Sarah Palin’s palm-reading at the National Tea Party Convention in Nashiville grabbed many of the headlines over the weekend. But a much-less-publicized gathering of conservatives in St. Louis the same weekend may have been a more interesting — and telling — gathering of right-wing bigwigs.
The 21st Educational Policy Conference, held from Feb. 4-6, was headlined by Glenn Beck. Other speakers included Missouri state Sens Jane Cunningham and Jim Lembke, former Sen. Jim Talent (R-MO) and conservative writer David Horowitz (who talked about “Teaching Revolution On College Campus”).
But perhaps the most notable name on the ticket was Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), whose talk was titled “Fundamentals Of A Good Education That Will Keep Us Free And Strong.” Bachmann was originally scheduled to speak at the tea party conference, but backed out because of “conflicting advice as to how these profits” from the convention are going to be used, and supposed concerns that her appearance would violate House Ethics Committee Rules.
So what’s the story behind this “rival” conference that managed to attract such heavy-hitters?
Well, according to Executive Director Donna Hearne, “as you can see, we are not the tea partiers.”
Hearne’s group, the Constitutional Coalition, hosted the $350-a-seat ($500 if you wanted to see Glenn Beck) event, and purports to be:
a tax-exempt educational and research organization that does not endorse candidates or parties. It is non-partisan and looks at issues through the perspective of the Missouri and United States Constitutions and other founding documents. It receives no government money and depends on individual contributions.
According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the Constitutional Coalition was founded by “a small group worried about Soviet missiles and national defense,” among them Hearne, who also spoke at the conference.
Hearne has some pretty heavy conservative cred, herself. She served on the National Council on Educational Research from 1983 to 1987, and was also appointed by then-President Ronald Reagan to serve as a member of the executive committee of the National Summit Conference on Education in 1987.
Also, notably, Hearne and the Constitutional Coalition are listed as a “Cooperative Organization” on the Eagle Forum website. The Eagle Forum, of course, is conservative mainstay Phyllis Schlafly’s group.
Most recently, Hearne appeared on Glenn Beck’s show last week to talk about the conference, and gave some insight into its purpose. Beck asked her if progressives are “grabbing our children” by “the throats.”
Hearne replied: “You know, Glenn, that’s exactly what has happened.”
“For now a generation, our children have been fed information that is incomplete,” she continued. “We have taken these children and we have filled their minds with things about how awful America is.”
Hearne added: “Freedom is not free, and eternal vigilance is really the price of victory.”
Watch:
Calls to Bachmann and Hearne’s group weren’t returned.
