Generally speaking, most people would try to hide their affiliations with extremist groups. But not the 52nd District's House of Delegates representative Jeff Frederick, who touts the fact that he is an "active member" in the secretive, far-right-wing Council for National Policy (CNP). Notice that I haven't linked to this group's website? That's because they don't HAVE a website, or just about anything else publicly available about them. This is one super-secretive group! Luckily, others - ABC News, for instance - have looked into CNP, and what they have found is disturbing.
Let's start with some excerpts from the ABC News story of September 30, 2004, "Inside the Council for National Policy: Meet the Most Powerful Conservative Group You've Never Heard Of."
When Steve Baldwin, the executive director of an organization with the stale-as-old-bread name of the Council for National Policy, boasts that "we control everything in the world," he is only half-kidding.Half-kidding, because the council doesn't really control the world. The staff of about eight, working in a modern office building in Fairfax, Va., isn't even enough for a real full-court basketball game.
But also half-serious because the council has deservedly attained the reputation for conceiving and promoting the ideas of many who in fact do want to control everything in the world.
[...]
CNP was conceived in 1981 by at least five fathers, including the Rev. Tim LaHaye, an evangelical preacher who was then the head of the Moral Majority. (LaHaye is the co-author of the popular Left Behind series that predicts and subsequently depicts the Apocalypse). Nelson Baker Hunt, billionaire son of billionaire oilman H.L. Hunt (connected to both the John Birch Society and to Ronald Reagan's political network), businessman and one-time murder suspect T. Cullen Davis, and wealthy John Bircher William Cies provided the seed money.
[...]
...at thrice-yearly conventions, the CNP has functioned as a sausage factory for conservative ideas of a particular go?t: strong affirmations of military power, Christian heritage, traditional values, and leave-us-alone-get-off-our-backs legislation.
[...]
...The CNP helped Christian conservatives take control of the Republican state party apparati in Southern and Midwestern states. It helped to spread word about the infamous "Clinton Chronicles" videotapes that linked the president to a host of crimes in Arkansas.
Interestingly, almost no "current and former members" ABC contacted for its story would speak on the record about CNP. "Those who did respond to telephone and e-mail messages declined to talk about their interest in the organization. More than a dozen did not respond at all."
Who belongs to this group? According to the Institute for First Amendment Studies, it includes people like Christian Coalition founder Pat "God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew? Robertson, Iran-Contra convicted felon Oliver North, anti-feminist and anti-gay right-wing activist Phyllis Schlafly, "cult of" Amway founder Richard DeVos, Chuck Missler (an anti-Muslim bigot and "Idaho radio host who has predicted an imminent invasion of Jerusalem by forces guided by the Antichrist"), anti-Catholic Bob Jones University President Bob Jones III, John Ankerberg ("who believes that biblical prophecies were literal promises and are coming true"), Rutherford Institute founder John W. Whitehead, Rev. Jerry "Tinky Winky is Homosexual" Falwell, Tom DeLay, and the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. This is the group that Jeff Frederick proudly belongs to.
What does CNP do? Formally, the group is "an educational foundation registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code." In practice, "the role of the CNP appears to be that of a policy and funding conduit for the Religious Right projects, both political and religious...to propagate the idea of transforming the United States back to it's 'godly' heritage... [plus] a raw capitalist and expansionist policy coupled with an aggressive authoritarian approach to governance. " Charming.
And this is the group in which Jeff Frederick boasts an "active" membership. It's not surprising, then, that Frederick is an anti-tax extremist strongly backed by people like Tom DeLay and Florida Rep. Katherine "Cruella DeVil" Harris. Oh, and let's not forget our good friend Jerry Kilgore, whose PAC was, according to Democracy for Virginia, "the second-largest donor to Frederick's 2003 campaign, giving him $10,000." Finally, it is highly revealing that the largest current donor to Jeff Frederick's campaign is none other than GSX Strategies, his own company. Now that's impressive!
Fortunately, Frederick has a super strong opponent in Hilda Barg, who popular Virginia Gov. Mark Warner is strongly backing. Among other things, Barg has 18 years of experience on the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, was a small business owner, and believes strongly in improving public education, human services and transportation infrastructure. With all that going for Hilda Barg, combined with Jeff Frederick's far-right-wing extremist views, something tells me that the 52nd District incumbent's days in office are rapidly drawing to a close. On the bright side, after Frederick loses to Barg in November, he will be free spend all his free time with the CNP. That is, if they'll still have him as a member.
