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Religious Right Bringing in 'More Money Than Ever'
Via NY Transfer News Collective All the News that Doesn't Fit
IPS - Dec 22, 2007
http://www.ipsnews.net/print.asp?idnews=40575
Religious Right Bringing In 'More Money Than Ever'
by Bill Berkowitz
OAKLAND, California, Dec 21 (IPS) - In 1897, the great American author
and humorist Mark Twain, responding to stories that had him lying at
deaths door declared, "The reports of my death have been greatly
exaggerated." One hundred ten years later, Twains rejoinder could be
applied to mainstream media reports about the demise of the Christian
Right in the United States. Over the past two-plus decades it has
become fashionable for the traditional press to periodically pen the
Religious Right's obituary. Or, if not an outright death notice,
articles appear detailing both real and perceived rifts within the
Religious Right.
Over the past few months, religious right leaders have endorsed an
assortment of Republican Party presidential candidates. Senator Sam
Brownback, a Kansas Republican who is the leading voice for Christian
conservatives in the Senate, gave Arizona Senator John McCain his
support. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney received the
endorsements of long-time conservative activist Paul Weyrich and Bob
Jones III, the president of South Carolinas evangelical Bob Jones
University.
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee enjoys the support of a host of
religious right leaders including Janet Folger, president of
Faith2Action; Rick Scarborough, founder and president of Vision
America; the reverend Don Wildmon, founder of the American Family
Association; and Tim and Beverly LaHaye, he the veteran activist and
co-author of the wildly popular "Left Behind" series of apocalyptic
novels, and she the founder of Concerned Women for America.
When Pat Robertson endorsed former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani --
champion of pro-choice, pro-gay, and anti gun positions " ~all heck
broke loose on the right. On conservative websites and blogs, charges
and counter charges were hurled. Robertson, the once revered leader who
founded the Christian Coalition -- a powerful 1990s grassroots group --
and the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), was called irrelevant and
characterised as a betrayer -- a hypocrite who would do anything to
enhance his political power.
The Christian Rights inability to back one candidate underscores the
reality that differences exist within the movement. The recent deaths
of long-time movement icons Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy, and the
retirement of Robertson as CEO of CBN, is also indicative of a movement
in transition and perhaps even turmoil.
Some in the media, and on the left, have viewed these fault lines as
symbolic of a major meltdown. A series of pre-mature obituaries have
been written with mainstreamers often concluding that the religious
rights days are numbered.
One way to measure the health of the religious right is to track the
amount of financial support various top-shelf organisations continue to
receive, despite the internal discord. Recently, researchers at
Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AUSCS), a liberal
civil rights watchdog group, pointed out that several major
organisations are raising "more money than ever."
According to the reverend Barry Lynn, executive director of AUSCS, "The
top Religious Right groups are taking in huge amounts of money. They
are also quietly organising churches into a partisan political machine.
Now they just have to find a presidential candidate who will carry out
their agenda."
"They know they are on the verge of full control over the Supreme
Court," Lynn added, "and one more appointment could lead to a high
court reversal on church-state separation, reproductive rights and gay
rights."
An analysis of IRS filings by AUSCS found that:
James Dobson's Focus on the Family took in 142.2 million dollars in
2006, a 4.4-million-dollar increase over the previous year. In
addition, Dobson's Focus on the Family Action took in 14.6 million
dollars in 2006.
Tony Perkins' Family Research Council took in 10.3 million dollars in
2006, an increase of more than 900,000 dollars over the previous year.
FRC Action, an affiliated group, took in 1.1 million dollars in 2006.
Don Wildmon's American Family Association took in 16.9 million dollars
in 2006.
Alan Sears' Alliance Defence Fund took in 26.1 million dollars in 2006,
an increase of 4.1 million dollars over last year.
Robertson's CBN took in 236.3 million dollars in 2005, a
49.8-million-dollar increase over the previous year.
"Religious Right groups get their money from a variety of sources," Rob
Boston, assistant director of communications for AUSCS, told IPS in an
e- mail. "Some, like the Family Research Council, rely on a handful of
large donors who give generously to augment a grassroots presence that
contributes more modest amounts. Others, like Focus on the Family, rely
on small donations from a huge body of supporters."
In addition to a ratcheted up presence on the Internet -- with active
websites, blogs and podcasts -- "Most Religious Right groups maintain
vigorous direct-mail operations," Boston pointed out.
"One constant that Ive noticed in my 20 years of monitoring the
Religious Right is that these groups never hesitate to reach for the
most lurid rhetoric.
"Enemies come and go," Boston added. "In the 1980s, groups like
Concerned Women for America raised lots of money battling ~secular
humanism. In the 1990s, Bill and Hillary Clinton were frequent
targets. Bashing gays is always lucrative for the Religious Right.
