Subject: CC Not Being Totally Forthcoming with Churches
From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1996 01:03:33 -0400

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status of a church has been revoked as a result of  the distribution of voter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.

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