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The secret 1971 memo exposed by Progressive Rep. Keith Ellison that you need to read
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The secret 1971 memo exposed by Progressive Rep. Keith Ellison that you need to read

Recently we read through progressive Representative Keith Ellison's (DFL-MN) new autobiography, "My Country 'Tis of Thee."

One section that struck us was Ellison's discussion of the evolution of conservatism from Barry Goldwater to today.

Ellison notes that conservatives were propelled by "property-rights fundamentalists," back in the '60s, and that "racial resentment and free-market fundamentalism remain pillars of the Republican identity." In fact, this is the only section of the book in which the the words "property rights" and "free-market" appear.

In any event, Rep. Ellison concludes his discussion of conservatism by bringing to light a 1971 memo that he claims was heavily influential in "radicalizing" conservatives, and a blueprint for villainous "corporate interests" to flex their political muscle and thus destabilize American democracy.

The confidential memorandum was penned by Lewis Powell, a then-corporate attorney who was writing to a friend at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Two months after mailing the document, Powell would be nominated to the Supreme Court by President Richard Nixon.

According to Ellison the so-called "Powell Memorandum," titled "Attack on American Free Enterprise System,"

"laid the foundation for present-day politics: big-money donors and corporate interests having more influence [over] the electorate. Powell called for the surveillance of and elimination of "left-wing elements." He wrote of censoring textbooks and television content, and monitoring left-wing activity on college campuses."

Rep. Ellison further argues that the "strategy reflected in the Powell Memorandum shaped the modern-day Republican Party. It was the blueprint used by Ronald Reagan, and it's the manifesto put forward by Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan and the current crop of Republicans."

The document was leaked in a critical column published in the Washington Post in September of 1972, after Powell had already gained his appointment to the Supreme Court.

We had never heard of this supposedly highly influential document, and judging by a simple Google search it appears it is primarily the focus of the Left, which they believe inspired corporations to set up think-tanks like the Heritage Foundation to subvert our political system.

Given the importance the Left seems to place on the document, it piqued our interest and we decided to look it up.

What we found in the document was remarkable.

We will be discussing this story and all the day's news on our live BlazeCast with Editor-in-Chief Scott Baker (@bakerlink) beginning at 2 pm ET:

Lewis Powell lays out the case that Socialists, Communists and other Leftists were growing in strength and number, especially in academia and media, and that the business community as a whole had an obligation to put forth a concerted effort to counter these efforts if not only their enterprises but capitalism and the American system itself were to survive.

The document was a call to action laying out strategies for countering the Leftist influence, over 40 years ago.

Be sure to read the whole remarkable memorandum below.

The Powell Memorandum

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