Conservatives won the family wars through decade-long network building

Evidence

When it came to marshaling grassroots forces, conservatives had the upper hand. They’d been building networks and refining policy positions for over a decade, and they knew what they were up against. Nationally funded childcare, the ERA, Roe v. Wade, the Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Act, feminism, and gay rights—each of these flashpoints had mobilized a “pro-family” movement and fine-tuned conservative Christian talking points. But grassroots activism had its limits; after organizers had selected participants—more than 100,000 citizens engaged in various stages of the process—conservatives began to complain that they were not properly represented. Despite his later protestations that Focus on the Family was not a political organization, Dobson’s overt political engagement can be traced to his urging listeners to write to the White House to request his inclusion in the conference. They didn’t disappoint; 80,000 letters were delivered to the White House. Even then, Dobson only received an invitation to address a preconference event. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 232

Categorization

• XREF: The 80,000 letters delivered to the White House foreshadows the later political letter-writing infrastructure that Milgrom’s extralegal reputation systems describe — communication networks as mobilization capital.
• QUESTION: Dobson’s protestation that Focus on the Family ‘was not a political organization’ while orchestrating 80,000 letters — how does this disavowal function within the movement’s own self-understanding? This is a seam in Du Mez’s story worth probing.