Shadow Network

1. A Secretive Network's Genesis and Grand Ambition

Many of their connections were made through a secretive organization called the Council for National Policy, which, as one member has said, brings together the “donors and the doers.”

Founding purpose. The Council for National Policy (CNP) was established in 1981 by archconservatives aiming to reverse perceived liberal trends and restore a "nineteenth-century patriarchy" dominated by white Protestant male property owners. They sought to limit civil rights for women, minorities, immigrants, and workers, while dismantling social safety nets and income tax for the wealthy. Recognizing that demographic shifts favored Democrats, the CNP resolved to "change the rules" of the democratic process.

Strategic blueprint. The CNP's long-range strategy involved targeting critical districts and activating previously unengaged voting blocs to circumvent majority rule. This required a sophisticated framework built over decades, connecting manpower, media, and finances. The organization aimed to exert greater influence on public policy than even the Council on Foreign Relations, using its tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status to fund its agenda while maintaining secrecy about its membership and proceedings.

Early influences. The CNP's tactics were honed during the "Conservative Resurgence" of the Southern Baptist Convention in the 1970s and '80s, where figures like Paul Pressler and Paige Patterson successfully purged moderates and imposed authoritarian principles linking "biblical inerrancy" to theocracy. This internal church takeover provided a blueprint for broader political action, emphasizing long-term strategies to achieve minority rule.

2. Building a Parallel Media Universe to Control Information

The cumulative effect is the creation of a parallel universe of information.

Filling the vacuum. As local and regional newspapers collapsed in the early 2000s, media outlets owned by CNP members rapidly expanded to fill the "news hole" in Middle America. This strategy capitalized on the disruption of traditional journalism, which was increasingly seen as urban, liberal, and out of touch with conservative values. The repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 further enabled these outlets to broadcast highly politicized, one-sided content without needing to present opposing views.

Key media players. Three CNP-affiliated networks dominated this landscape:

• Salem Media Group: Co-founded by Stuart Epperson and Edward Atsinger, it became the largest religious broadcaster, expanding into conservative talk radio and digital platforms.
• Bott Radio Network: Founded by Dick Bott, it blanketed the Bible Belt with fundamentalist programming.
• American Family Radio: Founded by Donald Wildmon, it expanded into nearly 200 stations, promoting "biblical truth" and denouncing "moral decay."

Shaping perceptions. These networks, along with digital platforms like the Christian Post and the Daily Caller, created a "wallpaper effect" of wraparound media. Their programming harmonized to reinforce conservative talking points as objective facts, often employing conspiratorial narratives and demonizing mainstream media as "lamestream." This deliberate strategy aimed to erode trust in professional news organizations and ensure that target audiences received only CNP-approved messaging.

3. Mobilizing "Grassroots" Power Through Churches and Single-Issue Groups

The movement learned from this success and replicated it, developing an impressive capacity to co-opt existing organizations and draw them into its web.

Replicating success. The CNP's strategy for political mobilization mirrored the "Conservative Resurgence" of the Southern Baptist Convention, which successfully used "get-out-the-vote" tactics to elect conservative leaders. This model was applied to national politics, identifying unengaged voters and activating them through hot-button social issues. The goal was not representational democracy but rather to outmaneuver opponents by mobilizing a dedicated base.

Transforming organizations. Key organizations were co-opted and weaponized for political purposes:

• National Rifle Association (NRA): Transformed from a marksmanship club into a powerful political lobby under Harlon Carter and Wayne LaPierre, mobilizing gun owners against perceived threats to the Second Amendment.
• Family Research Council (FRC): Under James Dobson and Tony Perkins, it became a hub for anti-LGBT and anti-abortion advocacy, organizing pastors through "Watchmen on the Wall" to distribute voter guides and ready-made sermons.
• Concerned Women for America (CWA) and Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List): Mobilized conservative women and anti-abortion activists, respectively, to lobby against the Equal Rights Amendment, abortion, and gay rights.

The "Weyrich formula." This approach, pioneered by CNP co-founder Paul Weyrich, involved:

• Identifying invisible, disengaged voter groups.
• Finding hot-button issues to activate them.
• Keeping them engaged with targeted media and direct mail.
• Facilitating social interactions to reinforce groupthink.
• Providing on-site voter registration and transportation to polls.
  This sophisticated, coordinated effort allowed the CNP to leverage seemingly independent groups into a tightly networked operation.

4. Billionaire Donors Fueling a Radical Economic and Social Agenda

The DeVos and Prince families—united through the marriage of Richard’s son and Betsy Prince—built two vast fortunes through a range of unusual business practices.They have used their massive wealth to erode the state’s power and impose their rigid theology on society.

Strategic philanthropy. The CNP's vision required immense financial backing, provided by wealthy families like the DeVoses, Princes, Kochs, Friesses, and Mercers. These donors, often with backgrounds in extractive industries or multi-level marketing, shared a deep-seated resistance to federal regulation, high taxes, and labor unions, alongside fundamentalist social values. Their contributions flowed through opaque channels, including tax-exempt "charitable foundations" and "dark money" donor-advised funds.

