| Revision as of 05:00, 8 September 2006 editMike18xx (talk | contribs)2,849 edits remove blatant POV smear. (Carl Ernst is a hack; he makes the same "Islamophobia" allegation regarding anyone critical of Islamic practices, and these quotes are cut-n-pasted all over Misplaced Pages)← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 10:28, 28 July 2018 edit undoNarky Blert (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers417,484 editsm ce | ||
| (115 intermediate revisions by 69 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| '''Free Congress Foundation''' may refer to: | |||
| The '''Free Congress Foundation''' (more formally the '''Free Congress Research and Education Foundation''', and '''Free Congress''' or '''FCF''' for short), is a ] ] in ] founded and led by ]. | |||
| * ], founded by Paul Weyrich, which was a leading conservative voice in US Christian communities for several decades | |||
| * ], a continuation of the above under new leadership that focuses on economic policies | |||
| ==Origin== | |||
| {{disambiguation}} | |||
| In the ] and ] the ]-backed ] was highly influential. In ], in part to counteract its influence, Weyrich founded the '''Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress''' (CSFC), whose name implied that the ] was dominated by labor and other ]-leaning interest groups, and that this situation needed to change. | |||
| The CSFC was organized as a ] organization focused on elective politics. It had some success, and was a pioneer in political ] fundraising. It complemented in a respect the activities of the ], which Weyrich had also co-founded, which researched tax and regulatory issues. But Weyrich wanted an organization which would focus on conservative social values. | |||
| The CSFC thus became a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation. It also has a sister organization, '''Coalitions for America''', which, as a 501(c)(4), is permitted to lobby, and a ], the '''Free Congress PAC''', that is permitted to directly endorse and contribute to political candidates. The name "Free Congress" no longer directly refers to an effort to free Congress from liberal influence; it is now the equivalent of a brand name that has outgrown its origin and refers only to the organization that bears it. | |||
| ==Activist training== | |||
| Since its inception, FCF has trained conservatives in basic techniques of activism and election campaigns, although it has not emphasized this activity today as strongly as in years and decades past. | |||
| During and after the ], the affiliated '''Krieble Institute''' focused on training pro-democracy and anti-communist activists in eastern Europe as well as in the ] and its ]. To this day Weyrich has close ties to various Russian political figures and has not joined the hard line others on the right have taken on Russian president ]. | |||
| ==Privacy== | |||
| FCF is unusual among conservative groups, particularly since the inauguration of ] and the ], in taking a strong stance in favor of ], not only from government, but also from corporations. Its Center for Technology Policy and Coalition for Constitutional Liberties has opposed the ], ], a ], and other measures usually supported by conservatives for fighting ], ], and ]. | |||
| ==Judicial Nominations== | |||
| FCF has been involved in the judicial nominations battles since the early ]. Its Center for Law and Democracy and its Coalition for Judicial Restraint have criticized Republican Senators for not being aggressive enough in blocking liberal nominees or in confirming certain conservatives. The CLD has also researched and publicized information about nominees' decisions and writings, either to attack or defend them. Finally, it has promoted a philosophy of judicial restraint, in which judges largely defer to the elected branches of government on controversial political and cultural decisions. | |||
| ==Cultural Conservatism== | |||
| FCF played a founding role in galvanizing religious conservative political activism. But by the late 1990s, Weyrich declared that social conservatives were no longer a majority having a liberal agenda forced on them by an elite, but rather are a dwindling minority that have lost control over the culture; that traditional culture and the ] have traded places. He acknowledged the need for continued political involvement as a matter of self-defense, but stated that politics could not restore traditional values, nor could what were in his views hopeless efforts to recapture institutions such as prestige media, academia, and mainline churches that had been lost to the Left. Instead he urged conservatives to invest their time and money in alternative institutions, which would, in his viewpoint, eventually become the norm due to the superior efficacy of traditional values. This sparked a firestorm of criticism from other conservatives who accused Weyrich of giving up. | |||
| FCF has also been willing to spark controversy on other fronts. It rejects what it calls ], dubbing it "]" and blaming it on the ] of left-wing thinkers. Accordingly, it has been more willing than many other conservative groups to endorse or entertain views that some, especially on the left, would consider offensive and evidence of bigotry. It is arguably hostile to ] as a whole, rather than confining its criticism to extremist Islam or ]. With regard to Judaism, in his column of ], ] (]) titled ''Indeed, He is Risen!,'' Weyrich argued that "Christ was crucified by the Jews.... He was not what the Jews had expected so they considered Him a threat. Thus He was put to death." | |||
| ==Foreign Policy and Defense== | |||
| FCF took a hard-line anti-communist stance in the Cold War, rejecting ] and ] and supporting efforts to overthrow communist governments. However, other than ] which it strongly backed, FCF did not fully endorse the Reagan program of spending on expensive weapon systems, a stance it continues to this day. It remains hostile to the ]. | |||
