Show Some Vision
Sasha Magee’s post on the State Democrats showing some spine on the State Budget address two concepts: a vision and the courage to stand by your convictions. Many have commented since the last election about how the conservatives have a vision and are implementing it but the left is always on the defensive, reacting to what the right proposes and defending programs and services.
The Right’s vision
The economic right created a vision 33 years ago and has been relentlessly implementing it ever since. In 1971, Lewis Powell was commissioned to write a confidential memorandum to take back America by the National Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber was terrified by the Anti-War movement, the Civil Rights movement, and as he put it, “the ATTACK ON THE AMERICAN FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM.”
Powell’s memo has become a blueprint for the economic right that has created a conservative infrastructure. The memo outlined four areas that needed to be targeted and changed: the academe, the media, the political establishment, and the court system. Business leaders like Joseph Coors and others took his memo seriously and created conservative think tanks and policy institutes like the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, the Manhattan Institute, and Brent Bozell’s Media Research Center. In California, the state Chamber of Commerce helped set up the seed money for the Pacific Legal Foundation. All of these organizations have been moving Powell’s vision for the last 33 years. The conservative infrastructure and power has become incredibly powerful and contrary to what most progressives believe, they do include evangelicals as part of their movement.
The Conservative Message Machine
Rob Stein, Ron’ Brown’s Chief of Staff in the Commerce Department under Clinton, has created a power-point presentation of the money matrix behind the corporate counter-attack which has now become a conservative message machine and is taking it on the road. Stein’s presentation is devastating but it offers some powerful recommendations and even hope. He believes that many organizations have the kind of assets necessary to create an effective progressive movement and is doing his best to create it by taking his presentation to large donors who could fund the type of infrastructure we need.
More later…
The Right’s vision
The economic right created a vision 33 years ago and has been relentlessly implementing it ever since. In 1971, Lewis Powell was commissioned to write a confidential memorandum to take back America by the National Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber was terrified by the Anti-War movement, the Civil Rights movement, and as he put it, “the ATTACK ON THE AMERICAN FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM.”
Powell’s memo has become a blueprint for the economic right that has created a conservative infrastructure. The memo outlined four areas that needed to be targeted and changed: the academe, the media, the political establishment, and the court system. Business leaders like Joseph Coors and others took his memo seriously and created conservative think tanks and policy institutes like the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, the Manhattan Institute, and Brent Bozell’s Media Research Center. In California, the state Chamber of Commerce helped set up the seed money for the Pacific Legal Foundation. All of these organizations have been moving Powell’s vision for the last 33 years. The conservative infrastructure and power has become incredibly powerful and contrary to what most progressives believe, they do include evangelicals as part of their movement.
The Conservative Message Machine
Rob Stein, Ron’ Brown’s Chief of Staff in the Commerce Department under Clinton, has created a power-point presentation of the money matrix behind the corporate counter-attack which has now become a conservative message machine and is taking it on the road. Stein’s presentation is devastating but it offers some powerful recommendations and even hope. He believes that many organizations have the kind of assets necessary to create an effective progressive movement and is doing his best to create it by taking his presentation to large donors who could fund the type of infrastructure we need.
More later…
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