The Council For National Policy Meets In Minn, Vets Palin
Max Blumenthal printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 02:48:46 AM EST
Last week, while the media focused almost obsessively on the DNC's spectacle in Denver, the country's most influential conservatives met quietly at a hotel in downtown Minneapolis to get to know Sarah Palin. The assembled were members of the Council for National Policy, an ultra-secretive cabal that networks wealthy right-wing donors together with top conservative operatives to plan long-term movement strategy.

CNP members have included Tony Perkins, James Dobson, Grover Norquist, Tim LaHaye and Paul Weyrich. At a secret 2000 meeting of the CNP, George W. Bush promised to nominate only pro-life judges; in 2004, then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist told the group, "The destiny of the nation is on the shoulders of the conservative movement." This year, thanks to Sarah Palin's selection, the movement may have finally aligned itself behind the campaign of John McCain.

Though Dobson and Perkins reportedly attended the recent CNP meeting in Minneapolis, a full roster of guests would be nearly impossible to require. The CNP deliberately operates below the radar, going to excessive lengths to obscure its activities. According to official CNP policy, "The media should not know when or where we meet or who takes part in our programs before or after a meeting." Thus the CNP's Minneapolis gathering was free of reporters. I only learned of the get-together through an online commentary by one of its attendees, top Dobson/Focus on the Family flack Tom Minnery. (Watch it here)

Minnery described the mood as CNP members watched Palin accept her selection as John McCain's Vice Presidential pick. "I was standing in the back of a ballroom filled with largely Republicans who were hoping against hope that something would put excitement back into this campaign," Minnery said. "And I have to tell you, that speech by Alaska Governor Sarah Palin -- people were on their seats applauding, cheering, yelling... That room in Minneapolis watching on the television screen was electrified. I have not seen anything like it in a long time."

Minnery added that his boss, Dobson, has yearned for a conservative female leader like Margaret Thatcher to emerge on the American scene. And while Palin is no Thatcher, "she has not rejected the feminine side of who she is, so for that reason, she will be attractive to conservative voters."

The members of the Council for National Policy are the hidden hand behind McCain's Palin pick. With her selection, the Republican nominee is suddenly -- and unexpectedly -- assured of the support of a movement that once opposed his candidacy with all its might. Case in point: while Dobson once said he could "never" vote for McCain, he issued a statement last week hailing Palin as an "outstanding" choice. If Dobson's enthusiasm for Palin is any indication, he may soon emerge from his bunker in Colorado Springs to endorse McCain, providing the Republican nominee with the grassroots support of the Christian right's single most influential figure.




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Minnery added that his boss, Dobson, has yearned for a conservative female leader like Margaret Thatcher to emerge on the American scene. And while Palin is no Thatcher, "she has not rejected the feminine side of who she is, so for that reason, she will be attractive to conservative voters."

Yeesh -- I loathe what Thatcher did to the UK (I lived through it) but even I am astounded that they could even breathe Margaret Thatcher name in connection with Palin.

Thatcher was a political heavyweight of the highest order.  She had decades of experience in government behind her when she became party leader, and was a seasoned political campaigner.  Really comparing her with Palin.... Andrew Sullivan would fall into a dead faint if he heard that (Thatcher is his idol, but is an enthusiastic Obama supporter this time around).

Not only is Palin a lightweight, but the more we find out about her, the messier her family life seems to get.  We just found out her teenage daughter is pregnant (and apparently was offered the chance of an abortion, given the way the press release was worded).  She's deeply enbroiled in troopergate because a department head wouldn't fire her sister's husband while they were going through a messy divorce, and we also just found out that her own mother-in-law may not vote for her.  Perhaps Jerry Springer should be called in to help her out?

Of course, I expect none of this to affect the religious right.  As long as Palin says the right things (not including claiming that the founding fathers said the Pledge of Allegiance, lol) then it doesn't matter whether she practices what she preaches.  

That's why I am afraid this gambit of McCain's will actually work.  I shudder at the thought of the mess the US will be in after another four years of right-wing administration.  

by tacitus on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 03:11:19 PM EST


would be tragic. Between the racists, and the religious right, I fear, not so much for me, but for my children and grandchildren.

by trog69 on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 02:10:31 PM EST

Max Blumenthal is the only reason I read the HuffPo.

by trog69 on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 02:11:20 PM EST

When was the last time the CMSM even mentioned the CNP? They aren't likely too either since the owners and operators of the press are of the same mind and wish to protect them from close scrutiny. The question I see is that after the election is stolen again for the third time in a row and then within 6 months when McCain is no longer able to function as president. Who will the CNP choose as the vp for president Palin? Will it be another Cheney? Will it be Cheney? Only time and how the election comes through will tell us what may happen next.

by Nightgaunt on Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 01:35:12 PM EST

http://www.fantastic-replica.net

by hm on Fri Jul 03, 2009 at 02:39:36 AM EST


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