2007 "Values Voters" Conference Draws, Disappoints Republican Presidential Candidates
Background by JewsOnFirst.org, October 25, 2007
The Family Research Council's Values Voters Summit, which took place in Washington, DC last weekend, was yet another venue for Republican presidential hopefuls to court the religious right -- with, it turned out, lackluster success.
The conference was also a venue for religious right organizing and reportedly drew many of the movement's leaders. Focus on the Family's James Dobson was a featured speaker.
Among the breakout sessions were: "The Impact of the Homosexual Agenda" and "Christian Students, the University of Babylon, and the Fiery Furnace: Surviving and Thriving in America's Most Repressive Atmosphere," a panel about "repression" and "censorship" of fundamentalist Christian students, and other "multiple threats to their basic rights of free speech and free association." Two sessions shared a title: "The Double Threat to Our National Security." One was about the "threat" of immigration and the other about "radical Islam."
We've posted the event's program, including breakout sessions, here, in PDF format.
Religious Right Divides Its Vote at Summit
Michael Luo, The New York Times, October 21, 2007
Washington, Oct. 20 — After an earnest appeal for acceptance from Rudolph W. Giuliani, Christian conservatives ended their two-day summit here Saturday still divided about which of the Republican presidential candidates to marshal their collective might behind.
Mitt Romney edged out Mike Huckabee in the straw poll at the Values Voter Summit. But questions were raised about the way the voting was conducted — votes were permitted to be cast online as far back as August — and even top leaders said there did not appear to be any consensus.
“I don’t think the question is anywhere close to settled,” said Gary L. Bauer, an influential Christian conservative leader and former Republican candidate himself in 2000. “I think it’s going to play out over the next several months.” Continue.
For 3 Candidates, a Test on Religion
Michael Luo, The New York Times, October 20, 2007
Washington, Oct. 19 — Fred D. Thompson said that within his first hour of becoming president, he would close the door behind him in the Oval Office and pray for wisdom.
Senator John McCain grew emotional when he talked about a North Vietnamese prison guard who loosened his bonds and, several months later in a meeting on Christmas Day, surreptitiously etched a cross on the ground in front of him.
Mitt Romney spoke about his wife of 38 years, 5 children and 10 grandchildren, saying he had been “pro-family on every level” in his personal life, as well as his political life. Continue.
 Theocracy Now! A Video Report From The 2007 Value Voters Summit
by Max Blumenthal, The Nation and YouTube, October 21, 2007
On October 20 and 21, Thomas Shomaker, and I attended the Value Voters Summit, a massive gathering hosted by the Colorado-based Christian right mega-ministry, Focus on the Family, and its Washington lobbying arm, the Family Research Council. Click here to read Blumenthal's summary at The Nation, where you'll find a link to the video. Or view the video here.
US religious right faces 2008 dilemma
With only 75 days to go before elections to choose each party's presidential candidate begin, America's religious conservatives face an intractable dilemma.
Laura Smith-Spark, BBC, October 20, 2007
Do they back the candidate they trust to promote the social values they hold dear - or the one who stands the best chance of beating the Democrats to the White House in 2008?
The Republican candidate currently leading national polls is former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
But his support for gay and abortion rights, not to mention his three marriages, make him an unpalatable option for many social conservatives who would usually vote Republican. Continue.
Religious Right Divides Its Vote at Summit
By Michael Luo, The New York Times, October 21, 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 — After an earnest appeal for acceptance from Rudolph W. Giuliani, Christian conservatives ended their two-day summit here Saturday still divided about which of the Republican presidential candidates to marshal their collective might behind.
Mitt Romney edged out Mike Huckabee in the straw poll at the Values Voter Summit. But questions were raised about the way the voting was conducted — votes were permitted to be cast online as far back as August — and even top leaders said there did not appear to be any consensus. Continue.
Vying for ‘Values Voters’
Michael Luo, The New York Times, October 16, 2007
The leading Republican candidates will be making pilgrimages to Washington on Friday and Saturday to state their cases before more than 2,000 Christian conservatives at the Values Voter Summit.
The event, which will include a straw poll, could be a defining one if this crucial constituency in the Republican base can finally coalesce around a candidate.
Rudolph W. Giuliani, who was the last candidate to R.S.V.P. for the event, will be addressing the group just a few weeks after James C. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, and other influential conservative Christian leaders said they would probably bolt the Republican Party and support a third-party candidate if Mr. Giuliani was the nominee, because of his support for abortion rights. Continue.
What's new in the neighborhood? A coming W.alues V.oters split
Alex Carpenter, Faith in Public Life, October 23, 2007
After years of propping up W., the Family Research Council inAction crowd apparently threw their weight behind Huckabee and/or Romney.
A quote from AU's Barry Lynn: “This may be the biggest collection of theocrats in one room since the Salem Witch Trials.”