| Perhaps because of Weyrich's conversion from ] to the ], which is affiliated with Rome but ] in its ] and traditions, FCF has been friendlier to post-communist ] and ] than most contemporary conservatives. It was against US intervention in the Balkans, leaning more toward the Orthodox Christian ] than the ] and ]. It has also defended Russia's efforts in the ] and ]s. | |||
| While arguably hostile to Islam, particularly to Muslim immigration to the ], and tolerant of racial and religious ] in anti-terrorist efforts, FCF has been cooler to the worldwide ], and particularly the ], than other conservatives. However, it has largely refrained from endorsing direct criticism of President Bush's efforts in that regard, or any criticism of the intentions and conduct of US and allied forces. | |||
| ==Economics and Trade== | |||
| FCF departs from other conservative institutions in endorsing a ] approach on ]. Furthermore, it is not as purely free-market, supporting government efforts in ] and privacy protection. | |||
| However, it also supports mainstream conservative views on ], calling for reduced spending and taxes. | |||
| ==Broadcast efforts== | |||
| Like many conservatives, Weyrich has long believed that the mainstream news and entertainment media exhibit a ]. In an attempt to help counter this, in 1993, FCF launched a Washington, D.C.-based ] station called National Empowerment Television (NET). Its logo featured a square of nine dots, referring to a puzzle that cannot be solved without drawing lines "]." | |||
| NET served in part as a platform for FCF and Weyrich's distinctive views and interests. For example, Weyrich is a supporter of ], and ] had a program on the channel called ''America on Track''; another program, ''The New Electric Railway Journal'', covered ]. There were even programs about ] and ]. Other programs focused on FCF activity: ''Endangered Liberties'' discussed ] issues; ''Legal Notebook'' emphasized judicial nominations, and ''Next Revolution'' covered FCF's take on social conservatism. The most popular program was ''Direct Line with Paul Weyrich'', in which the host interviewed lawmakers and other prominent figures live, permitted the public to call in directly with questions and comments, and delivered a commentary in the final segment. | |||
| NET was also a broader resource for the U.S. conservative and free market movement. Many organizations bought the rights to air programs on the channel, including the ], the ], the ], ], and others. | |||
| The channel featured high production values and cost a great deal, and in response to donor and investor pressure for a clear focus, FCF dropped all programs not directly related to public policy and conservative activism, and rebranded the channel as NET: The Conservative NewsTalk Network, with the initials NET no longer standing for anything, and the nine-dot logo replaced with one evoking the US Capitol dome. It also began news reports and updates, and a full-fledged investigative journalism program. | |||
| FCF planned to make NET a self-sustaining, even profitable commercial enterprise, rather than a money-losing tool of outreach, but was unsuccessful. In a decision he later came to regret bitterly, Weyrich turned over day-to-day operation of the channel to an industry veteran who had been successful with other startups. After a power struggle which Weyrich lost, NET was rebranded again into "America's Voice", and the channel abandoned all conservative identity, marketing itself merely as a non-ideological way for the public to make its views known to policymakers. FCF had to pay to retain its four programs on the channel, and after controversy over their content, even those were removed. Viewer support collapsed, and ] dropped it. Eventually America's Voice was sold, becoming "The Renaissance Network" (TRN), airing on a few broadcast stations, mainly ] and low-power channels. Facing ruin, TRN brought back FCF content, but it was too little, too late, and the channel folded. | |||
| Although NET and its successors failed, Weyrich had seen a market opportunity among conservative viewers disenchanted with the media, one which the ] reaped rich rewards from soon later. | |||
| FCF has also experimented with radio broadcasting, airing weekly taped programs on the Liberty Works Radio Network and other outlets. | |||
| Today, it offers interviews, soundbites, and commentary readings on its website, . | |||
| ==Links to Dominionism== | |||
| The Free Congress Foundation has been associated with the ] movement. As an example of "Dominionism In Action," ] says the Free Congress Foundation's manifesto ''The Integration of Theory and Practice: A Program for the New Traditionalist Movement'' "illuminates the tactics of the dominionist movement." | |||
| ==Criticism== | |||
| ==Links to Dominionism== | |||
| The Free Congress Foundation has been associated with the ] movement. As an example of "Dominionism In Action," ] says the Free Congress Foundation's manifesto ''The Integration of Theory and Practice: A Program for the New Traditionalist Movement'' "illuminates the tactics of the dominionist movement." | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> | |||
| <references /> | |||
| </div> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 10:28, 28 July 2018
Free Congress Foundation may refer to:
- Free Congress Research and Education Foundation, founded by Paul Weyrich, which was a leading conservative voice in US Christian communities for several decades
- American Opportunity, a continuation of the above under new leadership that focuses on economic policies
This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Free Congress Foundation.If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Category: