The WA S H I N G T O N washingtonspectator.org JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2021 vol. 47, no. 1 issn 0887-428x SPECTATOR © 2021 The Public Concern Foundation washingtonspectator.org political power. Operating from the shadows, its members, who How the CNP, a Republican would number some 400, spent the next four decades courting, buying, and bullying fellow Republicans, gradually achieving Powerhouse, Helped Spawn what was in effect a leveraged buyout of the GOP. Favorite sons, such as Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, were groomed, financed, and Trumpism, Disrupted the supported. Apostates, such as John McCain and Jeff Flake, were Transfer of Power, and Stoked punished and exiled. The leaders of the CNP tended to favor their conservative Christian co-religionists, but political expedi- the Assault on the Capitol ence came first. By Anne Nelson In 2016, the CNP put its partners’ money, data, and ground game behind Donald Trump, as the ultimate transactional can- n January 6, 2021, a stunned nation watched didate. Trump promised it retrograde social policies, a favorable O as protesters stormed the Capitol to prevent the certifica- tax regime, regulatory retreats, and its choice of federal judges. tion of the electoral votes from the November election. The He delivered in spades. By 2020, the leaders of the CNP were effort failed, but not without shin- ready to go to extreme lengths to keep ing a harsh light on the fault lines of him—and themselves—in power. American democracy. Over the final year of the Trump In the weeks that followed, analysts presidency, the CNP took center have struggled to define how much stage. By January 2020, its leading of the incursion was the spontaneous figures had become sought-after result of a “riot”—or a “peaceful pro- guests on talk shows and frequent test” gone wrong—and how much was visitors to the White House. Many of the result of a planned operation. its stated goals had been advanced. One major player in the events By March, the Republican Senate had leading up to the assault on the Capi- confirmed more than 185 of Trump’s tol was the Council for National Pol- conservative nominees for the federal icy, an influential coalition of Christian bench. All but eight of the judges conservatives, free-market fundamen- had ties to the Federalist Society, talists, and political activists. Over the headed by longtime CNP members previous year the CNP and its mem- Eugene Meyer and Leonard Leo. Two bers and affiliates organized efforts of the CNP’s favored Supreme Court to challenge the validity of the elec- nominees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett tion, conspired to overturn its results, Kavanaugh, had been confirmed. The and tried to derail the orderly transfer court was only one justice away from of power. This is an account of the a conservative majority, and the CNP measures they took, leading up to the had its eye on the seat held by Ruth deadly January 6 insurrection. Bader Ginsburg. With a second term The Council for National Policy was founded in 1981 by in office and normal attrition, Trump could decisively tilt the a group of televangelists, Western oligarchs, and Republican federal courts, opening the door for a massive overhaul of the strategists to capitalize on Ronald Reagan’s electoral victory the American legal framework. previous year. From the beginning, its goals represented a con- Many initiatives that were pending in the courts had been vergence of the inter- addressed by fiat. Trump rolled back scores of environmental ALSO INSIDE: ests of these three regulations created to protect air quality, potable water supplies, groups: a retreat from and wildlife, as a quid pro quo for the support he received from 3 Rev. Barber delivers a homily advances in civil and CNP’s favored oil and gas interests. His administration deci- 5 Police reform looks to Europe political rights for mated the budgets and personnel of federal agencies assigned 8 Will Novosedlik on Bruce Mau women and minori- to protect public health, public safety, and public lands, includ- 11 Coalinga update by Barbara Koeppel ties, tax cuts for the ing the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of wealthy, and raw Agriculture, and the National Park Service, to the benefit of 1 Illustrations by Edel Rodriguez january/february 2021 The corporations and extractive industries. There was among conservative white Christians in critical WASHINGTON also notable progress on CNP’s social agenda, with swing states, expanding their targeting from evan- SPECTATOR the erosion and rollback of the rights of LGBT gelicals to Catholics. populations, women, and minorities in the courts The coalition’s data and app development also Legal Affairs Correspondent Andrew Cohen and state legislatures. advanced. The uCampaign apps developed by Digital Editor The CNP’s plutocrats were pleased with what Thomas Peters had served their purpose in the Sophia