Hillary Clinton was pilloried for naming the “vast right-wing conspiracy” involving a presumed coordinated effort to smear Bill Clinton----e.g. Vince Foster, Jennifer Flowers, and Paula Jones stories . A Clinton opposition research fellow, Chris Lehane, developed a descriptive account of the communication processes involving assorted right wing think tanks, financial contributors, news outlets and politicians in his memo, Communication Stream of Conspiracy Commerce which informed Hillary.
But the foundation blueprint for all of that, including the role of lobbyists, is William Powell’s 1971 Memorandum to the US Chamber of Commerce. Or in respect for those who poo poo the idea that Powell’s contribution had any real impact on conservative politics. one would have to observe that it bears an amazingly consistent, precise forecast of what was to come in the conservative establishment over the following decade.
I think the Conservative Christian movement recognized what was taking place in the greater conservative movement throughout the 1970’s and pursued a political organizational course that paralleled and tied into the larger movement.
Also, it is abundantly clear that Powell’s “call to arms” was framed as defending the American system of free enterprise from attacks by assorted domestic and foreign leftist entities----from SDS to the European democratic socialist nations and the USSR whose threats he believed weren’t adequately recognized by complacent American business and political interests .
Well fine. Powell’s strategy worked. But importantly, even after the opposition to the American free enterprise system was effectively vanquished, the conservative movement continued to approach domestic politics with the same coordinated resolve against domestic political opponents as if they were Marxist Leninists threatening the entire system. Thus the take no prisoners, no holds barred fight for survival in which there are no moral or ethical constraints. It’s also provides some understanding of why Democrats are so pitifully outclassed by conservatives in messaging.