Richard Viguerie
Encyclopedia
Richard Art Viguerie is a conservative figure, pioneer of political direct mail
and writer
on American politics
. He is the current chairman of ConservativeHQ.com.
Viguerie worked for the Christian
evangelist Billy James Hargis
in his early career.
In an autobiographical note, Viguerie wrote that in 1961 he became executive secretary of the conservative youth group Young Americans for Freedom
: "Since 1965, owner of direct marketing/advertising companies such as American Target Advertising. Political/campaign strategist, activist and conservative spokesman and writer."
Viguerie founded Conservative Digest magazine in 1975 and served as its publisher for ten years. Opposing President Gerald Ford
's election, Viguerie in 1976 unsuccessfully sought the presidential nomination of the American Independent Party
, which had been formed eight years earlier by George Wallace
. The party instead nominated former Georgia
Governor Lester Maddox
, to challenge Ford and Democrat
Jimmy Carter
, also a former Georgia governor.
In 1977, Viguerie worked on a project to raise money for Sun Myung Moon
's Children's Relief Fund, which reportedly only received 6.3% of the $1,508,256 raised. $920,000 went to Viguerie according to New York State charity auditors.
Viguerie sought the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 1985, but did not receive the nomination at the GOP state convention.
Asked by Campaigns and Elections in May 2000 what his immediate goals were, Viguerie answered:
Writing in The Nation
, David Corn noted that Viguerie "raised money for Judicial Watch
" and is associated with Larry Klayman
, a conservative lawyer and activist who had been a failed candidate for the Republican nomination for US Senate in Florida in 2004.
Viguerie has long been associated with conservative activist Howard Phillips through creation of the Moral Majority
in 1979.
In January 2008, Viguerie launched http://www.ultimateronpaul.com, a website designed to promote the 2008 presidential candidacy of U.S. Congressman Ron Paul
, whom Viguerie described as "truly a principled conservative in the grand tradition of Robert Taft
, Barry Goldwater
, and Ronald Reagan
" and who "has differentiated himself from all the other candidates, whose allegiance is to Big Government
Republicanism."
Viguerie's comment on the Mark Foley scandal: "This isn't an isolated situation. It is only the most recent example of Republican House leaders doing whatever it takes to hold onto power. If it means spending billions of taxpayers' dollars on questionable projects, they'll do it. If it means covering up the most despicable actions of a colleague, they'll do it."
Viguerie is fighting the The Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 through his petition website known as Grassroots Freedom.
When Viguerie spoke at a conference of Libertarian Party
state chairs in March 2007, he stated the following about the 2006 United States general elections
: "Whenever conservatives are unhappy, bad things happen for the Republican Party."
In 2007, Viguerie co-founded the American Freedom Agenda
, described as "a coalition established to restore checks and balances and civil liberties protections under assault by the executive branch".
In an article written for Sojourners Magazine
("When Governments Kill", July 2009) Viguerie came out strongly against capital punishment
and called for a moratorium
to discuss the issues surrounding it in the hope that this will pave the way for total abolition.
Direct marketing
Direct marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques such as mobile messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
on American politics
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
. He is the current chairman of ConservativeHQ.com.
Biography
Viguerie has been dubbed the "funding father" of modern conservative strategy in the United States by some sources.Viguerie worked for the Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
evangelist Billy James Hargis
Billy James Hargis
Billy James Hargis was a fundamentalist Protestant Christian evangelist. At the height of his popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, his Christian Crusade ministry was broadcast on more than 500 radio stations and 250 television stations...
in his early career.
In an autobiographical note, Viguerie wrote that in 1961 he became executive secretary of the conservative youth group Young Americans for Freedom
Young Americans for Freedom
Young Americans for Freedom is a 501 non-profit organization and is now a project of Young America's Foundation. YAF is an ideologically conservative youth activism organization that was founded in 1960, as a coalition between traditional conservatives and libertarians...
: "Since 1965, owner of direct marketing/advertising companies such as American Target Advertising. Political/campaign strategist, activist and conservative spokesman and writer."
Viguerie founded Conservative Digest magazine in 1975 and served as its publisher for ten years. Opposing President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
's election, Viguerie in 1976 unsuccessfully sought the presidential nomination of the American Independent Party
American Independent Party
The American Independent Party is a right-wing political party of the United States that was established in 1967 by Bill and Eileen Shearer. In 1968, the American Independent Party nominated George C. Wallace as its presidential candidate and retired Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay as the vice...
, which had been formed eight years earlier by George Wallace
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...
. The party instead nominated former Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
Governor Lester Maddox
Lester Maddox
Lester Garfield Maddox was an American politician who was the 75th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971....
, to challenge Ford and Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, also a former Georgia governor.
In 1977, Viguerie worked on a project to raise money for Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects...
's Children's Relief Fund, which reportedly only received 6.3% of the $1,508,256 raised. $920,000 went to Viguerie according to New York State charity auditors.
Viguerie sought the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 1985, but did not receive the nomination at the GOP state convention.
Asked by Campaigns and Elections in May 2000 what his immediate goals were, Viguerie answered:
To use the Internet to involve Americans in the political process, to help conservatives gain an advantage over the left. To fight against government's use of power, to fight for individual rights and responsibilities, and to fight to extend the blessings of liberty throughout the world.
Writing in The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, David Corn noted that Viguerie "raised money for Judicial Watch
Judicial Watch
Judicial Watch is an organization that describes itself as "a conservative, non-partisan American educational foundation that promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law." According to its mission statement, Judicial Watch "advocates high standards of...
