Funding Fathers: The Unsung Heroes of the Conservative Movement (Hardcover)

~ Nicole Hoplin (Author), Ron Robinson (Author)
Key Phrases: peace through strength, Ronald Reagan, Henry Regnery, National Review (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Money changes everything, especially in politics. Politicians, think tanks, and political parties would not be where they are without monetary gifts. Yet, when it comes to celebrating donors, the media often praise liberals for their selfless giving and criticize conservatives for their selfish hoarding. But Ron Robinson and Nicole Hoplin, leaders of Young America's Foundation, set the record straight in Funding Fathers: The Unsung Heroes of the Conservative Movement. Part historical account of the conservative movement and part exposé about political philanthropy, Funding Fathers busts the myth that conservatives donate less money than democrats and exposes how the media, liberal organizations, and even conservatives perpetuate this lie. In Funding Fathers, Robinson and Hoplin reveal:

* How conservative donors have had as much influence on the conservative movement as people like Ronald Reagan and William F. Buckley Jr.
* Why anonymous donations can do more harm than good to the conservative movement
* How donations benefiting conservative ideas are often misappropriated at universities across the U.S.
* How conservative politicians and organizations use donations more efficiently than liberals

Money matters. But it is not the size of the donation that counts, it is the impact it makes. Funding Fathers shows how the unsung heroes of the conservative movement have not only influenced the past, but also how they continue to shape the future.

From the Inside Flap

The Heroes Behind the Conservative Movement

We all know about Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, but who knows about Holmes Tuttle, Henry Regnery, and Antony Fisher? Yet it was devoted conservatives like Tuttle, Regnery, and dozens of others, who paved the way for leaders like Goldwater and Reagan by financing and helping to create a conservative movement of ideas and people. In Funding Fathers, authors Ron Robinson and Nicole Hoplin tell the untold, behind-the-scenes stories of the men and women who made the conservative movement the giant force it is today. In Funding Fathers, you'll learn:

* How a chicken egg smuggler created one of the most influential economic institutes in the world
* How three California businessmen propelled Ronald Reagan into America's political consciousness
* How William F. Buckley Jr. turned a book deal and a $100,000 investment into one of the most influential publications of our time
* How "Spike" Hennessy helped resurrect Hillsdale College
* Why Clarence Manion was the father of The Conscience of a Conservative

Funding Fathers is essential reading for those who want to know the inside story of the conservative movement and learn about its largely unheralded heroes.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Press (September 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596985623
• ISBN-13: 978-1596985629
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #641,298 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Connect with your Conservative roots, October 2, 2008

By	Alyssa Cordova - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book allowed me to connect with the roots of the Conservative Movement, giving me a one-of-a-kind look at how some of my heroes--Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley, Jr., and Barry Goldwater, to name a few--got their starts, at the great personal sacrifices of the aptly-named "unsung heroes" of the Movement.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great stories that too few know about..., October 23, 2008

By	Peter F. Schweizer (Tallahassee, Florida United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book provides numerous inspiring stories about individuals who give of their resources to help improve our country. Some of the stories are truly spine-tingling. Consider the man who emigrated to this country, made a lot of money, and then met Ronald Reagan in the White House. He died at the White House with Reagan standing over him. A tragedy....but the man left millions to an organization that years later...purchased the Reagan Ranch to preserve it and make it available for young people to enjoy and learn about Ronald Reagan. And the organization in question, Young America's Foundation, where the authors work, didn't even know the story until after the ranch had been purchased. I highly recommend this book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, the impact of how individuals can make a difference in the Conservative Movement is revealed., October 1, 2008

By	Patrick X. Coyle (Fairfax, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the only book of its kind.

For those who follow the Conservative Movement, this book documents those who made prominent conservative success stories possible. We may know about The Conscience of a Conservative, National Review, etc., but who made those possible? It took funds to get those projects started. This book finally gives credit to those individuals.

It is amazing the influence individuals can have when they choose to sacrifice their own personal wealth to advance the Conservative Movement. William Volker and Harold Luhnow created the Volker Fund which sparked a revival of free market ideas. They made possible for someone like Milton Friedman to attend the first meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society which sparked his further interest in free market ideas. They also subsidized the translation of Bastiat's The Law into English among many other projects and initiatives.

This is just one of the amazing stories contained in the book.

For anyone who wants to know who made many of the Conservative Movement's most well-known success stories possible, definitely purchase this book!