A few months ago it had a website that was not user-friendly -- most of its links were unoperable. In February 2005, Sarah Posner wrote an excellent article for the Gadflyer questioning why the CNP was being allowed to continue receiving a tax-exemption as an nonprofit, educational site, when it was not providing materials for the public. URL: http://gadflyer.com/articles/?ArticleID=260
The improved website still has many unoperable links. The few links that do work are quite eye-opening.
A sample 52% male, 48% female (it should be the other way around)? Only 10% African-American (should be at least 14%)? A 41% Republican 34% Democrat party ID? Yea, the poll sucks not because of the head to head numbers but because the sample they used is all f**ked up. This poll is a total joke!
I've also got to question you about getting help from all these "national" Democrats. Besides raising money, do you want them to come in the state and campaign with Tim? If so, that's a risky strategy since I don't think Tim wants to run as a "national" Democrat. Who can blame him after all? None of the successful Democratic gubernatoral candidates in the last 20 some years -- Warner, Wilder, Baliles, and Robb -- ran as national Democrats. They all, in fact, ran away to varying degrees from being identified as such. And, keep in mind that although Chuck Robb lost his Senate seat for many reasons, one of the big things working against him was that he was, after 12 years voting on federal issues, identified as a natonal -- not a Virginia -- Democrat.
Most candidates receive a jump after the primaries, conventions or whatever...
Go hide the 'beached whale' web site in a bucket of sand.
It's time to take a vacation, Raisingkaine, or regroup...
See my 45-page report based primarily upon FBI documents at: http://birchers.blogspot.com/
Please send questions and comments to:
Ernie1241@aol.com
And, yes, I am well aware that it is a little hypocritical to be sitting on a computer typing this. But whatever. It's OK for me to sit on my computer all night, right, Lowell? I mean, if I promise to be productive? :)
I want to see Kaine drop out of the race and throw full support, money and all, to Russ Potts. If the goal is really to keep Kilgore from getting to make that oath, Russ is the best shot for Virginia.
Whether Kaine is down by 10 or 6 (or up by 10 or 6, for that matter), the only way he wins...the only way WE win...is by doing the HARD WORK IT TAKES TO WIN.
Lowell and Genevieve both did a whole heck of a lot of hard work, and saw it pay off in the end. I know you two will be coming back for more...who else is with us?
As Lowell said, it's not enough to WANT to win, we have to WORK to win. Stay on the computer long enough to get fired up, make contact with the people you want to do the work with, then get a good night's sleep and get out there!
We're hosting a phone bank tomorrow, the Werkheisers are canvassing all weekend, we'll be at the parade on Monday, and starting next week we'll be doing volunteer nights again.
David ran on his commitment to build the Democratic Party and WIN - he'll do it, but he needs each and every one of us who share his commitment to get out and do the hard work with him.
And I'm hearing the same things from those "in the know."
That said, you're exactly right. Yes, you're behind, but the way to react to that isn't to complain about the poll or complain about the direction of the campaign. The best reaction is to GET OUT THERE AND WORK.
As much as I'd like to say this race is over, there are still four months to go, and that's an eternity in politics. I caution my fellow supporters of Kilgore to ignore this poll as well, and get out and work even harder.
I'll save my analysis of what's wrong with the Kaine campaign (especially internally) for another today; I just wanted to note that I think you hit the nail directly on the head with this post.
That's because they do for less than 1/10 of the cost what pollsters do.
And they come out more accurate.
If I were them, I'd laugh and laugh. Their only hope of keeping a job is people listening to their laughter
C'mon Timmy... Warner's about as 'moderately-conservative' as John Edwards.
Kaine needs expert advise on health care if he has any hopes in winning. When election day comes around millions of additional people will have tax free HSAs. Knowledge on health insurance will have grown, big time. Kaine wanting to encourage more citizens on group health employee health insurance plans will backfire on him in any debate. It will just look like he wants to help politically wired insurance companies at tax payer expense.
He should quit saying 9 out of 10 people get their health insurance from their employer. First, that's not even true. Secondly, it is illegal for a small employer to purchase low cost individual health insurance on an employee. That's just pure discrimination at worksite against individual insurance. For Kaine to enhance this discrimination with futher tax payer funds is disgusting and will only put more citizens in danger just so some politically connected insurance company can make an easy buck or two.
Kaine should support citizens choosing their insurance carrier instead of some employer who only cares about the bottom line. Kaine needs to start thinking of citizens as consurmers who need more options, choices and freedoms.