Key donor networks:

• Koch Network (Seminar Network): Led by Charles and David Koch, it became a sophisticated political machine, funding think tanks, advocacy groups like Americans for Prosperity, and data operations.
• Donors Trust/Donors Capital Fund: A "donor-advised fund" that obscured the link between donors and beneficiaries, channeling millions to conservative causes.
• National Christian Foundation: A major evangelical donor network, supporting many CNP-affiliated groups and Koch projects.

Targeting public institutions. The DeVos family, for instance, actively campaigned to divert public school funding to private religious schools and to cripple labor unions in states like Michigan. The Koch brothers focused on dismantling environmental regulations and social safety nets. These efforts were coordinated, with CNP members often leading Koch-funded organizations, creating a "merry-go-round of reciprocal funding" that amplified their influence across state and national politics.

5. The Long Game: Reshaping the Judiciary for Lasting Influence

Presidents are limited to two terms, congressmen come and go, but judges are forever—or more precisely, federal judges can serve for life.

Judicial capture. Recognizing the enduring power of lifetime judicial appointments, the CNP prioritized reshaping the federal judiciary. This strategy aimed to roll back liberal rulings on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, and environmental regulations, and to dismantle IRS restrictions on churches' political activities. This long-term focus contrasted with the short-term electoral cycles of other political battles.

Key legal organizations:

• Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF): Founded by CNP members, it became a legal powerhouse fighting for "religious liberty" (often interpreted as the right to discriminate against LGBT individuals) and against abortion rights, deploying thousands of "Allied Attorneys" nationwide.
• Federalist Society: Co-led by CNP members, it served as the "officers' corps" for judicial nominations, promoting an originalist interpretation of the Constitution and vetting conservative judges for federal appointments.
• American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ): Run by CNP member Jay Sekulow, it acted as the movement's legal bulldog, litigating high-profile cases and providing a media platform for conservative legal arguments.

Leveraging the Senate. The Republican-controlled Senate, particularly under Mitch McConnell, played a crucial role in this strategy by blocking Obama's judicial nominees (e.g., Merrick Garland) and expediting Trump's appointments. The NRA, a CNP partner, was even leveraged to "score" judicial votes, pressuring senators to oppose nominees deemed unfavorable to gun rights, regardless of their actual judicial record on the issue.

6. Mastering Digital Warfare for Micro-Targeted Voter Mobilization

This marriage was designed to reach targeted populations, creating discreet communications channels that were hardly visible to opponents and national news media.

Learning from Obama. Stung by Obama's successful digital strategy in 2008, the CNP and Koch network invested heavily in advanced digital campaign tools. They aimed to surpass Democratic capabilities by integrating data, social networks, and grassroots mobilization, creating a sophisticated "political assembly line."

Key digital platforms and strategies:

• i360: The Koch brothers' state-of-the-art data platform, which compiled extensive voter information (demographics, consumer habits, "Bible lifestyle," NASCAR affinity) to micro-target advertising and messaging.
• uCampaign apps: Developed by Thomas Peters, these mobile apps (e.g., Cruz Crew, America First, NRA-ILA) leveraged gamification and users' phone contacts to spread personalized, scripted messages to potential voters in swing states.
• United in Purpose: Led by CNP member Bill Dallas, this organization linked data-mining operations to a consortium of partner nonprofits and churches, aiming to mobilize millions of unregistered evangelical voters.

"Strength of Weak Ties." The digital strategy understood that voters are more likely to respond to political prompts when combined with sustained interactions from their social circles. Apps facilitated peer-to-peer messaging, while data identified "SAGE Cons" (Spiritually Active, Governance Engaged Conservative Christians) – older, white, non-urban voters concentrated in swing states – as a crucial, often overlooked, demographic. This allowed for highly effective, targeted outreach that bypassed traditional media and was largely invisible to opponents.

7. Cultivating Future Generations Through Campus and Youth Outreach

College students must be a key audience for our movement, since they are free of excessive time commitments and they find themselves in an environment that (theoretically) encourages activism and exposure to new ideas.

Long-term ideological investment. Recognizing the demographic challenge of an aging base, the CNP prioritized cultivating younger generations to ensure the movement's longevity. This involved establishing "parallel cultural institutions" in academia and youth organizations to counter liberal influences in public schools and universities.

