In his review of Rick Perlstein's new book "Nixonland," Wall Street Journal writer Thomas Frank talks about how the 60's shaped Nixon and his political movement. As an aside, he makes this interesting observation:
Well, now the main events of the '60s are 40 years behind us, and still we can't shake them. In the last national election, we redebated the Vietnam War. In the one coming up, we will be forced to debate Barack Obama's not-even-tenuous connection to the Weathermen. (We will probably not be asked to judge the poisonous legacy of the Young Americans for Freedom, although McCain adviser Charlie Black was actually a leader of that group.)
Really? Charlie Black again? Not being of that era, I had to look up "Young Americans for Freedom." What I found is very interesting. Turns out they are very connected to the Goldwater campaign and the neo-conservative movement that Kos wrote about today when he said "the new progressive movement is being specifically built on the Goldwater model."
A quick look at Wikipedia for an overview:
YAF was a major force in the campaign to nominate Goldwater, and then after his nomination, to elect him president.
As a sample of their values:
YAF did honor staunch segregationist and Senator from South Carolina Strom Thurmond with its Freedom Award in 1962
Their campus activism:
This growth was strongest in California, where members staged protests in favor of aid to the Nicaraguan Contras, in favor of Reagan's anti-communist policies and in opposition to the United Nations.
And their "lasting influence":
YAF's indirect influence is felt through the number of conservative political figures who began their careers as members in college.
These alumni include former national chairman and former U.S. Representative Robert Bauman; former California chairman and former California legislator Pat Nolan; U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher; former Vice President Dan Quayle; Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Chris Cox; U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo, a 2008 presidential candidate; American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene and a great number of other national and state politicians.
That's right, Tom Tancredo is a proud alumni of Young Americans for Freedom!
The YAF's website states:
Lee Edwards, former New Guard editor, said "Barry Goldwater made YAF, but YAF also made Barry Goldwater."
Of course, YAF worships Reagan and all his lackeys:
YAFers rally to the support of Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan, Interior Secretary James Watt, Circuit Court Judge Dan Manion, Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork, and NSC staff member Lt. Colonel Oliver North.
This article on Charlie Black confirms his membership in YAF and describes his work on behalf of Jesse Helms. But this really says it all:
Last year, according to a tally by the Center for Responsive Politics, his firm reported income of $8.1 million from a client roster that included AT&T, General Motors, General Electric, JPMorgan Chase, Lockheed Martin, Occidental Petroleum and gaming-industry giant GTECH.
McCain's personal narrative as a maverick reformer vowing to take on special interests and defend broader national interests does not fit with a lobbyist who specializes in applying influence for corporations willing to pay his lofty fees. Black's prowess as a fundraiser for the campaign only compounds the apparent conflict.
So this is the background of Charlie Black, campaign advisor to John McCain and notorious lobbyist?
These are the values that we can expect to shape John McCain's candidacy, led by Charlie Black? Values represented by Strom Thurmond, Tom Tancredo, James Watt, Robert Bork and Oliver North and Jesse Helms?
A John McCain presidency is shaping up to ne not just four more years of George W. Bush, but four more years of Reagan, if Charlie Black has anything to say about it.
The more we learn about who John McCain surrounds himself with and lets shape his campaign, the worse and worse he looks.
There's lots more on Charlie Black in diaries by DarkSyde and dengre.