Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 11, 1995 TAG: 9505110121
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The founder of the group, religious broadcaster Pat Robertson of Virginia Beach, has complained that the Republican-controlled Congress has been preoccupied with budgetary issues at the expense of advancing a conservative social agenda. "Congress is ignoring the concerns of Christian and pro-family voters," he wrote recently to his 1.6 million members.
The release of the contract will kick off a massive national lobbying effort by the coalition to refocus debate on "family issues," said Mike Russell, a spokesman for the organization.
Several political consultants, noting that the coalition played a key role in helping to elect a GOP majority in Congress last year, said the time is ripe for Robertson's group to seek a payback. But they warned that the organization could rapidly lose its influence if it pressures congressional allies to adopt ideologically rigid positions.
Aware of those concerns, Russell said the coalition may not insist on adoption of its agenda prior to the 1996 presidential and congressional elections. "These are 10 suggestions, they are not 10 commandments," he said. "We're imposing no deadlines. Right now, we'd like to see favorable reactions from the leadership."
Russell said a final version of the contract has not been drafted, making it impossible to discuss all the particulars of the document. "We're looking at issues that already enjoy support from 70 to 80 percent of the public," he said.
The contract will call for an end to taxpayer-financed abortions and endorse a parental consent law for teenagers seeking to end pregnancies, Russell said. It's possible, he added, that the Coalition will also seek to ban late-term abortions. "We're definitely looking at that," he said.
But the coalition, which has long espoused outlawing practically all abortion, will stop short of calling for a constitutional amendment outlawing the procedure. In doing so, the group will place itself in accord with House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., who recently said that an amendment would not succeed until public attitudes on abortion changed.
"There are many elements to the abortion debate and we're looking for something we can begin working on with this Congress," Russell said. "The constitutional amendment may take too long."
Russell said the contract will also include:
Support for a Religious Equality Act that would legalize organized prayer in public places, including schools.
Tax vouchers for private education and home schooling.
A dismantling of the federal Department of Education and the return of most school and curriculum policies to states and localities.
Ending federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, public radio and public television.
Allowing tax-free retirement savings for homemakers.
A requirement that prison inmates be literate before they are paroled.
Several political analysts said the contract, on its face, does not appear threatening to Republicans and demonstrates a growing commitment by the coalition to enter mainstream politics.
"This is a striking document because what it communicates is that the Christian Coalition is more intent on being a player at the table than a pressure group," said William Schneider, a political scientist for the American Enterprise Institute. "What the Christian Coalition is trying to say to the GOP is, 'You can live with us.'
"The items they're talking about are not extreme or over the edge," Schenider added. "There's no argument against gay rights or for a total ban on abortion. This sounds to me like something Republicans can live with."
Schneider said the coalition gained stature in the GOP last year by strongly endorsing Gingrich's Contract with America. He credited executive director Ralph Reed, who is on the cover of this week's Time magazine, for pragmatically expanding the group's focus. "In the past, the Christian Coalition never got involved in financial issues," Schneider said.
But Claiborne Darden, a Republican pollster from Atlanta, questioned whether the coalition's evangelical following will support the group's moderate shift. He noted that Reed, in an apparent effort to appease hardliners, recently said that opposition to abortion should be a litmus test for the 1996 GOP vice presidential nominee.
"Potentially, the religious right is every bit as dangerous to the Republican Party as the radical left has been to the Democratic Party," he said. "They seem to be learning, but the danger is still there. If they can control their fanaticism, they can gain support. If they don't, they will bankrupt the party."
by CNB