From: Watch97@aol.com Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1996 01:03:33 -0400 Subject: CC Not Being Totally Forthcoming with Churches THE CHRISTIAN COALITION IS NOT BEING TOTALLY FORTHCOMING WITH CHURCHES ABOUT ITS VOTER GUIDES by Paula Xanthopoulou At its annual "Road to Victory '96" conference, the Christian Coalition did two things around the issue of its so called "voter guides" : 1) publicly it totally discounted the Federal Election Commission suit filed against it as "frivolous"; and 2) behind the scenes it worked overtime to convince people that it was OK for churches to distribute those materials. Pat Robertson's Virginia-based political arm and its state affiliates circulated memos and letters that were not totally forthcoming about the situation. There was, for example, a memo from Alan P. Dye, Esquire -- a partner in the Washington law firm of Webster, Chamberlain & Bean, on whose stationary the memo was written. It was addressed to "Pastors." It did not mention that Mr. Dye's firm works for the Christian Coalition (Christian Coalition press release for 7/30/96). Mr. Dye is also a member of the secretive right-wing steering committee known as the Council for National Policy. Claiming to be an expert in these matters (and the author of "Do's and Don'ts for Pastors"), Mr. Dye wrote that it was quite all right for churches as (501)(c)(3) organizations to distribute non-partisan voter guides that are prepared from the answers to questionnaires. That is correct. But the memo went on to say: "Voter guides prepared in strict compliance with these revenue rulings, such as those distributed by the Christian Coalition, are perfectly acceptable. Pastors distributing these guides should have no concern that they may violate any provision of the Internal Revenue Code. Even the Federal Election Commission does not allege that the Christian Coalition's voter guides are partisan or that their content violates the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. There is no known instance in which the tax-exempt status of a church has been revoked as a result of the distribution of voter guides." A letter distributed on Maryland Christian Coalition stationary and signed by Baptist Minister Richard Reilly (also on the Board of the MD Christian Coalition) said: "Our state director, John Calligan, spoke to over 100,000 listeners on a Baltimore radio station last week to explain that the Federal Elections Commission isn't challenging the legality of our guides at all. The case is about their groundless claim that our national leaders discussed the Christian Coalition's plans in advance with candidates, which, they claim, should require us to reclassify some of our operating expenses as campaign donations." The FEC suit , by unanimous vote of Democratic and Republican commissioners, is primarily a complaint against the coordination of the distribution of "voter guides" with the campaigns of George Bush, Oliver North, Jesse Helms, Bob Inglis and JD Hayworth -- resulting in unreported political expenditures. The FEC does not directly address the content of the "voter guides," but that hardly makes them non-partisan. Anyone who reads the papers filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on July 30, 1996, and the commissioners' Statements of Reasons understands that the lawsuit is serious business. Mr. Dye's memo neglects to tell pastors that while churches are (501)(c)(3) organizations, the Christian Coalition is acting* as a (501)(c)(4) organization. The criteria for (501)(c)(4) voter guides are less strict -- allowing them to be based upon voting records and information other than the answers to questionnaires. Distribution of those kinds of voter guides clearly puts the (501)(c)(3) tax status of churches in jeopardy. If they distribute the voter guides of other organizations, they should ask for the questionnaire that the material is based upon -- to be sure that ONLY THAT INFORMATION IN ITS ENTIRETY WAS USED IN AN UNBIASED AND ACCURATE MANNER that represents a wide range of pertinent issues and the views of all of the candidates. The day before the House voted to override the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, the Christian Coalition circulated a "Voter Guide and Congressional Scorecard Notice" (9/18/96) to the members of Congress. It not only urged them to vote for the override, but it also warned that: "The Christian Coalition will distribute 72 million congressional scorecards and voter guides during this cycle. The partial birth abortion issue will be a key issue included in this voter education material." Maybe. In their book "Dirty Little Secrets," political scientists Larry J. Sabado and Glenn R. Simpson explained that they had studied 219 voter guides from the 1994 elections and found that only 62 of them had mentioned abortion (p. 135). Most of guides, they found, had been crafted to promote specific candidates by using a whole range of different issues/results and manipulating the ratings. Furthermore: "Obviously, if the voter guides are partisan, churches cannot distribute them without breaking the law" (p.141). The Christian Coalition pooh-poohs the FEC suit on the one hand, and gives out misleading information to its supporters on the other. No one is saying that churches should not pass out voter education materials, only that they follow the rules for non-partisan political activity. No one is trying to silence "people of faith," only to expose the partisan and hypocritical practices of the Christian Coalition. Churches and pastors are caught in the crossfire -- primarily because they are not being told the whole story. They are also being told that their First Amendment Rights have been singled out by a "reckless federal agency." As we speak, Christian Coalition "Church Liaisons" all over America are in the process of recruiting pastors to adopt a "Pastor Plan of Action" -- which includes agreeing to hand out the "voter guides" on November 3rd along with their church bulletins (p.14 of the current Nebraska Christian Coalition handbook). The Christian Coalition is playing fast and loose with well-meaning Christians and their churches. Why? Because without their so-called "voter guides," the Christian Coalition cannot browbeat Congress and then deliver the vote for Bob Dole and the rest of the GOP ticket on November 5th. If those "voter guides" are not widely distributed, the Christian Coalition will be left with virtually no political power. But the bigger question is why churches would allow themselves to be used by the Christian Coalition. The people who attend those churches are largely sincere people who have been told by Pat Robertson that their pro-family values are being destroyed by the Liberal Left and only good Christians can save America. On the other hand, the Christian Coalition has compromised those values time and time again to enhance Mr. Robertson's political power within the Republican Party. Evangelicals are very unhappy that they remained invisible during the GOP convention. They understand that Bob Dole and the GOP do not really represent them, regardless of Dole's surprise visit to the annual "Road to Victory" conference. Some have even figured out that the Christian Coalition has taken advantage of them (3/24/96 press release from the then co-chair of the Camden County, NJ, Christian Coalition). Others have already deserted the GOP to support Howard Phillips of the US Taxpayers Party. So why should those folks go out on a limb and distribute the Christian Coalition's so-called "voter guides" in their churches? Maybe they will. And maybe they won't. * The Christian Coalition's petition for (501)(c)(4) tax status has never been approved. ______________________________________________________________________________ NOTE: If you missed our "What's in a Number?" report, you can check it out through Thursday evening (9/26) on the Working Assets webpage (http://www.wald.com) in the NEWSbite section. Copyright 1996 Public-Spirited Enterprises. All rights reserved. This column can only be reprinted with permission. If quoted or referred to, please do give "c.c.watch" appropriate credit. (For more information or to subscribe to the complete, unique and timely reportage/commentary of The "c.c.watch" Electronic News Service, call 305/751-5001. We track and report on the activities of Pat Robertson, his many enterprises [especially the Christian Coalition], and his fellow travelers -- by constantly monitoring newspapers, magazines, television, the Internet, events, on-line data bases, direct mail pieces, and receiving reports from "c.c.watchers" around the country. Then we disseminate information that the public might never otherwise receive.)