Paul Weyrich on the Patriot Act
Of the three men credited with launching the New Right in the late 1970s,
Paul Weyrich is without question the most important. The other two were Dick
Viguerie, the right wing direct mail whiz, and Howard Phillips, head of the
poverty program in the Nixon administration.
Weyrich started out as a newspaper and radio reporter, then worked as an aide
to Colorado’s Republican senator, Gordon Allott, before plunging into
politics. He set up the Heritage Foundation by persuading the Coors family
to finance the venture. Later, he went on to help found the Moral Majority
with Jerry Falwell; The American Legislative Exchange Council, a group pushing
conservative ideas among state legislators; the Conservative Digest; and the
Free Congress Foundation. Heritage grew to become the single most important
policy shop from Reagan up to now. Most of the ideas for Reagan, Bush senior
and Bush junior comes from Heritage, and it offers a strong counterbalance
to the more liberal think tanks like Brookings.
He has always been especially strong on Christian values, and espouses what
might be considered heretical causes for a right winger. For example, Weyrich
is a strong supporter of rail transit over bus, sat on Amtrak’s national
board and put out a magazine supporting railroads and urban light rail transit
systems. In 2004 a spinal injury confined him to a wheelchair. He lost both
his legs.
After 911, Weyrich was among a group of conservative leaders who joined the
ACLU and other liberals to oppose the Patriot Act. In this video filmed in
2003, he explains his thinking.
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Paul Weyrich Washington, D.C. September 25, 2006 3 :29 After 911, Weyrich was among a group of conservative leaders who joined the ACLU and other liberals to oppose the Patriot Act. In this video filmed in 2003, he explains his thinking. |