In 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation, stated that Linda Bean was a member of the then-35-year-old “shadowy and intensely secretive group” the Council for National Policy; stating what is “most remarkable about the directory is that it reveals how the CNP has become a key meeting place where ostensibly mainstream conservatives interact with individuals who are, by any reasonable definition, genuinely extremist.” She was a longtime member, having been invited to join the Council for National Policy established by Reagan’s Attorney General Edwin Meese after the Reagan years.
Wow, never heard of the Council for National Policy before, which seems to be the point.
Members are instructed not to reveal their membership or even name the group.
The CNP has been described by The New York Times as “a little-known club of a few hundred of the most powerful conservatives in the country”, who meet three times yearly behind closed doors at undisclosed locations for a confidential conference.
There’s a great book called Dark Money. It doesn’t get into CNP (I don’t recall it, at least), but it goes into a lot of the GOP megadonors and their shady shit. Probably dated by now, I’m sure shit has changed over the past 7 or 8 years
That looks pretty good. I’m a big fan of the Behind the Bastards podcast, and now that I’m commuting again I’ve also started listening to their It Could Happen Here one as well and it’s amazing how many of these groups exist from the local level on up. They feel like conspiracy theories until you start following legitimate reporting about them. It’s not Pizza Gate level crap, this has all been documented for decades. I like learning about it, but damn is it depressing when you see how the world works.
Meese is still alive at a ripe old age of 92 and is on the board of directors for both the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society.
He was the most controversial Attorney General candidate since the 1920s. He served until being charged with numerous ethical violations, including bribing Israel to protect his friends’ oil pipeline in Iraq and using his position to profit in private business.
He’s also famous for saying kids don’t go hungry in America, that’s just political lies and that people go to soup kitchens because they’re cheap and lazy.
From the Linda Bean wiki entry:
Wow, never heard of the Council for National Policy before, which seems to be the point.
If you ever wondered why the right believes in shadowy liberal cabals, give the Wikipedia article a read…
There’s a great book called Dark Money. It doesn’t get into CNP (I don’t recall it, at least), but it goes into a lot of the GOP megadonors and their shady shit. Probably dated by now, I’m sure shit has changed over the past 7 or 8 years
That looks pretty good. I’m a big fan of the Behind the Bastards podcast, and now that I’m commuting again I’ve also started listening to their It Could Happen Here one as well and it’s amazing how many of these groups exist from the local level on up. They feel like conspiracy theories until you start following legitimate reporting about them. It’s not Pizza Gate level crap, this has all been documented for decades. I like learning about it, but damn is it depressing when you see how the world works.
Meese Shmeese!
Yes, the very same!
Meese is still alive at a ripe old age of 92 and is on the board of directors for both the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society.
He was the most controversial Attorney General candidate since the 1920s. He served until being charged with numerous ethical violations, including bribing Israel to protect his friends’ oil pipeline in Iraq and using his position to profit in private business.
He’s also famous for saying kids don’t go hungry in America, that’s just political lies and that people go to soup kitchens because they’re cheap and lazy.
Meese Shmeese indeed!