor of
Virginia.
Farris is known for his
role in the Christian
conservative home schooling
movement, president of the
Home School Defense
Association. Farris has also
established a college for
Christian conservative home
schooled kids, Patrick Henry
College.
Farris also served as
general counsel to Concerned
Women for America.
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"Madison Project not only
has a unique mission and
strategy, but we have a
proven record of
accomplishment with over a
million dollars delivered
directly to candidates and
many solid victories for
conservatives." -Michael
Farris [1-03 website]
“The Madison Project has
been responsible for
electing ten of the most
constitutionally
conservative Congressmen in
history. These are men and
women who are solid on the
issues you and I care about
the most.”- Madison Project,
direct mail 1-97?
“You know I have to say
sincerely that I stand
before you because of the
Madison Project.”
–Congresswoman Helen
Chenoweth, R-ID [1-97 direct
mail]
“Madison Project put us over
the hump, and for that I am
eternally grateful.”-
Congressman Steve Largent,
R-OK [direct mail 1-97]
“Together we’ve helped elect
eight principled leaders to
the U.S. House of
Representatives and one to
the U.S. Senate. That is
nine Congressmen who, day in
and day out vote for the
principles you and I hold
dear.” –July 4, 1997 direct
mail from Michael Farris on
behalf of the Madison
Project
""Madison Project provided
me with critical funding
when I needed it the most:
in the primary!" -Rep. Joe
Pitts (R, Penn.) [1-03
website]
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221 Witherspoon Street,
Second Floor
Princeton, New Jersey
08542-3215
www.nas.org
Founded: 1985
President: Stephen H.
Balch
Publications: NAS
Update quarterly
newsletter, Academic
Questions quarterly
journal, and Science
Insights; and occasional
reports
Finances: Has an
income of less than $25,000
per year. |
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