Ralph Reed's New Values Group: 'Not Your Daddy's Christian Coalition'

By GottaLaff

Nothing inspires trust like a failed candidate, a plagiarist with an arrest record, who's been investigated, been accused of election-rigging, who turned to lobbying, who is forever associated with felon Jack Abramoff, to mobilize the brand spankin' new version of Values Voters: The Next Generation:

Ralph Reed [...] is quietly launching a group aimed at using the Web to mobilize a new generation of values voters. In addition to targeting the GOP's traditional faith-based allies—white evangelicals and observant Catholics—the group, called the Faith and Freedom Coalition, will reach out to Democratic-leaning constituencies, including Hispanics, blacks, young people, and women.

Faith and Freedom? Really? With actual people of color, young 'uns, and ::gasp!:: women?! That's quite an undertaking. By the way, Ralphie, who's your daddy?

"This is not your daddy's Christian Coalition," Reed said in an interview Monday. "It's got to be more brown, more black, more female, and younger. It's critical that we open the door wide and let them know if they share our values and believe in the principles of faith and marriage and family, they're welcome."

That's swell how he recognizes that people other than white old men exist, isn't it? I'm excited for him. This opens so many doors so wide! See? Even Rushpublic doors have wide stances!

"There's a whole rising generation of young leaders in the faith community, and rather than nab the publicity I did at Christian Coalition, I want to cultivate and train that rising generation," Reed said. "One question is, who is our future Barack Obama, doing local organizing just like he was in the 1990s?"

One: Cultivate and train = Coerce and brain wash.

Two: He's in search of the next Barack Obama, Community Organizer? Did I read that right? WWSS??*

Moving on:

Reed is serving as chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition and says he has filed papers with the Internal Revenue Service to register it as a 501(c)(4), a tax-free designation that permits lobbying and certain political activities. Gary Marx, Reed's deputy at the 2004 Bush campaign and Mitt Romney's conservative outreach director in 2008, will help advise the group. Jack St. Martin, a former top Republican National Committee staffer, is running day-to-day operations. [...]

"People of faith today are still a minority, but they're not a beleaguered minority," Reed said. "Twenty years ago, we never had people who had been the chief speechwriter to the president or senior staff at the Justice Department and all that has changed."

And hey, if that's not reassuring, nothing is.

*What Will Sarah Say?