" and is associated with Larry Klayman
Larry Klayman
Larry Elliot Klayman is an American attorney and activist. He is known as the founder and former Chairman of Judicial Watch, a public interest and non-profit law firm, which attained notoriety through the initiation of 18 civil lawsuits against the Clinton Administration, and later an unsuccessful...
, a conservative lawyer and activist who had been a failed candidate for the Republican nomination for US Senate in Florida in 2004.
Viguerie has long been associated with conservative activist Howard Phillips through creation of the Moral Majority
Moral Majority
The Moral Majority was a political organization of the United States which had an agenda of evangelical Christian-oriented political lobbying...
in 1979.
In January 2008, Viguerie launched http://www.ultimateronpaul.com, a website designed to promote the 2008 presidential candidacy of U.S. Congressman Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
, whom Viguerie described as "truly a principled conservative in the grand tradition of Robert Taft
Robert Taft
Robert Alphonso Taft , of the Taft political family of Cincinnati, was a Republican United States Senator and a prominent conservative statesman...
, Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
, and Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
" and who "has differentiated himself from all the other candidates, whose allegiance is to Big Government
Big government
Big government is a term generally used by political conservatives, laissez-faire advocates, or libertarians to describe a government or public sector which they consider to be excessively large, corrupt and inefficient, or inappropriately involved in certain areas of public policy or the private...
Republicanism."
Books
Books by Richard Viguerie include:- The New Right: We're Ready to Lead (1981)
- The Establishment vs. the People: Is a New Populist Revolt on the Way? (1983)
- America's Right Turn: How Conservatives Used New and Alternative Media to Take Power (2004)
- Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause (2006)
Current issues
In May 2006, Viguerie said regarding conservatives' ability to maintain a majority in the U.S. House and Senate: "There is a growing feeling among conservatives that the only way to cure the problem is for Republicans to lose the Congressional elections this fall."Viguerie's comment on the Mark Foley scandal: "This isn't an isolated situation. It is only the most recent example of Republican House leaders doing whatever it takes to hold onto power. If it means spending billions of taxpayers' dollars on questionable projects, they'll do it. If it means covering up the most despicable actions of a colleague, they'll do it."
Viguerie is fighting the The Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 through his petition website known as Grassroots Freedom.
When Viguerie spoke at a conference of Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
state chairs in March 2007, he stated the following about the 2006 United States general elections
United States general elections, 2006
The 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. All United States House of Representatives seats and one third of the United States Senate seats were contested in this election, as well as 36 state governorships, many state legislatures, four territorial...
: "Whenever conservatives are unhappy, bad things happen for the Republican Party."
In 2007, Viguerie co-founded the American Freedom Agenda
American Freedom Agenda
The American Freedom Agenda is a United States organization established in March 2007 by disaffected libertarian-oriented conservatives demanding that the Republican Party return to its traditional mistrust of concentrated government power...
, described as "a coalition established to restore checks and balances and civil liberties protections under assault by the executive branch".
In an article written for Sojourners Magazine
Sojourners Magazine
Sojourners magazine, a progressive monthly publication of the Christian social justice organization Sojourners, was first published in 1971 under the original title of The Post-American. The magazine publishes editorials and articles on Christian life, the church and the world, Christianity and...
("When Governments Kill", July 2009) Viguerie came out strongly against capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
and called for a moratorium
Moratorium (law)
A moratorium is a delay or suspension of an activity or a law. In a legal context, it may refer to the temporary suspension of a law to allow a legal challenge to be carried out....
to discuss the issues surrounding it in the hope that this will pave the way for total abolition.
Clients
Viguerie claims to have raised billions of dollars for conservative causes. His clients have included:- Judicial WatchJudicial WatchJudicial Watch is an organization that describes itself as "a conservative, non-partisan American educational foundation that promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law." According to its mission statement, Judicial Watch "advocates high standards of...
- The Conservative CaucusThe Conservative CaucusThe Conservative Caucus, or TCC, is an American public policy organization and lobbying group emphasizing grassroots citizen activism and headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1974 by Howard Phillips, who continues to lead it today...
- Help Hospitalized Vets
- American Conservative UnionAmerican Conservative UnionThe American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...
- Young Americans for FreedomYoung Americans for FreedomYoung Americans for Freedom is a 501 non-profit organization and is now a project of Young America's Foundation. YAF is an ideologically conservative youth activism organization that was founded in 1960, as a coalition between traditional conservatives and libertarians...
- National Conservative PAC
- Christian VoiceChristian Voice (USA)Christian Voice is an American conservative Christian right advocacy group. In 1980, this group had 107,000 members including 37,000 pastors from 45 denominations. It is a project of the American Service Council...
- Public Advocate of the US
- Morton BlackwellMorton BlackwellMorton C. Blackwell is an American Republican Party activist. He is president and founder of the Leadership Institute , a 5013 non-profit educational foundation that teaches political technology....
's Freedom Leadership PAC - National Pro-Life PAC
- American Freedom Coalition
- The Seniors Coalition
- United Seniors Association
- Sixty Plus Association
- National Center for Public Policy ResearchNational Center for Public Policy ResearchThe National Center for Public Policy Research, founded in 1982, is a self-described conservative think tank in the United States. Its president since its founding has been Amy Ridenour. David A. Ridenour, her husband, is vice president, and David W. Almasi is executive director...