There are also certain public figures whose very name can be counted on
to bring in the checks. I am always amused, for example, at the
inventive ways some groups use to work Ted Kennedy into every letter.
After November of 2006, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi became useful for
this purpose as well.
"The common thread among all of these letters is demonisation. In the
Religious Rights fundraising world, some malignant force is always out
there trying to tear down America. Reading these letters, you get the
impression that only your check will prevent the collapse of Western
civilisation."
In a recent interview with The Denver Post's PoliticsWest, Tom Minnery
- -- senior vice president of government and public policy for Focus on
the Family and Focus on the Family Action, the organisation's political
arm -- maintained that it was ridiculous to be talking a so-called
crack-up within the religious right.
Minnery pointed out that ever since 1988, when Robertson lost his bid
for the Republican Partys presidential nomination, there have been
widespread "predictions of a crack-up" within the evangelical movement.
Minnery noted that out of Robertsons campaign came the creation of the
Christian Coalition (CC), which "rose up and became very strong."
Years later, when the CC "faded, there was another spate of stories
about the crack-up of evangelical Christians as an influence in the
public square," Minnery noted.
In 2004, eleven out of eleven "states that had state marriage
amendments on the ballot, passed them all by landslide proportions,
except for liberal Oregon, which passed it with a 57 percent majority,"
Minnery added. The fact that social issues brought so-called values
voters to the polls "astonished reporters."
"Now, we're into another cycle and the normal predictions of the
crack-up of evangelicalism is occurring," Minnery stated. The fact that
conservatives are divided over which presidential candidate to support
fuels those types of stories. While Minnery admits to "some
unsettledness" within the ranks, he said that he would "hardly call
that a crack-up."
In the end, Minnery, and other conservative leaders, expect that no
matter whom the Republican Party nominee is, "a lot of people on our
side would probably swallow hard and vote for the more conservative of
the two major party candidates."
[Bill Berkowitz is a long-time observer of the conservative movement.
His column "Conservative Watch" documents the strategies, players,
institutions, victories and defeats of the U.S. Right. ]
(END/2007)
=================================================================
NY Transfer News Collective A Service of Blythe Systems
Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us
Our main website: http://www.blythe.org
List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/
Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr
=================================================================
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Hash: SHA1
Religious Right Bringing in 'More Money Than Ever'
Via NY Transfer News Collective All the News that Doesn't Fit
IPS - Dec 22, 2007
http://www.ipsnews.net/print.asp?idnews=40575
Religious Right Bringing In 'More Money Than Ever'
by Bill Berkowitz
OAKLAND, California, Dec 21 (IPS) - In 1897, the great American author
and humorist Mark Twain, responding to stories that had him lying at
deaths door declared, "The reports of my death have been greatly
exaggerated." One hundred ten years later, Twains rejoinder could be
applied to mainstream media reports about the demise of the Christian
Right in the United States. Over the past two-plus decades it has
become fashionable for the traditional press to periodically pen the
Religious Right's obituary. Or, if not an outright death notice,
articles appear detailing both real and perceived rifts within the
Religious Right.
Over the past few months, religious right leaders have endorsed an
assortment of Republican Party presidential candidates. Senator Sam
Brownback, a Kansas Republican who is the leading voice for Christian
conservatives in the Senate, gave Arizona Senator John McCain his
support. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney received the
endorsements of long-time conservative activist Paul Weyrich and Bob
Jones III, the president of South Carolinas evangelical Bob Jones
University.
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee enjoys the support of a host of
religious right leaders including Janet Folger, president of
Faith2Action; Rick Scarborough, founder and president of Vision
America; the reverend Don Wildmon, founder of the American Family
Association; and Tim and Beverly LaHaye, he the veteran activist and
co-author of the wildly popular "Left Behind" series of apocalyptic
novels, and she the founder of Concerned Women for America.
When Pat Robertson endorsed former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani --
champion of pro-choice, pro-gay, and anti gun positions " ~all heck
broke loose on the right. On conservative websites and blogs, charges
and counter charges were hurled. Robertson, the once revered leader who
founded the Christian Coalition -- a powerful 1990s grassroots group --
and the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), was called irrelevant and
characterised as a betrayer -- a hypocrite who would do anything to
enhance his political power.
The Christian Rights inability to back one candidate underscores the
reality that differences exist within the movement. The recent deaths
of long-time movement icons Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy, and the
retirement of Robertson as CEO of CBN, is also indicative of a movement
in transition and perhaps even turmoil.
