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Conservative coalition launches Texas affiliate; Dems question makeup, motives
By Chris Beattie, cbeattie@starlocalnews.com
The Faith & Freedom Coalition, a self-proclaimed pro-family, pro-Constitution grassroots political movement, launched its Texas affiliate July 27 in McKinney.
Based in one of the politically red state's reddest areas -- Collin County -- the Coalition looks to entrench its faith-fueled ideas in a growing population.
"We are excited about the potential for Faith & Freedom Coalition in Texas," said Ralph Reed, Coalition founder and chairman. "Texans realize our nation is at a crossroads and that it's time to get engaged to restore our country's founding principles, rule of law and federalist system of government."
The newest affiliate launched last Friday at Rick's Chophouse in downtown McKinney, where Reed, FFC Executive Director Gary Marx, and Billy Kirkland, national field director, joined Collin County Judge Keith Self, resident Curtis Rath and Derek Baker, the affiliate's executive director, in announcing immediate goals for the area.
"When you start hanging out with like-minded individuals who believe in liberty and freedom, and especially religious liberty, you start brainstorming," said Baker, who's been involved with conservative Republican politics for 24 years. "Especially the North Texas area is a wonderful market to really mobilize voters who are like-minded."
Baker started his political career working on the presidential and senatorial campaigns for former United States Sen. Phil Gramm, who in 2008 served as economic adviser to John McCain's presidential campaign.
Baker later was a senior policy analyst for the Republican Study Committee, what he called "the most conservative group in Congress," and then served as Director of Congressional Affairs for the lobbyist group, Americans for Limited Government.
"I'm what you call a fiscal and social conservative, a true conservative," he said, "which is why Texas Faith & Freedom was such a great idea, because it supports all the things I believe in."
And, in light of the social and political controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy's open support for "the Biblical definition of a family," such beliefs are ever-growing as the most polarizing topics in American politics.
Founded in 2009, the Coalition has made clear its view that such traditional, faith-centric values are essential to "restoring America's greatness and founding principles," as stated on its website.
But others aren't so convinced. ProgressTexas, a multi-issue organization focused on holding elected officials accountable and empowering Texans to improve their quality of life, desires to "organize rapid response communications to the distortions and lies of conservative groups" and to "highlight failed conservative policies and any ethical failures within government," according to its website.
Matt Glazer, executive director of ProgressTexas, listed a lack of affordable health care, an under-funded public education system and a dismissal of environmental needs as major issues ProgressTexas aims to address. But most important is government transparency, which Glazer said state and federal government has lacked particularly over the past decade under primarily Republican control.
"We've seen in the past other conservative groups under the guise of promoting transparency, then they end up making it harder for people to vote," Glazer said when asked about the FFC. "So it's very suspect when groups like this arise."
Shawn Stevens, chairman of the Democratic Party of Collin County, questioned the Coalition's 501(c)4 designation, which does not force it to disclose its funding sources. Stevens said there are both Republican and Democratic groups operating under this designation that appear to be grassroots organizations but are, in fact, funded mostly by wealthy individuals and corporations.
"We can't know for sure whether they're a true grassroots group without them disclosing their donors," Stevens said of the Coalition. "The whole point is we just don't know. If spending money is a form of free speech, as many contend, that usually entails the person speaking identifying who they are."
Stevens emphasized that, like with other 501(c)4 groups, there is no proof the Coalition operates on corporate donations and is not a true grassroots movement. But, he said, there's founded suspicion of such when the Coalition has ties to Karl Rove, recognized by many as a highly influential political donor to Tea Party groups.
"I question whether anyone who has Karl Rove involved is truly a grassroots group," he said. "There are a lot of corporate interests that in order to protect their own money...will put money in these groups that will fight to take down the other side."
Funding aside, both Baker and Glazer expressed common missions for their respective associations: to better educate the public on hot-topic issues and on candidates' beliefs and values, and to enhance public participation in the civic process. Only about 8.5 percent of Texans voted in the recent primary runoff, Glazer said, adding that in such a race, turnout should be at least 40 to 50 percent.
Baker said only one of every three faith-centered citizens registered to vote actually do so. "I honestly think it's because people take for granted how good Texas is on some of the issues they care about," he said.
And FFC members recognize the Republican-versus-Democrat polarization as it relates to voting numbers. Rath said one of the new FFC affiliate's primary goals is to get minorities more involved, and less barred-off from their fellow residents -- a uniting of sorts of McKinney's west and east sides.
"We need to get people of color and Hispanics involved in the process, because they are being shut out," Rath said. "High percentages of African-Americans and Hispanics have a tremendous amount of faith and go to church, they just don't trust Republicans."
The Coalition this year has hosted presidential forums in South Carolina, Michigan, Delaware and Wisconsin, and conducted voter-education campaigns in North Carolina and Indiana. According to the FFC website, its North Carolina campaign fueled 250,000 voter contacts that in May helped pass the state's constitutional amendment defining marriage as "between one man and one woman."
"This area is so patriotic, and it so conservative, and that means a lot of people of faith choose not to have a voice, but they may not think they have a platform," Self said. "We want to get them energized so they are able to express their faith in the public square. One of the things the Left wants to do is squeeze out all faith...from the public square."
Glazer, a lifelong Texan, stressed that his own suspicions of groups like FFC stem not from religious differences or intolerances, but from precedence. He worries about a potential hidden agenda because of the King Street Patriots, a Houston-based Tea Party group he said used laws and maintained powerful Republican candidacy to disenfranchise thousands of voters over the past few years.
"If I see a Democrat or Republican do the right thing, I applaud them," he said. "Actions speak much louder than words."
The Texas FFC affiliate plans to hold a prayer rally in coming weeks to "pray to the Lord of the universe...and ask for his guidance," Baker said. Citizen action seminars will be held around the area throughout the year.
Though late to the FFC, and in spite of immediate opposition, the affiliate hopes to make a difference in the upcoming election cycle.
"I truly believe Texas Faith & Freedom will have a major impact," Baker said. "It's important not just that our candidates and issues win in a general election, but that they win big -- that people across the nation know there are Texans who really care."
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