This is something to sit up and take notice of. The Heritage Foundation has gone rogue. Their stance on the insurrection was sane one year ago. Now they sound like Trumpists. What happened?
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank and has been the repository of the views and policies of the Republican party for some time. This new shift is an unexpected departure and more will be written about this, I feel certain.
Here is what the Heritage Foundation said last year. This was written by Kay C. James, who was described as “Heritage’s former president and a leader in government, academia, and the conservative movement.” She regards Mike Pence as a man of “character and principle” so we diverge there. In fairness, Pence didn’t throw in with the thugs. Where I take severe issue with Pence on this matter, however, is that he thoroughly researched the law looking for some loophole that was bigger than the ridiculous one that John Eastman found. In other words, Pence didn’t defy Trump out of character and principle, he broke away because he couldn’t find a way to cover his ass. If Pence had even gotten as far as plausible deniability, we would have likely lost the republic last year this time. Pence was out for Pence, not America, the same as Donald Trump.
Nevertheless, here is Ms. James’ take on the insurrection and I find no fault with these words, in the main.
Like many Americans, I watched in disbelief Wednesday as an angry mob stormed our U.S. Capitol. As members of Congress gathered to certify the electoral votes of the presidential election, a band of criminals decided to take matters into their own hands. As this horrible act is investigated, it will be determined exactly who they were, and they must be held accountable. […]
We as conservatives should not be willing to abandon the Constitution in order to maintain power for a preferred candidate. Defeat never comes easily, particularly for those of us who are fighters, but we can’t jettison this country’s foundational principles or undermine the Constitution and the rule of law—the very things that ensure America remains the free nation that it is.
While I understand the frustration that Americans feel about the many factors that affected the election outcome—including a biased media, Big Tech censorship, and attacks on election integrity—there are appropriate ways to petition government to redress their grievances. Storming our U.S. Capitol is not one of them. Violence should not be used as a tool to bring about change, and those who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
America will soon have a new president whose administration will challenge conservatives on a range of policy issues.
Our fight with the left is over the issues plaguing America, and fight we will. We will use all the tools at our disposal, but we will always respect the rule of law. Ideas matter, and I am confident that in the battle of ideas, we can win the heart and soul of America. We must use the Constitution and the American way of life as our guideposts.
I have no problem with this commentary, other than the canned talking points of the “biased media, Big Tech, attacks on election integrity” drivel. The fundamental argument here is one I agree with, “violence should not be used as a tool to bring about change.”
She ends her piece with this.
We will continue to advocate for solutions that ensure America remains a land of unprecedented opportunity and the freest, most prosperous nation the world has ever known. I can assure the American people that Heritage will never stop fighting for America, but we will always do it adhering to the principles that made America the exceptional nation that it is.
That’s good to hear. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone down that way. Here is a statement dated December 13, 2021 by the Heritage Foundation. And we’re not talking about their former president, op/ed writer, publishing an opinion piece with their blessing. These are the people running the show right now.
WASHINGTON—Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts and Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson made the following statements Monday about the latest actions of the Jan. 6 committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Roberts said:
“The House of Representatives’ Jan. 6 committee is abusing its congressional authority with its latest attack on former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. This committee is comprised of politicians who are carrying out a partisan fishing expedition intent on destroying the reputations of public servants in the Trump administration. Throughout his tenure in Congress and during his time as White House chief of staff, Heritage worked closely with Mark Meadows. We are proud of the work we did together and grateful for his service.”
Anderson added:
“Nancy Pelosi and the Jan. 6 committee’s attack on former member of Congress and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is yet another obvious attempt to punish conservatives and sow division in America. No member should vote to support this sham proceeding and should instead focus the congressional calendar on putting America back to work and protecting our families.”
Make of this what you will. If the leading conservative think tank is saying this, it appears to me that Trumpism is the face of the GOP, not that that is any kind of an original observation. But I don’t believe we’ve seen an endorsement of Trumpism at this deep a level within the intellectual roots of the Republican party before. Perhaps we have and I just missed it.
Very alarming. In fact, my take on this is five fire engine alarming. This is simplistic tribal reaction and not what you see from a think tank, conservative or liberal. The GOP is truly lost, if this is the stance of their research and intellectual organ.
It will be interesting to see if any further commentary about January 6 issues from the Heritage Foundation.
Well, since the Heritage Foundation was so helpful in announcing their own complicity concerning the insurrection via “Throughout his tenure in Congress and during his time as White House chief of staff, Heritage worked closely with Mark Meadows. We are proud of the work we did together and grateful for his service,” it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Kevin Roberts finds himself being issued a summons to appear before the Committee to explain JUST HOW “closely” the Foundation worked with Meadows. Questions like “Were you, at any time, aware that Mr Meadows and Mr Trump had planned to let the events of January 6 escalate as they did” or “Was the Heritage Foundation ever involved in working with Mr Meadows in planning any of the events that took place on January 6?” And twisting the knife by bringing up Kay James’s commentary suggesting the Foundation was adamantly opposed to the very idea of what happened.
It looks like you omitted the last part of HF’s statement:
Please contribute to help us fight the Democrats’ fascism: $25, $50, $100, Other
Yep, it’s all about the money. Conservatives think tanks have figured out that “principled” Republicans are not going to return to power anytime soon, so they have to appeal to Trump supporters for funding. Notice, though, that the newer statement avoids mentioning Trump or the attack on the Capitol.