Betsy DeVos has been labeled a lot of things since her name was placed into nomination for Trump’s Secretary of Education. Some of the accusations leveled against her include that she is inexperienced, clueless and out of touch with everyday people, an evil supporter of failed education programs in her home state of Michigan, and a proponent of -- gasp -- school choice. Those are the gentle, repeatable admonishments. When DeVos came to the national stage in November, the left, still reeling from their tragic loss, scrambled to put dossiers together highlighting the thousands of reasons to reject this smart, savvy, eloquent woman who has been an ardent advocate for education for decades.
Just as with every one of Trump’s nominees for cabinet posts, DeVos graciously faced confirmation hearings that were akin to a series of emotional outbursts by toddlers on too much sugar. DeVos never wavered in her responses and answered the endless outright attacks in a fashion that rankled the left even further. Democrats during the marathon hearings asked far fewer questions about education and instead opted to make inflammatory statements about her wealth and her philanthropic history. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), our self-proclaimed Native American, stood up for the underdogs and with a show of solidarity to ill-mannered children everywhere when she refused to shake DeVos’ outstretched hand. How is it even remotely acceptable to behave so egregiously in senate chambers?
There was an absolute storm of threats from the Democrats and Mainstream Media (MSM) levied at DeVos that had nothing to do with her credentials or lack thereof. It was mean and personal. The vote came down to a tie, with Vice President Pence casting the unprecedented tie-breaking vote. It was a tough go, but DeVos prevailed. The struggle was over.
Yeah, well, not so fast. Those crazy liberals decided that the attacks were not anywhere personal enough. Instead, it was time to ramp up the rhetoric and start attacking her religious convictions. Being a Christian is just so out of style for leftists. Their last real Christian was former President Jimmy Carter, and they didn’t care for him to be trotting out references from the Bible either.
Recently, Rolling Stone published a lengthy article about Betsy DeVos and the shadowy Christian right plotting to replace the rotting American way of life with all-Christian-all-the-time principles at every level of government, community life, and education.
The article is based on what transpired at a meeting in Phoenix in 2001. Yes, all that time ago. The very verbose reporter did not scrimp on the details of that meeting. The lush Phoenician Resort grounds, spectacular water features, and pools for relaxing after a tough day on the twenty-seven-hole golf course, the five-star restaurant and lounges for the after-plotting-to-overthrow-America cocktail celebration. They called it the Gathering. And the super-rich evangelical heavy hitters were in attendance.
The reporter was not a fan of the attendees or what he determined was their ultimate goal: infiltrate every last one of America’s secular institutions. That is one massive undertaking; a veritable Holy War.
Well, friends, those wealthy fans of Jesus have not had much success in the past 17 years. In fact, the environment has gone in a decidedly non-Christian direction. It seems any religion is welcomed and protected except Christianity. Muslim students are allowed their daily prayers, while Christians are told to be inclusive. The national anthem is mocked by those who reap the benefits of this country and the Pledge of Allegiance has the nerve to make little schoolchildren say, “under God.” Hey, little kiddos, if you don’t want to participate in the pledge, opt out. Problem solved, and no one was hurt in the process.
Oh, but they have been very successful at moving Christian-value elected officials up the ranks. Just like the Amway multi-level marketing business model, that DeVos’ father-in-law founded, a carefully built network had begun to pay big dividends.
By the 1990s, a number of Amway salespeople, including former House Whip Tom DeLay, had leveraged their networks all the way to Congress. Amway itself had become the single largest donor of soft money to the Republican National Committee, as Betsy noted in a 1997 op-ed in Roll Call about how she no longer took offense at suggestions she and her family were buying influence. "They are right," she wrote. "We do expect something in return. We expect to foster a conservative governing philosophy consisting of limited government and respect for traditional American virtues. We expect a return on our investment."
Like that's a bad thing? Hoping to have people in high places that promote your agenda is what every voting citizen banks on when they go to the polls. Even liberals would agree that you don't throw money and support to those who are in direct conflict with your values.
Rolling Stone was relentless in their attempt to shine the light on a covert, nefarious group of scary Christians lurking in the shadows.
But the DeVoses, as well as the Princes, were also trying to change the culture in more covert ways. One of the organizations the Prince and DeVos clans have supported is the Council for National Policy, a secretive and little-known group of several hundred of the country's most powerful religious and social conservatives. Founded in 1981 by evangelical leader Tim LaHaye, a co-founder of the Moral Majority and co-author of the Left Behind apocalyptic series of books, the CNP has been described as a conservative answer to the Council on Foreign Relations.
To be fair to Rolling Stone, the group, Council for National Policy (CNP) formed in 1981, did advise their members to stay quiet about the goings on and such in said group. It's hard to be a secret society if everyone knows about it. There are prominent, well-known people involved, and as with most secrets around political circles, CNP sprung a leak.
Texas oilman Nelson Bunker Hunt; financier Foster Friess; religious leaders Pat Robertson, James Dobson and Tony Perkins; right-wing operatives like Ralph Reed and Jack Abramoff; Paul Weyrich, co-founder of the Heritage Foundation; the NRA's Wayne LaPierre; Reagan's Attorney General Edwin Meese; and Republican members of Congress like Tom DeLay and Jesse Helms. More recent members now occupy roles in the White House, notably Stephen K. Bannon, Trump's chief strategist, and Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president.
This is the kind of backroom world domination information that Hollywood salivates over for the sole book and movie rights. Tom Hanks would be the benevolent hero who in the end, saves America from Christian core values and practices that have long been absent from her government. Tom would break the chains of oppression and free the depraved to carry on in the absolute destruction of what was once the most powerful, well-respected country around the globe.
Or better yet, the liberals of America can finger point and name call until every last shred of dignity is erased. They can continue their barrage on our constitution and the freedoms that that document grants every American citizen. They can continue to be angry that they lost the election to the epitome of an anti-establishment candidate. They are masters of deflecting blame. And they are just downright furious they haven't figured out how to do what these God-fearing people just pulled off.
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