The secret 1971 memo exposed by Progressive Rep. Keith Ellison that you need to read
Recently we read through progressive Representative Keith Ellison’s (DFL-MN) new autobiography, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”
One section that struck us was Ellison’s discussion of the evolution of conservatism from Barry Goldwater to today.
Ellison notes that conservatives were
propelled by “property-rights fundamentalists,” back in the ’60s, and
that “racial resentment and free-market fundamentalism remain pillars of
the Republican identity.” In fact, this is the only section of the book
in which the the words “property rights” and “free-market” appear.
In any event, Rep. Ellison concludes
his discussion of conservatism by bringing to light a 1971 memo that he
claims was heavily influential in “radicalizing” conservatives, and a
blueprint for villainous “corporate interests” to flex their political
muscle and thus destabilize American democracy.
The confidential memorandum was penned
by Lewis Powell, a then-corporate attorney who was writing to a friend
at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Two months after mailing the document,
Powell would be nominated to the Supreme Court by President Richard
Nixon.
According to Ellison the so-called “Powell Memorandum,” titled “Attack on American Free Enterprise System,”
“laid the foundation for present-day politics: big-money donors and corporate interests having more influence [over] the electorate. Powell called for the surveillance of and elimination of “left-wing elements.” He wrote of censoring textbooks and television content, and monitoring left-wing activity on college campuses.”
Rep. Ellison further argues that the
“strategy reflected in the Powell Memorandum shaped the modern-day
Republican Party. It was the blueprint used by Ronald Reagan, and it’s
the manifesto put forward by Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan and the
current crop of Republicans.”
The document was leaked in a critical
column published in the Washington Post in September of 1972, after
Powell had already gained his appointment to the Supreme Court.
We had never heard of this supposedly highly influential document, and judging by a simple Google search it
appears it is primarily the focus of the Left, which they believe
inspired corporations to set up think-tanks like the Heritage Foundation
to subvert our political system.
Given the importance the Left seems to place on the document, it piqued our interest and we decided to look it up.
What we found in the document was remarkable.
We will be discussing this
story and all the day’s news on our live BlazeCast with Editor-in-Chief
Scott Baker (@bakerlink) beginning at 2 pm ET:
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