Secretive Religious Right Group's Electoral Plans for 2012
Frederick Clarkson printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Sun Oct 23, 2011 at 12:10:15 AM EST
It may turn out that a non-profit agency funded by conservative Christian Silicon Valley money men called United in Purpose may be the most important Religious Right entity in the 2012 election cycle.    

Here is a primer on what we've learned so far.  
First there was Rick Perry's giant prayer rally, The Response, organized by Texas operatives who are leaders in the New Apostolic Reformation. (An international network of dominionist evangelicals.)  This Christians Only event drew some 20,000 people -- unprecedented in the history of American presidential politics.  

Then The Los Angeles Times reported that Don Wildmon, founder of the American Family Foundation sent an email to people who had registered to attend The Response, promoting a project of United in Purpose.

United in Purpose is using sophisticated data-mining techniques to compile a database of every unregistered born-again and evangelical Christian and conservative Catholic in the country.

Through partnerships with Christian organizers and antiabortion groups, United in Purpose hopes to recruit 100,000 "champions" to identify unregistered Christians and get them to the polls as part of its Champion the Vote project. Profiles drawn from its database, which numbers more than 120 million people, will enable organizers to target potential voters with emails and Web videos tailored to their interests.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that United in Purpose organized a secretive private briefing for some 800 pastors who heard speeches by Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry. (United in Purpose may have paid their expenses as well.)

In addition to hearing Perry and Gingrich, the pastors came to participate in "Champion the Vote," a nationwide campaign seeking to register an additional 5 million Christian-conservative voters this fall.

For that campaign, Stemberger, the pastors and other participants, including Dallas, were producing a DVD video on the potential voting power of Christian conservatives. The video is to be distributed for a nationwide coordination of church and house parties on Nov. 12 called "One Nation Under God."

Dallas, chief executive officer and spokesman for United in Purpose, responded to e-mail requests for an interview by replying he was busy making the DVD.

The One Nation Under God project is already being promoted on the Champion the Vote web site. The house parties will be connected by a live televised seminar to prepare people for the 2012 elections. Speakers will include Gingrich, Christian historical revisionist David Barton, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, anti-abortion activist Lila Rose, and New Apostolic Reformation figure, Samuel Rodriguez.

WHAT DOES ONE NATION UNDER GOD REALLY MEAN?

We've lost sight of our great heritage as a nation founded on Biblical truth, and the consequences are dire:  schools are failing, the divorce rate is climbing, and our society is rife with scandal and corruption.  It's time to reclaim our Biblical heritage and bring God back to the center of American life.  Where do we start?

ONE NATION UNDER GOD PREMIERE EVENT ON NOVEMBER 12

On Saturday, November 12, United in Purpose presents One Nation Under God - a national, two-hour premiere event featuring top American thinkers and political leaders who will bring the truth about God and America to people gathered in homes and churches across the nation.

HT Religious Right Watch

Update [2011-10-24 10:0:46 by Frederick Clarkson]: This post originally stated that United in Purpose paid the expenses of the pastors to attend the Orlando event. This has been revised. While it is undisputed that someone paid their expenses, the text now states that it "may" have been United in Purpose.



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Secretive Religious Right Group's Electoral Plans for 2012 | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)
Registering people to vote (5.00 / 2)
is a good thing.  More power to them, as long as they don't tell people HOW to vote too (which we know they are more than willing to do).  Yeah, they're trying to skew the demographics and steal elections, but we should be used to that by now.

What concerns me is that while they're doing this, at the same time they're working to discourage people they don't like from voting... through repressive tactics such as found in several states.

I also would question how effective they'd really be, as it does seem they've already got their voter base out and mobilized.  They may pick up some more votes, but at least in areas like this, I don't see how they could find more.  Most of the religious right voters (usually dominionists) already are very politically active.  

We need a "Get out the vote" campaign as well... and that's not going to be easy in many areas because of the new punitive rules they've put in place.  They're still one step ahead of us.

