My Summer Lair Chapter #145: Do You Know What The Council For National Policy Is?
Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right by Anne Nelson came out this past October and it is fantastic while horrifying.
Ready for this?
“In 1981, emboldened by Ronald Reagan’s election, a group of some fifty Republican operatives, evangelicals, oil barons, and gun lobbyists met in a Washington suburb to coordinate their attack on civil liberties and the social safety net. These men and women called their coalition the Council for National Policy. Over four decades, this elite club has become a strategic nerve center for channeling money and mobilizing votes behind the scenes. Its secretive membership rolls represent a high-powered roster of fundamentalists, oligarchs, and their allies, from Oliver North, Ed Meese, and Tim LaHaye in the Council’s early days to Kellyanne Conway, Ralph Reed, Tony Perkins, and the DeVos and Mercer families today.”
It’s all about the intertwining of Christian-Americans with Koch brothers and other similar nefarious types. Focus on the Family, 700 Club, Left Behind books…this book went through all the cheeze we’ve been surrounded with growing up in the church or in pop culture in general. (Nicolas Cage starred in the 2014 Left Behind movie.)
I was so excited to talk to author Anne Nelson and…2 hours before the interview Kobe died. Bah! So, my mind is all scattered and unfocused. Still, I like doing these ones like the I Kissed Dating Goodbye interview showcasing the sins of our past so we understand how we got here. Great book; check it out: it’s a must read.
Anne Nelson @ W • T • F
Host & Photography Sammy Younan
Recorded: Sunday January 26, 2020 at 5:30 pm
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