Dear Friends of the Constitution Party,
We hope anyone who has ever personally met, or was familiar with,
Howard Phillips, the beloved Founder of this Party, will enjoy taking
a walk down Memory Lane and learning more about Howard from his
friend, Richard Viguerie.
We hope you enjoy this Newsletter!
The Inspirational Howard Phillips
1941-2013
This week marks the tenth anniversary of the passing of my dear
friend Howard Phillips. I hope a new generation of conservative
activists and leaders will take a few minutes to read the words I
penned ten years ago and take inspiration from the example of Howie’s
lifelong work to elect conservatives to govern America in liberty
under God’s laws.
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.
Howie, as his friends called him, began his life-long love affair
with all things conservative in a most unlikely place, Boston,
Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1962 where he
was twice elected as President of the Student Council.
He 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.
Howard was a leader in Massachusetts Republican politics, including
serving as chairman of the Boston GOP. In 1968, Howard was campaign
manager for Richard Schweiker (Reagan’s future choice to be his V.P.
in 1976) in his successful race for the U.S. Senate against two-term
Democratic Senator Joe Clark from Pennsylvania.
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. We 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 his tireless work to build the conservative movement, Howie
visited almost all 435 congressional districts seeking candidates and
activists.
In a trip to New Hampshire in 1978, only five people showed up for
a meeting, but one of the five was a co-pilot for Allegany Air Lines
(before it became US Air) who, at Howie’s urging, volunteered to run
against three-term incumbent Thomas McIntrye. And later that year,
Gordon Humphrey won that Senate seat.
In the mid 1970’s, a small group (8-10) of national conservative
leaders began meeting for breakfast at my home near Washington to plan
and implement conservative strategy. And, for a period of time, we
would reconvene at my home for dinner with the same breakfast group,
but now with some young congressmen.
If there ever was something resembling Hillary Clinton’s vast
rightwing conspiracy, this was it.
Besides Howie and me, the group included Paul Weyrich, Ed Feulner,
Morton Blackwell, Terry Dolan, Ron Godwin, Congressmen Newt Gingrich,
Vin Weber, Bob Walker, Hal Daub, Bill Dannemeyer, and others.
At those Wednesday meetings, and many hundreds of other meetings,
Howard and the other New Right leaders began to develop and implement
the strategies to put conservatives on a path of aggressive opposition
to big-government politicians that is today best embodied by Tea Party
constitutional conservatives.
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.
At the 1984 GOP National Convention in Dallas, Texas, Dan Rather of
CBS interviewed Howie and me. In the course of the interview, we
expressed skepticism of Vice President George H. W. Bush’s
conservative credentials. The next night, Rather interviewed Bush and
said, “Mr. Vice President, Howard Phillips and Richard Viguerie say
you’re not a conservative. Are you a conservative?” Bush replied,
“Yes, Dan. I’m a conservative, but I’m not a nut about it.”
Well, Howard Phillips was certainly a “nut about the cause of
liberty,” and a tireless and effective leader for all who believe in
liberty and limited government, as set forth in our country’s founding
documents, especially the Constitution.
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 Democrats.
However, Howard’s disappointment and disillusionment with the
Republican Party eventually caused him to leave the GOP and run for
president three times on the Constitution Party ticket.
During all the battles, including wins and losses, Howie’s number
one cheerleader and friend was his wife of 49 years, Margaret (Peggy).
They were blessed at the time of his passing with six children and
eighteen grandchildren.
Howie, my friend, you made a huge difference, and all who love
freedom under God’s laws are deeply in your debt.
Rest in Peace.
Keep Howard's legacy alive by
keeping the Constitution Party alive. Donate to the Howard Phillips
Legacy Society by clicking here:
Howard
Phillips Legacy Society (HPLS)
Comments or Questions:
Contact: Donna
Ivanovich
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