President Harry S. Truman signed a bill in 1952 proclaiming the National Day of Prayer.  In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill stating that the official Day should be held annually on the first Thursday of May. A National Prayer Committee, in turn, created the National Day of Prayer Task Force, to coordinate events for the National Day of Prayer. It has been headed by Shirly Dobson (wife of James) from day one.

As it turns out, the 1988 bill was sponsored in the House of Representatives by Rep. Tony Hall (D-OH), a member of The Family, and currently one of the twelve member inner circle. The Senate version was sponsored by Family associate, Strom Thurmond (R-SC).

It was all so bi partisan.

Sharlet writes:

Hall... was brought into the Family in the 1980s by Jerry Regier, an ultra-right Reagan administration official in the Department of Health and Human Services who went on to work with James Dobson. Upon his conversion, Hall abandoned his liberal social views and became a vocal opponent of abortion and, eventually, same-sex marriage. He also championed a bill establishing a National Day of Prayer with an event at the White House organized with Dobson's wife, Shirely. But he didn't switch parties, and the Family would never ask him to.

Sharlet notes that

"By eschewing the politics of the moment--party loyalties and culture wards--Family cells cultivate an ethos of elite unity that allows long term political transformation, whereby political rivals aren't flipped but won over gradually through fellowship with former enemies, as in the case of former Representative Tony Hall."

Sharlet might well have said somethig similar about Sen. Hillary Clinton, who is a long term member of a Family prayer cell, but is apparently, not a full member of the group. That is not unusual, as many prominent people (mostly Republicans) are similarly involved, in ever-wider concentric circles of association beyond the few hundred "members" and the twelve member inner group.

This is one of the ways that the Religious Right makes inroads not only in national life and politics and public policy, but in the Democratic Party.

In this instance, Rep. Tony Hall helped to set up an official government event, which would be and still is, operated by the Dobsons.  Check out their web site.

The National Observance will take place Thursday, May 1st, in Washington D.C. from 12:00 noon - 3:00 p.m. (Eastern) and will be broadcast LIVE via webcast and through GOD TV, channel 365 on Direct TV and channel 138 on Sky Angel

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This year, among the speakers at the official event in Washington, DC are
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Appeals Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown and U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC)    Similar events are taking place at the state level, complete with official proclamations from governors who signed their names and the state seal of approval to boilerplate language from the Dobsons. Jews on First! has an excellent web site dedicated to exposing the outrageous breach of church and state of the Dobsonite affairs, and calling for inclusive events.

The Interfaith Alliance wrote that the Dobsons have "hijacked" the event:

"Calling themselves the National Day of Prayer Task Force, they are excluding Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Buddhists and even mainline Christians from National Prayer Day events...

The National Day of Prayer Task Force requires volunteer coordinators to sign a pledge stating: "I commit that NDP activities I serve with will be conducted solely by Christians while those with differing beliefs are welcome to attend." The coordinators must also sign a statement of faith that includes the following language: "I believe that the Holy Bible is the inerrant Word of The Living God. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only One by which I can obtain salvation and have an ongoing relationship with God." This clearly aligns a government-sponsored event with a particular Christian denomination, in violation of the basic provisions of the First Amendment to the Constitution.

This is what happens when Democrats help to build the Religious Right. And one of the ways that Dems are pulled into the Religious Right to varying degrees, is The Family.