Jonestown expert David Conn explains why Boehner’s office missed a huge opportunity
If there is one person who is most responsible for the leader of the Jonestown cult not amassing more power within the Democratic Party, it’s David Conn. In the 1970’s Conn knew people inside the cult and attempted to warn church leaders, politicians, and media but few even listened. Then, at a late night meeting that got back to Jones, Conn’s cover was blown and Jones panicked. Had this meeting not taken place, there is no telling how powerful a mass-murderer would have become.
While guest-hosting for syndicated talk show host Lynn Woolley, Ben Barrack interviewed Conn (above) about a grossly misplaced and controversial comparison made by John Podesta, a new adviser to Barack Obama.
Conn is one of ten Unsung Davids.
Formerly Chief of Staff to Bill Clinton and head of the Center for American Progress, Podesta, recently made a controversial comparison between the Republican Party and the cult of Jim Jones. House Speaker John Boehner’s office responded but with a shocking amount of unhealthy ambiguity on par with not swinging at a slow, high-hanging curve ball on an 0-2 count.
“For those who’ve forgotten, a Democratic member of Congress was murdered in Jonestown and a current one, Rep. Jackie Speier, was shot five times during the same incident,” Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said in a statement.
“If this is the attitude of the new White House, it’s hard to see how the president gets anything done again.”
If Podesta’s comments exemplified anything at all, they demonstrated projection of his own Party’s history, not Boehner’s. Yet, once again, Boehner refused to fight back with truth.
Boehner: Huge opportunity missed in Podesta controversy.
Not only did Boehner miss a perfect opportunity to point out that Jones was a creature of the Democratic Party but in pointing out that Jones’ cult was responsible for the murder of a Democratic congressman and five gunshot wounds suffered by a current Democratic congresswoman, his office may have done a greater disservice than had it remained silent.
David Conn knew people who attended Jones’ Temple and for years, attempted to alert the media to what was going on. Conn is actually the man most responsible for preventing Jones from amassing more power from within the Democratic Party. In this interview, he explains how it was the Democrats, not Republicans who empowered Jones.
Once again, Boehner’s office chose not to fight.