Alito Confirmation Starts off Christian Coalition Drive for the New Year Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005 Posted: 6:53:21PM EST
The Christian Coalition unveiled its list of priorities for 2006, starting with a focus on mobilizing its base to support conservative judicial nominees including Judge Samuel Alito.
The Washington-based group, which is starting the year by organizing a petition drive supporting the President’s conservative picks, issued a list of ten of its main efforts including passing legislation to support various church, pro-life, and pro-family causes.
"There is so much unfinished business which needs to be addressed during the Second Session of the 109th Congress,” said Roberta Combs, President of the Christian Coalition. “The 2004 election has shown that America has become more conservative and concerned about the deterioration of the culture and Americans want a change.”
Among the top issues the Coalition will wrestle with are lobbying lawmakers to help Christian broadcasters and passing laws protect churches’ tax-exempt status when preachers make “political” comments in sermons.
The group will also push to take abortion pill RU-486 off the market while investigations continue following recent deaths of women who used it. It will also join other conservative social policy groups to protect the religious freedom of military chaplains to pray according to their faith.
Fiscally, the Christian Coalition will push to keep federal tax cuts made from 2001-2003 and increase child tax credits, while eliminating the marriage penalty tax.
The organization calls itself the nation's "largest and most active conservative grassroots political organization in America." During the last national election it says the group distributed over 70 million voter guides throughout the 50 states.
The group lobbies lawmakers in Congress, teaches people around the country how start local grassroots campaigns, and hosts events that draw pro-family supporters.
The Christian Coalition was founded in 1989 by Pat Robertson, who resigned as its president in 2001.
| Francis Helguero francis@christianpost.com |
