The labor movement, which had expected ambitious gains under Jimmy Carter’s presidency, instead soon suffered a series of devastating setbacks dealt by the ascendant business caucus backed by the expanding network of think tanks and outside lobby groups. Weyrich’s hand was key here, too. He cemented the movement’s influence in Congress by creating the Republican Study Committee, a caucus that united outside activists and conservative elected officials. For years, Heritage Foundation personnel were the only outsiders allowed to regularly caucus with Republican members of Congress because of
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