Since Ronnie was a friend of my Dad's I knew him. I also knew he was no Conservative. As Connie affirms and as I knew at the time Ronnie's record as governor of California clearly identified him as a corporate placement. He instituted withholding taxes. He prepared the ground for the new wave of Federalism to come in a variety of areas, including education. See the UROC resolution.
Ask yourself: Who today is publicly identified as the examplar of Conservativism?
Answer: Ronald Reagan.
That allowed them to steal the vision of freedom and recalibrate the definitions of the next two generations.
To steal a movement you need to do several things. For one thing you need a spokesman/leader who will be popular enough to quiet opposition. At the time we knew the people who went after the Conservative Movement and the John Birch Society as Rockefeller Republicans. William Buckley, whose attempt to take over the John Birch Society failed in 1965 - 1966, identified himself as a Conservative. Since he never held office it is impossible to see action as you would with someone who was elected. But if you examine what and who he supported over the years you will see that he was no such thing. He prides himself as having marginalized the JBS after his take over attempt. He attacked Welch for opposing the Vietnam War.
Then you need to get rid of anyone who will see that this is wrong and inappropriate and object. Women were targeted for that reason. Ronald Reagan delivered the final stroke.
During the 1980 Presidential campaign he met with a group of activist Republican women in a hotel in Los Angeles. His daughter Maureen was there as well. Reagan refused to listen to them and took the ERA out of the GOP platform. He did this to ensure large donations from corporations, including Coors but not limited to Coors.
The activist women left politics, leaving the GOP open to the faction then being organized for political activism by Part Robertson and Ralph Reed, just as they planned.
Today we recognize that the undeclared war in Vietnam was illegal. It benefited Halliburton, who was employed there, and other contractors including Koch Industries. These huge corporations with intimate connections to the Bush Administration are in Iraq today on cost plus contracts. On shore they enjoy protection from Bush as they did from his father.
Did you recognize at the time you had been deceived? Today many people who have spent a life time in the freedom movement are finding common ground with leftists and progressives on issues. That is not new ground, the potential existed back then.
You can always know what happened if you follow the money. Notice who got rich. We used to say, and it is still true, that to have a million dollars as a Libertarian activist - start with two million.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
