No Mercy: How Conservative Think Tanks and Foundations Changed Americas Social Agenda
by Jean Stefancic, Richard Delgado
Category: Social Science

Jean Stefancic and Richard Delgado provide an incisive analysis of the Right's rise to power. The authors show that, since the sixties, the Left has had little to do with setting the country's agenda and that conservative think tanks and foundations have been systematically abetting a conservative revolution by funding a variety of issue-oriented studies and programs. The authors focus on seven areas in which this battle has been waged and won by the powerful conservative coalition: English Only; Proposition 187 and immigration reform; IQ, race, and eugenics; affirmative action; welfare; tort reform; and campus multi-culturalism. How has the Right managed to gain the advantage in these traditionally liberal campaigns? How can this be stopped? During this research, the authors found themselves in partial admiration of the dedication, economy of effort, and sheer ingenuity of the conservative forces. But Stefancic and Delgado seek to inform the American public about how the juggernaut operates - not to celebrate but to combat it. They challenge the Left to adopt the same sort of strategic focus and issue orientation as the Right to bring this country back to the center - before it's too late.