Ralph Reed
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
- Christian Coalition
- Faith and Freedom Coalition
- AIPAC - addressed the 1995 annual conference[4]