THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 28, 1995 TAG: 9507280476
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ESTHER DISKIN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
As you reach for that romance novel or hair-raising spy thriller on your way to an afternoon on the beach, stop to ask yourself: Wouldn't I prefer a juicy legislative agenda?
The Christian Coalition may have just the summer reading for you - a jazzed-up paperback edition of its ``Contract with the American Family.'' On sale at bookstores across the country, the $8.99 paperback gives readers an expanded version of the coalition's 10-point policy agenda, which was released May 17 and reprinted in newspapers and magazines.
The coalition pitches its contract to Americans of all faiths and political stripes, although its conservative goals include restrictions on abortions, abolition of the U.S. Department of Education and a constitutional amendment to expand the role of religion in schools and public places.
``This is not a Christian agenda. It is not a Republican agenda. It is not a special-interest agenda,'' Ralph Reed, the coalition's executive director, writes in the book's introduction. ``It is a pro-family agenda, and it is supported by the vast majority of the American people, Republican and Democrat, Christian and Jew, black and white, Protestant and Catholic.''
The 167-page paperback makes no mention of the coalition's founder and president, Pat Robertson.
Robertson, who is the chairman of the Virginia Beach-based Christian Broadcasting Network, started the coalition in 1989 after his unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Although he talks to Reed nearly every day, Robertson is not included in the book's brief history of the coalition or in the acknowledgments, which list 13 people at the coalition and other conservative organizations.
The Christian Coalition's spokesman, Mike Russell, said it was an oversight that happened because the paperback was prepared for publication in less than two weeks. He said he didn't realize that Robertson got left out.
``It's not mentioned anywhere in the book? Not even in the description of the coalition?'' Russell asked. ``It was not an intentional move on our part.''
However, several experts said it is part of the coalition's very deliberate strategy to reach a wider, middle-of-the-road audience. They said Robertson has realized he is a controversial figure and has stepped back and allowed Reed to do all the talking.
``Robertson has been nearly invisible in the actions of the coalition,'' said Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist. ``Ralph Reed comes across as a choirboy. His image has increased the public's acceptance of the Christian Coalition's agenda.''
The paperback version of the coalition's contract is ``designed to lay out our legislative agenda so everyone knows what we are seeking to accomplish,'' Reed said in an interview. ``There is a tremendous hunger in the country for someone to address the fraying of the social fabric and coarsening of the culture.''
The coalition's agenda addresses mainly social and cultural issues, a contrast to the economic emphasis of the Republican party's ``Contract With America.''
The Christian Coalition spent $1 million to support the Republican contract, and has received strong Republican support for several points in its agenda, such as restricting pornography on computer networks. In June, the Senate passed a measure imposing heavy fines and prison terms on people who distribute sexually explicit material over computer networks.
While most public policy groups have to pay for publication of their agendas, Reed noted that the coalition was paid a $50,000 advance by the publisher. That advance was donated to Robertson's relief organization, Operation Blessing. All further proceeds from the paperback will be donated to various charities that have not yet been selected.
The book's publisher, a Nashville-based division of Random House called Moorings, shipped 100,000 copies to both general interest and religious bookstores in early July; local chain stores like Barnes & Noble and Heaven & Earth now have it, though Waldenbooks does not. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
by CNB