Building a Christian G.O.P.

From a fifty-seven-page “county action plan” distributed by the Pennsylvania Christian Coalition, a division of the national organization headed by the Reverend Pat Robertson. The plan, which explains in detail how to set up a county chapter of the Christian Coalition, advises activists that “after getting the organization going you will have plenty of time to get involved in issues. But for now stay clear of issues and focus on organization.... If we have as few as 75-150 people in each county we could become the most powerful political influence in the state.” Robertson has said that he wants “to see a working majority of the Republican Party in the hands of pro-family Christians by 1996.” The plan was obtained by The Freedom Writer, a newsletter published in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

The first priority in developing a county chapter is to organize leadership properly before taking on any task. The member of the chapter's executive committee in charge of interaction with the Republican Party is the Republican Party liaison. His or her job is to seek ways to directly influence the county Republican committee as well as the Republican state committee. The best way to do this is to elect the majority of local Republican committee persons as well as the Republican county chairman.

Project #1: Become directly involved in the local Republican committee yourself. This way you can get a copy of the local committee rules and a feel for who's who in the current local Republican committee. You should never mention the name “Christian Coalition” in Republican circles.

Project # 2: Find the voting districts in which there are vacant committee seats, or in which seats are held by people who are not conservative and pro-family. Recruit people to run for each of these seats.

Precinct Committee Person

A precinct is the smallest political unit in the United States. Everybody who votes at the same location you do is in your precinct. Although the committee person seems like a small, inconsequential position, it can yield a lot of political power. The elected committee person becomes a member of the county committee. He or she is now entitled to vote at the county's “reorganization meeting,” at which the county chairman and vice-chairman are elected.

I have heard people say that they were not interested in local politics, just the national stuff. But this is the best way to affect national politics. If you'll run for a committee-person seat in your precinct, and help elect the right county chairman, this will eventually affect national politics.

County Chairmanships

Why are county chairmanships important? The county chairman's rule is almost absolute; he will lead the county Republican committee in the selection and promotion of candidates for almost all offices. He also has an automatic vote on the state committee.

State Committee

The elected members of the state committee are also very important seats, and it is imperative that our people win a majority of these seats. The state committee determines candidate endorsements, leadership positions in the state Republican Party, and the selection of at-large delegates to the national convention.

National Delegates

Every four years a group of delegates are picked from each congressional district to go to the national convention. It is important to have a majority of delegates to protect the platform from assaults by those on “the left” of the Republican Party.

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SEE ALSO: Christianity and politics; Christians; The Republican Party

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