David Barton's New Stealth Campaign for the GOP

by Frederick Clarkson

October 10, 2006

David Barton, the notorious Christian historical revisionist and longtime Texas GOP activist, is once again barnstorming the nation on the payroll of the Republican National Committee. As he did in 2004, Barton is now speaking in churches on behalf of GOP candidates. This past weekend, Barton made appearances with Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) in three Baptist churchesin the Louisiana congressman's district.

According to Barton's speaking schedule on the web site of Wallbuilders, the organization he heads in Aledo, Texas, the churches were: Calvary Baptist Church, in Alexandria,  Cedar Crest Baptist Church, in West Monroe, and  First Baptist Church Bossier City, in Bossier City. For each of the three events, the contact listed is not the church, but Taylor Teepell, at the Jindal campaign. Jindal is being challenged this year by Democrat Stacey Tallitsch.

As in 2004, Barton's campaigning seems intended to be mostly "below the radar."

In 2004, Beliefnet reported that he was hired by the Republican National Committee to campaign for Bush.

The Republican National Committee is employing the services of a Texas-based activist who believes the United States is a "Christian nation" and the separation of church and state is "a myth."

David Barton, the founder of an organization called Wallbuilders, was hired by the RNC as a political consultant and has been traveling the country for a year--speaking at about 300 RNC-sponsored lunches for local evangelical pastors. During the lunches, he presents a slide show of American monuments, discusses his view of America's Christian heritage -- and tells pastors that they are allowed to endorse political candidates from the pulpit.

Barton, who is also the vice-chairman of the Texas GOP, told Beliefnet this week that the pastors' meetings have been kept "below the radar.... We work our tails off to stay out of the news." But at this point, he says, with voter registration ended in most states and early voting already under way, staying quiet about the activity "doesn't matter."

Barton's main contention is that the separation of church and state was never intended by the nation's founders; he says it was created by the Supreme Court in the 20th Century. The back cover of his 1989 book, "The Myth of Separation," proclaims: "This book proves that separation of church and state is a myth." Barton is also on the board of advisers of the Providence Foundation, a Christian Reconstructionist group that advocates America as a Christian nation.

Barton's contention about the IRS rules were, like his  claims about American history, wrong, and if churches follow his interpratation, they may put their tax status in jeapardy.  Earlier this year, the IRS launched a major effort to put claims like Barton's to rest, and promised to engage in a vigorous education and enforcement effort this year. At the time of the agency's announcement, I wrote about how for a generation part of the religious right's strategy has been to bend and break the quite clear guidelines governing the priviledge of tax exemption under the IRS code against partisan politicking.  The basic principle has always been  this:  

"...all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office."

The IRS offers some further clarification:

What is Political Campaign Intervention?

Political campaign intervention includes any and all activities that favor or oppose one or more candidates for public office.  The prohibition extends beyond candidate endorsements.  Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made by or on behalf of an organization in favor of or