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New York Times Headlines Christian Coalition Woes

Says: 'In Debt & Disarray'--'Never as Big as Claims'

Hobbled by $2.5 Million Debt, Active in 7 States Only

By Jack Nichols

New York City� The New York Times' lead story in yesterday's (August 2) issue read" Coalition's Woes may Hinder Goals of Christian Right". Sub-headlines explained: "In Debt and Disarray, Political Lobby Was Never as Big as Claims, Ex-Leaders Say."

Ex-Christian Coalition leaders, finally embittered by their group's internal struggles told Laurie Goodstein of the Times that the Coalition�a leading anti-gay force--is "hobbled" by a $2.5 million debt, and that its most experienced personnel have flown the coop.

Pat Robertson (below) and his choices to run the Christian Coalition: Don Hodel (left) and Randy Tate

Only 7 states, they say, presently host strong Christian Coalition activism, down from 48 states claimed only last year. "Prior assertions," says Ms. Goodstein, "to such widespread strength are in doubt." The states where the Christian Coalition still exerts influence are: South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Washington.

In the wake of such a blatant withering, both Democratic and Republican political hopefuls must now reassess the ability of the Religious Right to "to exert wide influence in the 2000 elections."

Former leaders attributed the non-existence of the Coalition's members to the fact that the group regularly listed thousands of names of the deceased. Wrong addresses and duplicate lists were added to further inflate supporters' numbers. Millions of voter guides reported distributed in churches were printed only to impress the media and went unused. "They became recycled paper," said one disgruntled former-employee.

Hired to look busy in mailrooms and phone banks, temporary workers were placed strategically to impress reporters and cameramen with non-existent activity.

Although the Coalition may be near-dead, the Religious Right itself will remain a political force composed, according to William Martin, the Chavanne Professor of Religion and Public Policy at Rice University, of "a significant substantial minority."

As recently as 1996, the Christian Coalition under Ralph Reed was said to have mobilized nearly 3 million persons, raising $26.5 million. After Mr. Reed's departure, however, the group's momentum slowed to its current snail's pace.

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Reed's successor's Randy Tate, a former Republican congressman from the state of Washington, and Donald Hodel, a former Reagan Cabinet member were astonished upon assuming their positions to discover that the Christian Coalition had sunk $3 million into debt.

A Reagan-Bush insider, Ken Hill, was chief operating officer for the Coalition in 1996 and he was astounded upon finding that while the Coalition took in donations of $100,000 daily, it was paying a nearly equal daily amount for operations.