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September 22, 2006

'Values Voter Summit' Supports GOP, Americans United Charges

Dobson, Religious Right Seek To 'Lead Evangelical Flock
Into Republican Fold In November,' Says AU's Lynn

A Religious Right-sponsored "Values Voter Summit" this week is nothing
but an attempt to drum up evangelical support for Republican
candidates before the November elections, charges Americans United for
Separation of Church and State.

The supposedly non-partisan event, which takes place in Washington
Sept. 22-24, is sponsored jointly by political affiliates of Focus on
the Family (FOF), the Family Research Council (FRC) and other
Religious Right groups. It features a line-up of GOP officeholders and
presidential aspirants.

No Democrats appear among the announced speakers, and organizers such
as FOF Chairman James Dobson and FRC President Tony Perkins don't seem
to have spent much time getting any to come.

AgapePress, a conservative Christian news service,

reported, "Perkins
says he cannot help it if only Republicans support the issues that
conservative Christians care about. He offers an open invitation,
saying 'if there's a Democratic candidate who marches to an
independent drum beat and will stand on these issues, we'd love to
have them.'"

Comments like that are evidence of the meeting's partisan overtones,
said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United.

"Dobson and his friends are desperately trying to lead the evangelical
flock into the Republican fold in November," Lynn said. "They know
that their power in Washington depends on maintaining GOP control of
Congress."

Lynn said evidence of the gathering's partisan purpose continues to
mount. He noted activities by Dobson, who has announced that FOF will
target evangelical churches in eight battleground states for political
organizing this fall. The eight just happen to have hotly contested
Senate and/or gubernatorial races.

Dobson has been personally endorsing candidates and engaging in other
partisan activities. Most recently, he spoke in Pittsburgh at a "Stand
for the Family Rally" that political observers say was designed to
boost embattled U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.).

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Issue guides being
distributed last night [at the Dobson event] clearly favored Mr.
Santorum."

At the rally, the newspaper reported, Dobson observed, "Whether or not
the Republicans deserve the power they were given, the alternatives
are downright frightening."

Prior to the event, Dobson told a radio interviewer, "Pennsylvania is
too important for us not to be here...especially in your Senate
race. Get to the polls. You know who to vote for. I won't tell you,
because you already know."

Lynn noted that Santorum is scheduled to speak at the "Values Voter
Summit." Other speakers include Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.), Gov. Mike
Huckabee (R-Ark.), U.S. Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), U.S. Sen. Sam
Brownback (R-Kan.) and Newt Gingrich. All have been identified as
potential Republican candidates for president in 2008.

"Aside from helping the Republicans retain control of the House and
Senate this year, this event also functions as a Religious Right
beauty pageant for the 2008 Republican nomination," Lynn said. "The
hopefuls will parade before Dobson, Perkins and their followers, and
eventually one will win the crown."

Continued Lynn, "This summit is a shameless display of partisan
politics. I urge religious leaders to keep Dobson, Perkins and their
hardball, unabashedly partisan operation at arm's length."

Americans United this week announced a special election-year alert to
all houses of worship in 11 states, reminding them that intervention
in partisan political campaigns is a violation of the Internal Revenue
Service Code. The letters, totaling over 117,000, were sent to every
house of worship in Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New
Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Missouri and Virginia.
Churches in those states are being targeted by Dobson and other
Religious Right leaders who want to build a church-based political
machine on behalf of favored Republican candidates.

Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in
Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans
about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding
religious freedom.