Ralph E Reed

Pat Robertson, the Christian broadcaster and evangelist who ran for President in 1988, has returned to politics, launching a new religious coalition to train conservative Christians to shape government policy. Robertson--who retreated from political involvement after his failed GOP presidential bid--insists this is not the warmup for another White House run but a grass-roots campaign "to make government and the media responsive to our concerns. . . .

For former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed to succeed in his first bid for public office, he's going to have to pray for the help of voters like Norma Saunders. Saunders, 83, has heard about Reed's ties to Jack Abramoff, the disgraced Washington lobbyist. But, she said, she still plans to vote for Reed in today's Republican primary for Georgia lieutenant governor.

Campaigning for President Bush, the former head of the Christian Coalition told Nevada Republicans he could not remember the last time he watched a television newscast on CBS, NBC or ABC. Now a regional chairman for the Bush-Cheney campaign, Ralph Reed said he depended on the Internet, conservative talk show hosts and the Fox News Network to get his information about the world. And he urged Nevadans to do the same.

Microsoft Corp. said Friday that it had severed ties with Ralph Reed, a Republican lobbyist and former head of the Christian Coalition who is running for lieutenant governor of Georgia. "Ralph Reed is no longer on retainer with Microsoft," company spokeswoman Ginny Terzano said. The move came a month after liberal activists, upset that Microsoft had pulled its support for a gay rights bill in Washington state, urged the software maker to quit using Reed as a political consultant.

Ralph Reed, who in eight years as director of the Christian Coalition became a nationally recognized champion for religious conservatives and a useful villain for liberals, announced Wednesday that he will resign his post to become a campaign consultant. Reed, 35, said that the switch would allow him to take a more direct role in Republican politics and that he plans to focus on electing candidates who oppose abortion.

For former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed to succeed in his first bid for public office, he's going to have to pray for the help of voters like Norma Saunders. Saunders, 83, has heard about Reed's ties to Jack Abramoff, the disgraced Washington lobbyist. But, she said, she still plans to vote for Reed in today's Republican primary for Georgia lieutenant governor.

A consulting firm run by a top advisor to Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush said Tuesday that, because of "possible misperceptions," it will cease efforts to influence Bush on behalf of client Microsoft.

By any account, Ralph Reed and Mario Cuomo make an odd couple. Reed, Christian Coalition founder and conservative political strategist, became the face of the family values movement in the past decade. And Cuomo, former Democratic governor of New York, came to the public's attention for his liberal social stances and opposition to the death penalty. But they shared the stage Friday at a fund-raiser in Irvine for a local mentoring program.

Microsoft Corp. said Friday that it had severed ties with Ralph Reed, a Republican lobbyist and former head of the Christian Coalition who is running for lieutenant governor of Georgia. "Ralph Reed is no longer on retainer with Microsoft," company spokeswoman Ginny Terzano said. The move came a month after liberal activists, upset that Microsoft had pulled its support for a gay rights bill in Washington state, urged the software maker to quit using Reed as a political consultant.

The two roles of Ralph Reed, who stepped down last week as executive director of the Christian Coalition, collided in almost every major speech he ever delivered. There was Reed the conservative social movement leader who lamented the "moral and spiritual unease" in America, who called on evangelical activists to show humility and tried to rise above partisanship by quoting Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy.

Campaigning for President Bush, the former head of the Christian Coalition told Nevada Republicans he could not remember the last time he watched a television newscast on CBS, NBC or ABC. Now a regional chairman for the Bush-Cheney campaign, Ralph Reed said he depended on the Internet, conservative talk show hosts and the Fox News Network to get his information about the world. And he urged Nevadans to do the same.

Ralph Reed, the political consultant who helped mold the Christian Coalition into a national political force, is the new chairman of the Georgia Republican Party. "Last November, we ended the Clinton era. Today marks the beginning of the end of the Barnes, Murphy, Cleland era," Reed said after his election, referring to Georgia's top Democrats--Gov. Roy Barnes, state House Speaker Thomas B. Murphy and U.S. Sen. Max Cleland. Barnes and Cleland face reelection next year.

A consulting firm run by a top advisor to Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush said Tuesday that, because of "possible misperceptions," it will cease efforts to influence Bush on behalf of client Microsoft.

By any account, Ralph Reed and Mario Cuomo make an odd couple. Reed, Christian Coalition founder and conservative political strategist, became the face of the family values movement in the past decade. And Cuomo, former Democratic governor of New York, came to the public's attention for his liberal social stances and opposition to the death penalty. But they shared the stage Friday at a fund-raiser in Irvine for a local mentoring program.

The two roles of Ralph Reed, who stepped down last week as executive director of the Christian Coalition, collided in almost every major speech he ever delivered. There was Reed the conservative social movement leader who lamented the "moral and spiritual unease" in America, who called on evangelical activists to show humility and tried to rise above partisanship by quoting Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy.

Ralph Reed, who in eight years as director of the Christian Coalition became a nationally recognized champion for religious conservatives and a useful villain for liberals, announced Wednesday that he will resign his post to become a campaign consultant. Reed, 35, said that the switch would allow him to take a more direct role in Republican politics and that he plans to focus on electing candidates who oppose abortion.

It pretty much came down to "Dragnet" vs. "NYPD Blue." Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, defended the moral lessons and downplayed the sometimes steamy visuals of the latter, while Ralph Reed, executive director of the Christian Coalition, waxed nostalgically about the straight-arrow style and on-screen propriety of the former. "I think 'NYPD Blue' is the finest-crafted show on television," Valenti said.

The Christian Coalition's Ralph Reed Jr. and Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew, have given their support to a new group designed to bring its religious perspective to the growing political debate over values and public policy. The group's membership and platform are decidedly conservative. However, Orthodox Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of the new Center for Judeo-Christian Values in America, said he hopes that the group will eventually encompass liberal viewpoints as well.

In a professed spirit of "repentance" for the past sins of white Southern Christianity, Christian Coalition Executive Director Ralph Reed called Tuesday for a day of national racial reconciliation and pledged that his organization would raise at least $1 million to help rebuild African American churches that have been burned.

It pretty much came down to "Dragnet" vs. "NYPD Blue." Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, defended the moral lessons and downplayed the sometimes steamy visuals of the latter, while Ralph Reed, executive director of the Christian Coalition, waxed nostalgically about the straight-arrow style and on-screen propriety of the former. "I think 'NYPD Blue' is the finest-crafted show on television," Valenti said.