But that misses what the conference actually revealed, a brewing fight between the grassroots and pundit leaders. Continue.
Family Research Council Straw Poll Results: Romney and Huckabee Tie for First Place
By Jonathan Stein, Mother Jones, October 20, 2007
This is big. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's tie for first place here at the Family Research Council's Washington Briefing (aka the "Voters Value Summit") should mark his emergence. It's not clear he's a first tier candidate just yet, but he has the heart of the Christian evangelicals, and that's a great base if you're seeking the GOP nod. Here are the results in full: Continue.
 What We Value Most
Family Research Council, October 24, 2007
As part of this past weekend's Values Voter Summit, FRC Action and Focus on the Family Action conducted the first-ever values voter "straw poll." The presidential preference portion of the poll has been widely reported in the media. It shows two former governors, Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, vying neck-and-neck and capturing between them more than half of the total votes cast. There was an issues question, however, in the straw poll that did not receive as much attention. We asked participants to tell us which of about a dozen key issues would most influence their choice for president. Not surprisingly, the top two issues by wide margins were abortion and the protection of man-woman marriage. Continue.
Evangelical Indecision
Tim O'Brien, Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, October 12, 2007
Tim O'brien, guest anchor: As the race for the White House moves forward, religion is playing a prominent role in the campaign. We have been and will continue covering that. This week, we look at indecision among evangelical voters about which presidential candidate to support in 2008. Evangelicals have become a key part of the winning coalition for Republicans. They represented about 40 percent of George W. Bush's total vote in 2004. But so far this campaign season, evangelicals haven't united behind any of the presidential candidates. Kim Lawton has our report. Continue.
"Values Voters" Anarchy Good News for Gays
Advocate.com, October 20-22, 2007
The fractured coalition of Christian conservatives is meeting in Washington, D.C., on Friday and Saturday for a "Values Voters Summit," to be capped Saturday evening by a straw poll of the 2,500 participants.
At a meeting of conservative leaders last month in Salt Lake City, the 50 or so big names in Christian activism agreed to keep their personal endorsements to themselves until after Saturday's straw poll.
The leaders are scheduled to go into closed session Sunday, presumably to debate how best to consolidate and wield their political power. Continue.
First impressions... and Tony P's Opening Remarks
by "Dan," Faith In Public Life, October 19, 2007
They're running a tight ship, a mix of tight security and flowing efficiency. The convocation included a prayer, pledge and the national anthem. The anthem was beautiful, but I can't say I've ever thanked God for Tony Perkins before.
The master of ceremonies' second order of business after telling us to turn off our phones was to telling a rather lengthy joke about Sean Penn. Really cutting to the chase with the derision.
Perkins' opening remarks... Nothing surprising about the rights of the unborn, "the threat to traditional marriage," and the importance of family.
His words about foreign policy were a curious blend of newfound humility and enduring militaristic American exceptionalism. I could sense that he was speaking to an audience that's weary of Iraq as he called in a gentle voice for "responsible foreign policy," but as he harkened to "peace through strength" I gathered that his views of militarism haven't changed. Continue.
Checking the Scorecard: IRS may be Cracking Down on Religious Right 'Voter Guides'
Rob Boston, Talk2Action, October 23, 2007
I spent the weekend at the Religious Right's "Values Voter Summit" in Washington, D.C. Sponsored primarily by the action arms of Family Research Council and Focus on the Family, the event brought together about 2,000 of the theocratic right's most hardcore activists.
As usual, it was chock-full of extreme rhetoric, partisanship and mean-spirited attacks on the far right's perceived enemies. I will have a full report about the event in the November issue of Church & State, which will be online at AU's website next month.
This post will look at a breakout session that took place on Saturday afternoon. The topic was churches and politics, and it was hosted by two attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). It was most enlightening - although perhaps not for the reasons they expected. Continue.
A Letter To Religious Leaders
Project Fair Play, American United for Separation of Church and State, 2006
The text of a letter sent to religious institutions from Americans United for Separaton of Church and State reminding the leaders of the religious institutions of parameters on political speach in their churches and synagogues.
As Election Day draws near, candidates and their supporters may seek help or endorsements from your house of worship. Thus, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the law governing electioneering by nonprofit organizations. Continue.
Values Voters Cautious on Third Party Possibility
Matt Purple, CNSNews.com via Newsbull.com, October 23, 2007
(Cybercast News Service CNSNews.com) - Republican presidential candidates gathered at the Washington Hilton over the weekend to tout their credentials on social issues before an audience of Christian conservatives.
But some attendees at the Values Voters Summit agreed with Christian conservative leader Dr. James Dobson, who recently argued in a New York Times op-ed that if both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates are pro-abortion, Christian conservatives may need to support a third party candidate.
"I would [support a third party], but just pray that doesn't happen," Scott Lensmie, one of the conference attendees, told Cybercast News Service. "If we divide our vote, it would likely put a Democrat in the White House." Continue.
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