Key academic and youth partners:

• Hillsdale College: A conservative institution heavily funded by CNP donors (e.g., DeVos family), it offers a curriculum based on originalist constitutional interpretation and serves as a pipeline for conservative staff in Washington. Its journal, Imprimis, and online courses disseminate CNP orthodoxy to a wide audience.
• Liberty University: Founded by Jerry Falwell, this evangelical mega-university, with vast online enrollment, provides a pipeline for conservative staff and maintains close ties to the CNP, with many members serving on its board or as graduates.
• Turning Point USA (TPUSA): Founded by Charlie Kirk and bankrolled by CNP donors (e.g., Foster Friess, DeVos family), it mobilizes conservative college students, challenges "political correctness," and uses social media to advance its cause, often in coordination with Morton Blackwell's Leadership Institute.
• Students for Life of America: An anti-abortion organization that recruits students from middle school through law school for activism, often partnering with other CNP groups for training and events.

Indoctrination and activism. These institutions and groups provide ideological training, networking opportunities, and practical skills in political technology. They aim to disrupt liberal academic environments, challenge professors, and groom future leaders who will advance the CNP's agenda, ensuring a continuous supply of "highly motivated elite" and activists.

8. The Transactional Alliance: Pivoting to Donald Trump for Power

The fundamentalists reconciled Trump’s character with their goals by defining him as not a man of God but an instrument of God. Barna’s operational term for him was “God’s wrecking ball.”

Initial reluctance. Despite Trump's victory in the 2016 Republican primaries, many CNP members and evangelical leaders were initially wary due to his "utterly amoral" character, shifting stances on social issues, and lack of traditional religious credentials. Figures like Ted Cruz and Richard Land openly denounced him.

The "Art of the Deal." Recognizing that Hillary Clinton's presidency would be anathema to their goals, CNP leaders like Ralph Reed and Tony Perkins brokered a crucial alliance. A closed-door meeting in New York in June 2016, organized by CNP partners, brought Trump before a thousand fundamentalist leaders. There, he committed to their key demands:

• Appointing conservative judges vetted by the Federalist Society.
• Nullifying the Johnson Amendment (restricting church political activity).
• Supporting anti-abortion and "religious freedom" policies.

The pivot. This transactional agreement led to the formation of Trump's Evangelical Advisory Board, comprising many CNP members and media figures. George Barna's polling showed that the addition of Mike Pence as Vice President further solidified evangelical support. The CNP's vast network, data operations, and media empire, initially built for other candidates, swiftly pivoted to support Trump, providing the ground game and messaging he lacked, framing him as "God's wrecking ball" against the "radical Left."

9. Exploiting Electoral Mechanics for Disproportionate Political Control

The intricate mechanics of the Electoral College and redistricting presented a narrow window to circumvent the popular vote, and they seized the opportunity.

Circumventing majority rule. The CNP and its allies understood that winning the popular vote was not necessary for political power in the U.S. electoral system. Instead, they focused on exploiting the "intricate mechanics" of the Electoral College and gerrymandering to achieve disproportionate influence. This involved a relentless focus on state-level politics and swing states.

State-level dominance. The strategy included:

• Right-to-work laws: Campaigns, heavily funded by the Koch and DeVos families, crippled labor unions in Rust Belt states like Michigan and Wisconsin, weakening a key Democratic voting bloc.
• Gerrymandering: Republican control of statehouses allowed for the redrawing of electoral maps to favor conservative candidates, ensuring House majorities even when Democrats won more votes nationally.
• Targeted voter mobilization: Data-driven campaigns focused on identifying and activating specific conservative voter blocs in battleground states, rather than appealing to a broad majority.

The 2016 outcome. Despite Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote by nearly three million, Trump secured the presidency by winning key swing states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin) by razor-thin margins. This outcome was attributed, in part, to the CNP and Koch networks' ability to mobilize previously unengaged white evangelical voters and to the Democrats' neglect of state-level organizing and traditional constituencies.

10. The Looming Threat of Pluto-Theocracy and Democratic Erosion

If it is fully realized, their combination of theocracy and plutocracy could result in a dystopia for those who fall outside their circle.

Systemic impact. The cumulative effect of the CNP and Koch networks' strategies has been a profound reshaping of American politics and institutions. Their "pluto-theocracy" combines the economic interests of wealthy donors (plutocracy) with the social agenda of fundamentalist Christians (theocracy), leading to policies that benefit a select few at the expense of broader public welfare.

Erosion of institutions:

• Judiciary: Rapid appointment of young, conservative judges to federal courts, impacting long-term rulings on social issues, environmental regulations, and electoral processes.
• Public education: Diversion of funds to private and religious schools, undermining public institutions.
• Environmental protection: Rollback of regulations to benefit extractive industries, contributing to climate change.
• Social safety nets: Proposals to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and other entitlements, increasing economic inequality.
• Democratic discourse: Promotion of partisan media and "alternative facts," leading to deep societal polarization and distrust in traditional information sources.

Asymmetrical warfare. The disciplined, highly coordinated, and well-funded approach of the CNP and Koch networks has created an "asymmetrical warfare" against a more fragmented and often complacent Democratic Party. This has allowed a minority to exert outsized influence, challenging the foundational principles of participatory democracy and raising urgent questions about the future of American governance and social cohesion.

Last updated: February 20, 2026