Rick Ungar, Forbes: The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy 2011: Less Vast- More Powerful

[highplainsdem]

http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/03/21/the-vast-right-wing-conspiracy-2011-less-vast-more-powerful/

The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy 2011: Less Vast- More Powerful
Mar. 21 2011 - 4:14 pm

-snip-

While many have disputed the true meaning of the words, most now agree that the phrase is best defined as “a broader move by wealthy conservatives to use their economic power to establish an interlocking network of foundations that funded conservative scholarship, national and regional think tanks and advocacy groups, talk radio media outlets, and conservative law firms through which they pushed their agenda to move the Republican Party to the right.”

-snip-

Once dedicated to supporting far right candidates and making mischief for the purpose of grinding the wheels of centrist government to a halt by distracting the administration with scandal after scandal, they now have taken on a far more virulent form. Today, the right-wing conspiracy uses the same front groups, think tanks and foundations to much greater effect, successfully controlling the legislative process – particularly at the state level.

It is no secret that putting an end to collective bargaining has long been high on the list of priorities of the wealthy right wing. Unions have always been an unacceptable cost to private business – both in money and headaches. The large unions are also the primary contributor to Democratic campaign coffers.

-snip-

One has to wonder if the independents in Wisconsin who swung the election that put Scott Walker in office would have done so had they known that his campaign was being run by the representatives of the wealthiest of the right-wing wealthy in America. One has to wonder if these folks might have cast a different vote had they understood that the right-wing conspiracy is alive and well and manipulating them into voting against their own self interest.

-snip-

I thought for sure, as I started reading this article, that Ungar would mention ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, but he didn't say anything about it and seemed unaware of it.

As you can see from comments his readers posted, they wanted him to be aware of it.

A link to my long topic on ALEC was sent to him, too. :) Along with a link to Professor William Cronon's blog and his post about being harassed by the Wisconsin GOP with a records request for his emails after he blogged about ALEC.

Honestly, I think that if Ungar had known about ALEC, he might might have dropped the words "less vast" from the title of his article. ALEC, with its thousands of tame state legislators taking corporate-written legislation back to their states, definitely qualifies as "vast."

This really is a right-wing conspiracy, though -- that part of his title is correct. And I'm glad to see a journalist using the term again.

[whoneedstickets]

1. Odd to see this in Forbes. Is it a howto?

blueprints for the kleptocracy?

[highplainsdem]

2. They don't need blueprints. They've been doing this for decades already. But I do agree with you

that it's odd to see this sort of thing in Forbes. I like what Ungar writes and have posted threads about his articles before.

Forbes also had an article (by E.D. Kain) in ALEC's efforts to disenfranchise voters who are likely to vote Democratic:

http://blogs.forbes.com/erikkain/2011/03/08/new-laws-will-prevent-students-from-voting/

I linked to that on my topic about it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x590917

[highplainsdem]

3. kick

[SpiralHawk]

4. the k and the r

eom

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. Plutoarchy.

[starroute]

6. Also take note of the State Policy Network

Formerly known as the Madison Group, it's an umbrella organization whose members include most of the significant right-wing public policy groups and whose associate members include ALEC, Americans for Prosperity, Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, the Cato Institute, FreedomWorks, the Leadership Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and so forth. (http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=State_Policy_Network)

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/state-policy-network

# SPN is a national network of state-based right-wing organizations in 37 states as well as prominent nationwide right-wing organizations. Through its network SPN advances the public policy ideas of the expansive right-wing political movement on the state and local level.

# Due to SPN's state think tank network, smaller organizations have met with success by following the Heritage Foundation model of extensive public relations to court the media and politicians in an effort to have more impact on public policy. The agenda of Heritage and most of SNP's network members are nearly identical: privatization of most public services and hostility to public education.

[highplainsdem]

7. Thanks for the link!