Some in the media, and on the left, have viewed these fault lines as
symbolic of a major meltdown. A series of pre-mature obituaries have
been written with mainstreamers often concluding that the religious
rights days are numbered.
One way to measure the health of the religious right is to track the
amount of financial support various top-shelf organisations continue to
receive, despite the internal discord. Recently, researchers at
Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AUSCS), a liberal
civil rights watchdog group, pointed out that several major
organisations are raising "more money than ever."
According to the reverend Barry Lynn, executive director of AUSCS, "The
top Religious Right groups are taking in huge amounts of money. They
are also quietly organising churches into a partisan political machine.
Now they just have to find a presidential candidate who will carry out
their agenda."
"They know they are on the verge of full control over the Supreme
Court," Lynn added, "and one more appointment could lead to a high
court reversal on church-state separation, reproductive rights and gay
rights."
An analysis of IRS filings by AUSCS found that:
James Dobson's Focus on the Family took in 142.2 million dollars in
2006, a 4.4-million-dollar increase over the previous year. In
addition, Dobson's Focus on the Family Action took in 14.6 million
dollars in 2006.
Tony Perkins' Family Research Council took in 10.3 million dollars in
2006, an increase of more than 900,000 dollars over the previous year.
FRC Action, an affiliated group, took in 1.1 million dollars in 2006.
Don Wildmon's American Family Association took in 16.9 million dollars
in 2006.
Alan Sears' Alliance Defence Fund took in 26.1 million dollars in 2006,
an increase of 4.1 million dollars over last year.
Robertson's CBN took in 236.3 million dollars in 2005, a
49.8-million-dollar increase over the previous year.
"Religious Right groups get their money from a variety of sources," Rob
Boston, assistant director of communications for AUSCS, told IPS in an
e- mail. "Some, like the Family Research Council, rely on a handful of
large donors who give generously to augment a grassroots presence that
contributes more modest amounts. Others, like Focus on the Family, rely
on small donations from a huge body of supporters."
In addition to a ratcheted up presence on the Internet -- with active
websites, blogs and podcasts -- "Most Religious Right groups maintain
vigorous direct-mail operations," Boston pointed out.
"One constant that Ive noticed in my 20 years of monitoring the
Religious Right is that these groups never hesitate to reach for the
most lurid rhetoric.
"Enemies come and go," Boston added. "In the 1980s, groups like
Concerned Women for America raised lots of money battling ~secular
humanism. In the 1990s, Bill and Hillary Clinton were frequent
targets. Bashing gays is always lucrative for the Religious Right.
There are also certain public figures whose very name can be counted on
to bring in the checks. I am always amused, for example, at the
inventive ways some groups use to work Ted Kennedy into every letter.
After November of 2006, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi became useful for
this purpose as well.
"The common thread among all of these letters is demonisation. In the
Religious Rights fundraising world, some malignant force is always out
there trying to tear down America. Reading these letters, you get the
impression that only your check will prevent the collapse of Western
civilisation."
In a recent interview with The Denver Post's PoliticsWest, Tom Minnery
- -- senior vice president of government and public policy for Focus on
the Family and Focus on the Family Action, the organisation's political
arm -- maintained that it was ridiculous to be talking a so-called
crack-up within the religious right.
Minnery pointed out that ever since 1988, when Robertson lost his bid
for the Republican Partys presidential nomination, there have been
widespread "predictions of a crack-up" within the evangelical movement.
Minnery noted that out of Robertsons campaign came the creation of the
Christian Coalition (CC), which "rose up and became very strong."
Years later, when the CC "faded, there was another spate of stories
about the crack-up of evangelical Christians as an influence in the
public square," Minnery noted.
In 2004, eleven out of eleven "states that had state marriage
amendments on the ballot, passed them all by landslide proportions,
except for liberal Oregon, which passed it with a 57 percent majority,"
Minnery added. The fact that social issues brought so-called values
voters to the polls "astonished reporters."
"Now, we're into another cycle and the normal predictions of the
crack-up of evangelicalism is occurring," Minnery stated. The fact that
conservatives are divided over which presidential candidate to support
fuels those types of stories. While Minnery admits to "some
unsettledness" within the ranks, he said that he would "hardly call
that a crack-up."
In the end, Minnery, and other conservative leaders, expect that no
matter whom the Republican Party nominee is, "a lot of people on our
side would probably swallow hard and vote for the more conservative of
the two major party candidates."
[Bill Berkowitz is a long-time observer of the conservative movement.
His column "Conservative Watch" documents the strategies, players,
institutions, victories and defeats of the U.S. Right. ]
(END/2007)
=================================================================
NY Transfer News Collective A Service of Blythe Systems
Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us
Our main website: http://www.blythe.org
List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/
Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr
=================================================================
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