Some guys just can’t catch a break. And other guys clearly don’t deserve one.
TV preacher Jerry Falwell’s recent efforts to help Republican candidates, through his tax-exempt religious ministry, has already sparked controversy. My friends at Americans United uncovered his shenanigans and exposed Falwell’s blatant abuse.
“For conservative people of faith, voting for principle this year means voting for the re-election of George W. Bush,” Mr. Falwell wrote in the July 1 issue of his e-mail newsletter “Falwell Confidential” and on his Web site, falwell.com. “The alternative, in my mind, is simply unthinkable. To the pro-life, pro-family, pro-traditional marriage, pro-America voters in this nation, we must determine that President Bush is the man with our interests at heart. It is that simple.”
He added: “I believe it is the responsibility of every political conservative, every evangelical Christian, every pro-life Catholic, every traditional Jew, every Reagan Democrat, and everyone in between to get serious about re-electing President Bush.”
As far as federal tax law goes, this is a pretty obvious violation. Fortunately, others are also noticing and helping to keep the pressure on.
A watchdog group claims the Rev. Jerry Falwell violated campaign finance laws by endorsing President Bush and soliciting funds for a conservative political action committee on his ministries’ Web site.
In a complaint filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission, the Campaign Legal Center said Jerry Falwell Ministries and a lobbying organization affiliated with Falwell were politicking for the president by endorsing him earlier this month, which they are barred from doing as nonprofit corporations.
This second complaint is interesting because it’s not just about tax law. Clearly, a tax-exempt ministry can’t intervene on behalf of a political campaign as Falwell has done. But while AU emphasizes that aspect of charge, the Campaign Legal Center has focused on election law.
According to campaign finance law, corporations are permitted to endorse candidates only in publications sent to employees, shareholders and their families.
“They put it on a Web site that is available to members of the general public,” said J. Gerald Hebert, director of litigation for the Campaign Legal Center. “That is blatantly illegal.”
This may be fun to watch. Stay tuned.
And speaking of Falwell, I’ve seen three different sources (Atrios, Jesse Taylor, and a friend of mine at the convention) all mention that Falwell is under consideration to deliver the opening invocation at the Republican National Convention next month.
I honestly believe this is impossible. It probably started as a joke among sarcastic Dems (“Who’s going to give their invocation? Jerry Falwell?”) and morphed into a bona fide rumor. I have no doubt that Bush wants to keep the GOP’s far-right base happy, but even I don’t believe his campaign is so desperate that he’d allow a lunatic like Falwell to get anywhere near the stage in New York. It just wouldn’t make any sense — they’re giving all the key slots to moderates (Giuliani, Pataki, Schwarzenegger), not fire-breathing crazies.
And let’s not forget that Falwell is not just another nutty TV preacher. He is, to put it mildly, one of the most despicable people in American public life. Indeed, it would be unusually offensive to have Falwell in New York shortly before the anniversary of 9/11 because it was Falwell who lashed out at Americans — whom he held responsible, instead of al Queda — just 48 hours after the terrorist attacks, while most of us were putting aside our differences and coming together in unity to mourn.
“The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this [attack] because God will not be mocked,” Falwell said. “And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad.” Falwell then launched into a hateful tirade against every group he is filled with rage against — religious minorities, abortion-rights advocates, feminists, gays and advocates of church-state separation.
“I point the finger in their face and say, ‘You helped this happen,'” Falwell said, summing up his vitriolic view of the terrorist attacks.
Falwell has said equally nauseating things throughout his career. Virtually every line of decency that America values has been crossed, repeatedly, by Falwell.
If Bush taps this guy to give the invocation, I’ll start drafting Kerry’s acceptance speech.