I think too, this might be a point to make to the Evangelicals or "Conservative Christians"... they do need to understand that they wouldn't be voting for a more moral society, they'd be voting for dominionism.  It's getting to be decision time for them... are they going to support freedom and equality, or are they going to support the attempt to force a narrow form of religion on everyone else.  They need to mobilize too, because if they don't, they will find themselves losing their freedom even as we would.


by ArchaeoBob on Sun Oct 23, 2011 at 11:20:03 AM EST

Bridge (5.00 / 1)
True but where is there a think tank that is structuring the message which will make the distinction between morality and Dominionism to the religious right and also reach the left with effective messaging. George Lakoff's essay Untellable truths 12-2010 explains with clarity what needs to be said and the validity and moral core of the basic positions of the left, but there is no cohesive effort to implement this framing in correlation with voter registration and drive.

by mkirdasi on Sun Oct 23, 2011 at 04:04:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Registering people to vote (none / 0)
An organized campaign to get people to vote combined with an organized campaign to suppress voting among demographics likely to vote against the right could very well have a pronounced effect in upcoming elections. It is important to remember that this is a long term effort. So although it may seem that the majority of the base that would be targeted is already active, this could have very significant results.

Again, I am at a loss as to how and why the mainstream media doesn't find this to be a compelling story!

by rahilliard on Mon Oct 24, 2011 at 11:07:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Follow the money (none / 0)
I could accept that people like the Koch Brothers and Murdoch don't believe any of the dominionist views  (I suspect they at least buy some of the line), but they (and many other filthy rich people) are the primary funders of the dominionists, along with the sheeple who regularly go to church to get sheared.  Dominionism serves their purpose by reinforcing a top-down hierarchal form of thinking, along with unquestioning obedience to authority and so on.  

Since Murdoch owns their primary (non overtly dominionist) news source, and is a power in the media industry, it would make sense that they'd turn blind eyes towards what is going on.

It's been documented in the past that what is covered in the news (and how) and what isn't, is dictated from the top.  Race research shows that the mainstream media is very racist, and promotes false stereotypes of minorities (my own research clearly showed that in the reporting on the Jena Six situation, and I've seen many incidences of it since then).  We've been spoon-fed propaganda for generations.  In fact, I sometimes wonder how the talking heads can live with themselves, because of the things they say.  

Plus, this country does have a programmed strong knee-jerk reaction of "But it's a Church, it can't be that bad!" (partially from the spoon-fed propaganda).  As those of us at T2A know, yes they can be... and worse.  So reporters will have a tendency to reject something as "paranoid" or "conspiracy theory" even though the evidence is right in front of them.

The problem with dominionism is largest-font front page news, and should have been for years.  If they started screaming "America is in dire danger from certain churches!" right now, they would be absolutely accurate.

 

by ArchaeoBob on Tue Oct 25, 2011 at 10:51:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]




Bush DoJ (none / 0)
As long as the DoJ is infested with moles hired during the illegal presidency of Bush 2, while publicizing what's going on is good, know that nothing is going to happen to change it. There will be no investigations into tax-exempt status of the churches because it's business as usual under Barry.

by mattcarmody on Mon Oct 24, 2011 at 06:10:09 PM EST
Maybe not... (none / 0)
If by Barry, you mean PRESIDENT Barack Obama, you need to consider the religious (CHRISTIAN) background of the man.  Most of the country has been strongly steeped in the idea of churches being automatically good that the idea of a church out to destroy the country as they know it just doesn't compute for them.  You have to almost become a victim of the dominionists to see the threat - either as a walkaway, or as someone who has been persecuted by them (for being LGBT, or not Christian, or whatever).  Granted, there are people who see the problem from more of an academic viewpoint, but it's my opinion that those who have suffered directly at their hands (especially those who know and understand their thinking) that are the most aware of the danger.

Having the direct experience strips the blinders from your face and you come to see the whole picture - and it's not pretty.

I don't think our president really grasps how dangerous dominionism is to the country... and the dominionists count on that to stay under cover.

Plus, add to that the idea that churches help people (I could add a really cynical witticism here, except that SOME churches really do) and it's easy to see how the faith-based initiative is thought of as still a good thing.  All it takes is a combination of a little creative bookkeeping with lax oversight, and tax dollars are funneled directly into church coffers - for proselytizing and political activities.


by ArchaeoBob on Tue Oct 25, 2011 at 11:01:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]


Bush DOJ? Nope (none / 0)
Before you assume the DOJ is doing nothing, perhaps you ought to find out. MANY investigations of voter suppression are occurring including major challenges to racist and hyper-partisan redistricting. The problem is you want theater (your dismissive "Barry" meme is terribly transparent) rather than doing the work you need to do to see what is happening. Since you clearly know nothing about how the DOJ works - allow me to sneer down at your ignorance and tell you that these challenges occur in the DOJ DISTRICTS not in Washington, DC. That is where the crimes occurred - that is where they are investigated and charges laid, prosecutions moved. And oh yeah - these are investigated not just assumed. But that's that pesky Constitutionality that Bush did not observe so you assume no one does. Wrong. You can Google the issue and follow the thread if moving beyond sophomoric rant is not too tiring for you.

by Churchlady on Tue Oct 25, 2011 at 03:13:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I would hope you're right (none / 0)
but I will not hold my breath.

