From: LaJfA@aol.com
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 12:27:07 -0400
Subject: from c.c.watch 9/25

To: The "c.c.watch" Internet Network
Subject:  Keep watching the two faces of the "religious right!"
Date: September 24, 1995

As we plow deeper into the upcoming Presidential election cycle, many
questions remain about the potential influence and the underlying motivation
of the "religious right."  

If ever a picture was worth a thousand words, today's shot of  Ralph Reed of
the Christian Coalition sitting next to William Bennett on the "This Week
with David Brinkley" show (ABC) was just that. The talk was about  the
possibility/viability of a Colin Powell run for President. 

Mr. Bennett, while very conservative, often does take a thoughtful moral high
road in his efforts to push his agenda.  He wishes that General Powell would
come out against last trimester abortions but thinks he should be viewed in
the totality of his life's achievements. In otherwords, everything is not
either black or white, my way or no way. There is an expansiveness to his
opinions which can be very refreshing.

Mr. Reed--clearly unhappy with the way Sam Donaldson was pinning him to the
mat and not allowing him to simply spew his CC boilerplate answers--looked
insignificant and a bit lame sitting next to Bill Bennett. His focus was on
whether General Powell had the fire in his belly to run and could win x
amount of primaries and raise $20 dollars. He ran around the substantive
questions and waxed poetic on the strength of the GOP. The Christian
Coalition has its eggs in the GOP basket and would not be happy with a
candidate like Colin Powell who doesn't buy the political rhetoric of the
"religious right." Mr. Reed's focus was machine politics. There was a
smallness to his opinions which is highly revealing.

(Fortunately, Sam Donaldson is no Bob Schieffer. Schieffer shamefully let
Ralph Reed off the hook on his "Face the Nation" show the Sunday following
the CC'c Road to Victory Conference. Mr. Reed basically denied that Pat
Robertson had, in his keynote address to the conference, issued a call for
his CC to take over the GOP in all 50 states--which, of course, he had! Last
Wednesday, Tom Brokaw on his evening news program managed to disassemble two
cases of  "religious bigotry" used by Ralph Reed in his own address to the
conference. Interviews with those involved showed that it wasn't quite like
Mr. Reed said it was. Could we be coming to end of the Age of Ralph Reed
Saying Whatever He Wants and Getting Away With It?)

The Christian Coalition continues to be the most visible "religious right"
organization involved in traditional politics--allowing others to roll along
relatively unnoticed by the mainstream press and most Americans.  Last
Thursday, ABC's "Day One" program offered a lengthy report on the Jim Dobson
multi-media empire, his increased presence in Washington and how he might
influence upcoming elections.  James Dobson was described as the "ultimate
stealth campaigner"...potentially more powerful than Pat Robertson and Jerry
Falwell put together because his following has been built over 18 years on
deep trust. The help that he and his Focus on the Family have offered to so
many people looking for answers to their problems has turned "a crisis
hotline into a political army." That very large and very conservative
following can be mobilized swiftly as Mr. Dobson becomes more and more
involved in political issues.

Will both approaches continue to work?  Are they ultimately mutually
exclusive? How will a Third Party candidate effect the Christian Coalition?
James Dobson? Will the "religious right" hold together for the November '96
election. Stay tuned...

PS--You can now visit the WorldWideWeb edition of  "c.c.watch." 
That address is: http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/r/rfaggart/www/ccwatch/

(For more information or to subscribe to "c.c.watch," call 305/751-5001.
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