Richard Mellon Scaife

Republicans Win Historic Midterm Election with Contract with America

| Importance: 9/10

The Republican Party, led by Newt Gingrich, secured a decisive victory in the 1994 midterm elections, ending 40 years of Democratic congressional control. By campaigning on the ‘Contract with America’, Republicans gained 54 seats in the House and 8 seats in the Senate, fundamentally …

Newt Gingrich Dick Armey Richard Mellon Scaife Joseph Coors Heritage Foundation +1 more political-revolution corporate-influence regulatory-capture conservative-movement midterm-elections
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1994 Republican Revolution and Contract with America Victory

| Importance: 9/10

Republicans achieved an unprecedented victory in the 1994 midterm elections, gaining control of both the House and Senate for the first time in 40 years, ending four decades of Democratic dominance in Congress. Led by Rep. Newt Gingrich, who became Speaker of the House, the GOP united under the …

Newt Gingrich Tom Foley Republican Party GOPAC Heritage Foundation +2 more political-revolution corporate-influence regulatory-capture conservative-movement legislative-transformation
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Heritage Foundation Budget Reaches $14.3 Million - Scale of Corporate Policy Investment

| Importance: 7/10

By 1987, the Heritage Foundation’s annual budget had reached $14.3 million, representing a doubling from $7.1 million in 1981 and demonstrating the massive scale of corporate investment in conservative policy infrastructure. The foundation would reach $14.6 million by 1988, establishing …

Heritage Foundation Joseph Coors Richard Mellon Scaife Edwin Feulner Corporate donors think-tank-infrastructure corporate-funding heritage-foundation powell-memo-implementation policy-influence
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Richard Mellon Scaife Becomes Heritage Foundation's Primary Donor

| Importance: 8/10

Billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife emerges as the Heritage Foundation’s largest and most crucial donor, contributing $420,000 in 1976 alone - representing 42 percent of the foundation’s total $1 million annual budget. Scaife’s massive financial commitment transforms Heritage from a …

Richard Mellon Scaife Heritage Foundation Scaife Family Charitable Trust Joseph Coors Edwin Meese III billionaire-funding think-tank-expansion conservative-infrastructure political-influence narrative-control +2 more
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Heritage Foundation Founded as Conservative Think Tank Implementing Powell Strategy

| Importance: 9/10

The Heritage Foundation is officially founded by Paul Weyrich, Edwin Feulner, and Joseph Coors, implementing the strategic vision outlined in the Powell Memorandum. Coors provides the crucial seed funding of $250,000 to establish what becomes one of the most influential conservative think tanks in …

Paul Weyrich Edwin Feulner Joseph Coors Richard Mellon Scaife Heritage Foundation think-tank-founding conservative-movement corporate-influence political-infrastructure narrative-control +1 more
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Lewis Powell Authors Corporate Blueprint Memo

| Importance: 9/10

Supreme Court Justice nominee Lewis F. Powell Jr. writes confidential memo to U.S. Chamber of Commerce outlining systematic strategy for corporate capture of democratic institutions. The memo provides a detailed blueprint for business mobilization through think tanks, legal foundations, lobbying …

Lewis F. Powell Jr. Eugene B. Sydnor Jr. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Richard Mellon Scaife Joe Coors +1 more capture-cascade blueprint institutional-capture powell-memo chamber-of-commerce +1 more
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