Paul Weyrich, an outspoken proponent of democratic principles and a visionary leader in the conservative movement, died December 18, 2008. He was instrumental in spreading a principles-based mainstream conservative movement. He is survived by his wife, Joyce, and five children.
- In 1973 Weyrich co-founded the Heritage Foundation research institute with Ed Fuelner. Their intent was to counter the current policies on taxation and regulation, which they considered to be anti-business. In the 1980s, the Heritage Foundation’s study “Mandate for Leadership” was key to Ronald Reagan’s presidential policies. Today the Foundation is a widely supported and influential U.S. public policy think tank.
- In 1974 he created the Free Congress Foundation (FCF) think tank. Its predecessor, The Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress, trained grassroots conservative activists, raised funds for conservative causes, and helped recruit conservative political candidates.
Except perhaps for his backing of a government-funded rail system, Weyrich was an outspoken proponent of conservative values of small government, a free-market economy, lower taxes, individual responsibility, and the sanctity of the family.
He bemoaned the current tendency toward political correctness and laxness or even misunderstanding of U.S. constitutional principles. He once stated that today’s political environment meant that, “we are different from previous generations of conservatives. We are no longer working to preserve the status quo. We are radicals, working to overturn the present power structure of this country."
The Cultural War
Not only was he outspoken, Weyrich was known for his blunt statements against liberalism and in favor of conservatism. He was known to argue with anyone who didn't strictly adhere to core traditional democratic values.
Because he decried the political correctness that had spawned the destruction of traditional American culture, Weyrich came to believe that social conservatives had lost the cultural war. He proposed that conservatives should, in the nature of homeschoolers, simply live apart from what he considered corrupt mainstream society and “form parallel institutions.” He did not, however, recommend retreating from the political scene or building a Christian theocracy, although his detractors publicly accused him of both.
The Next Conservatism
In his last years Weyrich had been working on a new grassroots movement to galvanize conservatism that he called "The Next Conservatism" and had planned to publish a book of that same title. Sadly, the book was never published.
Heritage Foundation’s Executive Vice President Phil Truluck publicly commented that, with Weyrich’s death, the country has lost a patriot and a strong voice for freedom.
- Source: The Heritage Foundation.
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