You claim that investigations occur.  I've read otherwise.  Your understanding of the structure of the DOJ nonwithstanding, I've only heard of a few investigations... one of a liberal Episcopal church where the sermon "Jesus debating Bush and Kerry" was preached (and it was on issues and not promoting one party), and a couple where the preachers were so offensive that they must have pissed someone off.  At the same time, I've heard of dozens of local things... church groups destroying political signs by the hundreds, churches telling people who to vote for from the pulpit, church banners visible from the voting booths promoting Republicans and opposing abortion, you name it.

I would be happy to hear of investigations.  I would be THRILLED to hear that they care about more than keeping the elites in power (including the preachers).

I won't hold my breath.  I've seen what passes for justice in this country.  (But I will hope that we will stay out of their crosshairs and that things will get better.)


by ArchaeoBob on Tue Oct 25, 2011 at 10:00:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Bob (none / 0)
Just because you don't hear about something, does not mean it doesn't happen.

But here is the thing.  

The IRS generally does not investigate the tax exempt status of churches absent a specific, well founded complaint. Americans United files such complaints with some frequency, and has a section of its web site, Project Fairy Play, devoted to matters of church electioneering and tax law violations.  Here is a brief discussion of some of the better known examples of IRS enforcement of the law. Project Fair Play also has info on how to file a complaint.  

by Frederick Clarkson on Wed Oct 26, 2011 at 09:28:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Less than 50 (none / 0)
With all that the dominionist churches do, I think that less than 50 nation-wide being stripped of their tax-exempt status is pretty damned poor results.  Shoot, there are over 400 churches in the area of our town alone, and probably 2/3 of them (or more) are dominionist or dominionist-friendly.  Yes, I know being dominionist isn't cause for being stripped of tax-exempt status (I wish it was), but we KNOW their propensity for trying to get away with breaking the law, much less promoting Conservatives/Republicans through the church.

Of course, the information you linked to is dated (I already had the site bookmarked for the next time I find out about electioneering in a local church), and there probably are more in recent times.  I would also say that stripping a church of tax-exempt status for a year isn't enough, and they need to add something like complete recording and reporting of all finances and what is said/done in the "church" for a few years, to prevent the dominionists from continuing their politics from the pulpit.  

I also think that the requirement for a "specific, well-founded complaint" may be like the "prove it before we'll open the books" (where the proof is!) I've heard before.  When I tried to get our torched workshop investigated, the fire department refused (after all, I'm a poor nobody without insurance and the firemen refused to hear "wire inspected and in good shape two days ago and what you say happened is scientifically impossible!").   When I've mentioned the fire since then, the listener demanded that I PROVE it was arson before they'd take it seriously.  Well, that sort of thing happens in the churches too.  People lodge complaints about wrongdoing and the "Authorities" demand they provide the proof  before they investigate.  In other words, do their work for them.

The number of times you encounter rape victims of church leadership (usually while the victim is very young) is a result of this... because they're so careful to protect the people in power and discount what people relate.

There recently was a big push to violate the tax laws regarding electioneering from the pulpit (I forget what it was called - we've talked about it at length on this blog).  I'm waiting to see if the authorities get off their asses and do anything, but again I'm not holding my breath.


by ArchaeoBob on Wed Oct 26, 2011 at 10:56:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

My recollection (none / 0)
is that the IRS is required by statute to respond only to specific well founded complaints.  Hear say doesn't cut it.

The problem Bob, after many years of the religious right exploiting the non-profit tax code for partisan political advantage and getting away with it too often -- is that there is a lot less serious effort at learning enough, and acting in a concerted and coherent fashion to hold violators to account than there is noisy, poorly informed complaining about it.

by Frederick Clarkson on Wed Oct 26, 2011 at 11:09:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]







Secretive Religious Right Group's Electoral Plans for 2012 | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)

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