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April 19, 2007

GOP Presidential "Kingmakers"

Religion News Service (RNS) today released a list of what it sees as the ten most influential “King Makers” in the Republican race for the Presidency in 2008. The ten are people who RNS believes have sufficient influence with Republicans that they could "make or break a candidate’s campaign for the GOP nomination." Reading through the list is very helpful in understanding the positions taken by some of the GOP candidates.

The RNS list includes:

Broadcaster and psychologist James Dobson, whose Focus on the Family radio show attracts some 220 million listeners who tune in for his views on the merits – and failings – of various candidates. He recently made headlines when he questioned whether Fred Thompson was a Christian because Thompson didn't "talk openly about his faith."

Michael Farris, founder and chairman of the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, who one observer said had "a network of home-schoolers that will do anything for him." Farris was in the news recently when he called police to prevent the gay Christian "Soulforce Equality Ride" group from entering Patrick Henry College, which he founded. Two members of the Soulforce group were arrested.

Richard Land, the go-to political guru for the nation's 16 million Southern Baptists, who has been outspoken in declaring what is acceptable (Mormonism) and what is not (infidelity). Land supports the War and is outspoken on immigration, supporting both strong borders and a process toward citizenship, and his recent appearance with Sen. Ted Kennedy on this issue has upset several of his fellows. He also has flatly rejected Giuliani as a Presidential candidate.

Pam Olsen, president of the Florida Prayer Network, and a mother of four who set up a network of pastors and organizers in each of the state's 67 counties. She gave up sweets for the Lord, believes God gave President Bush Florida's electoral votes because he is pro-life and is a close friend of Jeb Bush.

Rod Parsley, pastor of the 14,000-member World Harvest Church in the battleground state of Ohio, who can use his network of pastors to help a candidate fine-tune his message to reach conservatives. He recently commented on Rep. John Conyers's Hate Crimes Prevention Act saying it "represents the intense culture war between those who trust the Bible as a manual for life and those who reject it."

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, the most powerful Christian lobbying group in Washington whose e-mail alerts reach 200,000 people each day. He and his group have just joined with Concerned Women of America and other conservative groups in a lawsuit to try to force the FDA to reverse its decision to allow the morning-after pill to be available over the counter.

Steve Scheffler, head of the 4,000-member Iowa Christian Alliance, the most active – and credible – religious group in the Hawkeye State. Originally part of the Christian Coalition, his group broke off last year in light of all the scandals in the organization. All the major GOP candidates have taken turns parading past Scheffler seeking his approval.

Tamara Scott, Iowa leader of Concerned Women for America, who has talked with nearly every GOP candidate and is willing to back a candidate who's "truly conservative," even if he's a longshot. CWA recently said that the 140 sexual-orientation hate crimes in America last year, of which more than 90 involved physical violence, were "too few" to justify federal hate crimes legislation.

Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the pro-life legal group, American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), and national radio host, whose blessing on Mitt Romney's campaign was a huge stamp of approval for the Mormon candidate. ACLJ had filed amicus briefs in the "partial birth abortion" ban cases decided yesterday by the U.S. Supreme Court and recently urged President Bush to veto the Senate bill that allows federal funding for stem cell research. The group is also working to convince the Supreme Court to lift its ban on "issue advertising," a popular means by which to avoid campaign finance disclosure, in the days immediately prior to primary and general elections.

Don Wildmon, chairman of the influential Arlington Group and head of the American Family Association, pontificates about politics and society on the 185 radio stations that his group owns across 36 states. Wildmon has been leading a year-long boycott of Ford Motor Company because of its ads in gay magazines. Wildmon also asked Christian activists to withdraw their Evangelical Climate Initiative, which he, James Dobson, and Chuck Colson believed would threaten the Christian movement's core anti-gay marriage and anti-abortion agenda.

Posted by Becky at April 19, 2007 11:29 AM