Richard Viguerie Writes Tribute to Howard Phillips, A Key Founder of the Religious Right
Contact: Bob Sturm, ConservativeHQ.com, 703-396-6974,
rav@conservativeHQ.com; After 6 PM Eastern & on weekends, 703-307-8176
MANASSAS, Va., April 23, 2013 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, wrote a tribute to Howard Phillips, a key founder of the religious right, who recently died.
Viguerie's article, which is posted on his ConservativeHQ.com website, states in part:
"During the 1970s and 1980s, Howard Phillips was one of a small group of conservative leaders who set out to change the Republican Party. They did and, in the process, helped change America and much of the world.
"Howard was present at the beginning of the modern conservative movement, including the founding of Young Americans for Freedom at Bill Buckley's family estate in Sharon, Connecticut in September 1960 and helped lead YAF in its early years…
"President Nixon appointed Howie to be the director of the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) with the goal of shutting down much of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs. But by mid-1973, Nixon was under siege because of Watergate and decided to switch positions and fund LBJ's Great Society programs in an attempt to buy peace with the Democrats. Howie promptly resigned.
"Shortly thereafter, he approached me with the idea to start a national grassroots conservative public policy organization to be called The Conservative Caucus. The Viguerie Company quickly launched a national direct-marketing campaign seeking members and financial support. It wasn't long before the Caucus, with Howie as Chairman and over 300,000 supporters, was the largest and most effective grassroots conservative organization of the time…
"In 1979, Howie was one of four conservatives who met with Reverend Jerry Falwell in Lynchburg, Virginia, in a meeting that led directly to the formation of the Moral Majority organization, which, in turn, launched the religious right movement.
"During the 1970s and 1980s, Howard Phillips was one of the most articulate, important, effective, and high-profile conservatives opposing both big-government Republicans and Democratic policies and programs to expand government and reduce liberty…"
Viguerie's article provides much more about Phillip's life, including some very interesting inside stories. The entire article is online at
www.conservativehq.com/node/13148
