Ralph Reed

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Ralph Eugene Reed, Jr., (born 24 June 1961) is a conservative US political activist, a former associate of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the former executive director of Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition.

In June 2009 Reed started The Faith and Freedom Coalition as 'a 21st-century version of the Christian Coalition...married with the modern technology of the internet sprinkled with the NRA (National Rifle Association) and AIPAC (American-Israel Public Affairs Committee).' Reed told the Economist that FFC's base is '60% evangelicals, 25% Roman Catholics and 15% "other", such as conservative Jews.'[1] The report adds:

Mr Reed can cite some impressive numbers: an $8m budget; 1,000 members joining every day; 350,000 supporters, of which 150,000 are donors, and 350 local chapters. He is sending out 5m congressional scorecards and 21m voter guides.[1]

The Israel Lobby woos Reed

Ralph Reed has served as the key liaison between the Israel lobby and the Christian Right. On 8 May 1995 he addressed AIPAC's annual conference, followed by a panel discussion on relations between Jews and the Christian Right. According to J.J. Goldberg, Reed's co-panelist Elliot Abrams said:

For any of us to allow our own political views to interfere with our cooperation with a group that is valiantly pro-Israel, it seems to me, is nuts. The American Jewish community was once under 4 percent of the population. It is now under 3 percent, and it is clearly heading for 2 percent. So the ability of the American Jewish community to protect Israel in the next generation is inevitably going to decline.[2]

To underscore his point, Abrams concluded:

[We] may be in for an era when the influence of the American Jewish community is in decline. For that reason I say to you, I don't know whether Ralph Reed needs us, but we need Ralph Reed.[3]

Affiliations

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Ralph's way: The Wunderkind returns, The Economist, 16 September 2010
  2. Goldberg (1996): 109
  3. Goldberg (1996): 109-110
  4. Goldberg (1996): 109