Fish Copy Editor they had wrought. The “tax reform” enacted by 2016 and 2018 elections, but they were due for an Kirsten Denker Trump and the Republican Senate concentrated upgrade. In late 2019, word began to circulate that Contributing Writers ever greater wealth in the hands of America’s most Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, was Cyrus Cassells, Guest Poetry Editor Alison Fairbrother affluent individuals through tax cuts for corpo- preparing to release the Trump 2020 app, a com- Autumn Hayes rations and the rich, driving income inequality ponent of what he labeled a “juggernaut campaign.” Dorothy Samuels to the highest levels in 50 years. The country’s Parscale had quietly taken over Trump’s digital Circulation Management Circulation Specialists LLC tax revenues as a share of gross domestic prod- operations and planned to use the new app as part Design Point Five, NY uct plummeted, and budget gaps widened, but of a broader strategy. Trump 2020 was designed to Illustration Edel Rodriguez Republicans—who had made a career of loudly leverage uCampaign features such as gamification Editor and Publisher Hamilton Fish condemning deficit spending—remained mute as (awarding points and prizes for participating in long as the measures benefited the moneyed class campaign activities and sharing contacts). It also Subscription inquiries Visit washingtonspectator.org/ instead of those who needed help. Donald Trump expanded the use of geolocation devices to recruit customerservice, or call toll-free remained a dependable ally, asking only for an and harvest data from attendees of Trump rallies. (866) 949-5290 M–F 9-5:30 EST, or write to audience for his megalomania The crowds, energized by P.O. Box 241, Oregon, IL 61061. and a free pass for the busi- Trump’s reelection strategy rested Trump’s live performances, Letters to the editor Email to ness interests of the “Trump on a thriving economy, as well as mass would be invited to down- [email protected]. rallies and in-church recruitment. Please include your full name and brand.” In return, he deliv- load the app and recruit postal address and whether the letter ered his dynamism and his others across their social is intended for publication. Letters, if published, may be edited for clarity unshakeable base. This state networks. The rallies were a and space. Hard-copy letters may of affairs was so satisfactory that the Republican crucial component of the campaign. The more out- be sent to: Washington Spectator— Letters, 105 Hudson Street, Suite Party decided not to bother drafting a new party rageous Trump’s rhetoric on the podium, the more 407, New York, NY 10013. platform for the 2020 election. Instead, it recycled earned media coverage he received. In contrast, The Washington Spectator (ISSN the 2016 platform, which included former CNP the Democrats were still in disarray, with a dozen 0887-428X) is published monthly by the Public Concern Foundation Inc, President Tony Perkins’s drafts opposing marriage primary candidates competing for fragmented 105 Hudson Street, Suite 407, New equality and promoting conversion therapy. press coverage and no clear front-runner. York, NY 10013. © 2021 in the U.S. by the Public Concern Foundation Inc. Ultimate realization of the CNP’s agenda Then, on January 20, 2020, doctors diagnosed depended on winning a second term for Trump the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in the United Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY. Please allow 4–6 weeks in November. With another four years, it could States. for receipt of your first issue and enshrine its socially regressive policies on the fed- The patient was a man who had just returned to for all subscription transactions. POSTMASTER: Send address eral level, further blur the line between church Snohomish County, Washington, from a family visit changes to The Washington Spectator, and state, and consolidate huge windfalls for cor- to Wuhan, China. The virus spread across Wash- P.O. Box 241, Oregon, IL 61061. The Washington Spectator is printed with porations and wealthy individuals. As of January ington State, then ravaged New York City and New union labor on recycled paper. 1, electoral prospects looked sweet. The Republi- Orleans. The first U.S. Covid death was reported cans’ strongest suit was the economy. Massive tax as occurring on February 6. On February 20, the cuts had flooded corporations with cash, which, as global stock market went into a free fall that didn’t FROM THE critics of the tax bill had predicted, they used to abate until April. Bloomberg News called it the EDITOR’S buy back their stock and drive up share prices 28 Great Coronavirus Crash. percent in 2019. This boosted Trump’s popularity Trump’s reelection strategy rested on a thriv- DESK among the 55 percent of Americans who reported ing economy, as well as mass rallies and in-church Sign up for our free email owning stocks, but did little to spur the growth recruitment.