"The Fall of the Heritage Foundation and the Death of Republican Ideas"

[applegrove]

The Fall of the Heritage Foundation and the Death of Republican Ideas

by Molly Ball at the Atlantic

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/the-fall-of-the-heritage-foundation-and-the-death-of-republican-ideas/279955/?google_editors_picks=true

"SNIP................................


The push from Heritage helped the defund scheme gather momentum, forcing Republican leaders to pull their proposed funding bill and replace it with one the Senate has committed to block. The resulting confrontation may force a government shutdown. Republicans who once worked out legislative language with the help of Heritage's distinguished Ph.D.s felt whiplash seeing the group cheerlead for collapse. Heritage was supposed to be above politics, they grumbled. Heritage was supposed to be about serious ideas, not tactical fights. White papers, not political campaigns -- and certainly not campaigns against Republicans.

Mickey Edwards, one of three founding trustees of the Heritage Foundation when it began in 1973, was one of those disturbed by Heritage's turn, which, he told me, “makes it look like just another hack Tea Party kind of group.”
A former eight-term Republican congressman from Oklahoma, Edwards now serves as vice president of the Aspen Institute. “They’re destroying the reputation and credibility of the Heritage Foundation," he added. "I think the respect for their [policy] work has been greatly diminished as a result.”

The defund push is only the latest in a series of recent political battles Heritage has undertaken -- crusades against Republican politicians that have led to a rash of complaints. Representative Renee Ellmers called them “bullies.” Representative Lynn Westmoreland said the think tank had “lost credibility with the people that were most supportive of them.” Senator Tom Coburn accused Heritage Action of “destroying the Republican Party.”

Behind the scenes, GOP staffers complained that the organization they once looked to for intellectual ammunition had become a thorn in their side. Brian Walsh’s first Washington internship was with Heritage in 1996. He rose in Republican politics to serve as communications director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In a scathing op-ed for U.S. News headlined “Conservatives Eat Their Own for Profit,” Walsh accused Heritage of taking extreme stands to generate fundraising dollars. “In our great democracy, you affect public policy by offering a vision, influencing a majority of public opinion and winning elections, not by burning down the House, attacking your allies, and falling on your sword,” he wrote.


...............................SNIP"

[Berlum]

1. Republicon Family Values = eat your own for profit

There you have it. No wonder Americans do not respect Republicons.

[Fumesucker]

2. I enjoy grave dancing as much as the next DUer

But can we please wait until there is an actual grave in this particular case?

I've seen these fuckers come back from the dead more times than a weekend creature feature flick fest on Sy Fy.

[factsarenotfair]

3. Anyone who thinks conservatism was ever more than intellectualized greed is delusional.

They've always been willing to eat everything and everyone for profit.

[applegrove]

8. They have a 'unified theory of the world' that is only about getting more for the very rich.

And it is coming apart at the seams.

[Uncle Joe]

4. Those kind of institutions are shapeshifters, if they become too toxic,

they will just change the signatures on the paychecks.

Blackwater to Xe to Academi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academi

Academi[2]—previously known as Xe Services LLC, Blackwater USA and Blackwater Worldwide—is a private military company founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark.[3][4]

Thanks for the thread, applegrove.

[bemildred]

5. “makes it look like just another hack Tea Party kind of group."

Or even some sort of private partisan political propaganda project, disguised as a public interest non-profit.

The mistake was ever believing that what they were doing was intellectually serious at all.

[coldmountain]

6. Keynes quote about capitalism

Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.
John Maynard Keynes
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_maynard_keynes.html#sG2B1EuembybSKz6.99

[kelliekat44]

7. Help me out here. Didn't Heritage Foundation actually come up with most of "Obamacare" when

they pushed a very similar healthcare plan for the GOP. Isn't the ACA based on much of their work? Doesn't the ACA represent more of a competitive, capitalistic system (with the exception of government subsidies) than we now have?
What am I missing?

[madrchsod]

9. yes they did but...

i read where nixon was thinking of doing something like this but that watergate thing blew up in his face.

he probably thought that he could one up johnson.

[longship]

10. Many of these Repuke orgs have Fundie Christian dog whistle names.

"Heritage" <== Our Christian heritage

"Eagle Forum" <== super patriotic

Family this and Family that <== family values

And... And... And... And...

Anybody else notice this?