Report Documents How Religious Extremists Have Hijacked the Political Process

[Press Release from the Texas Freedom Network; report is here].
AUSTIN – A new report documents how religious extremists have hijacked the political process in Texas, have tightened their grip on the Republican Party and today dominate debate over public policy in the state.

The Anatomy of Power: Texas and the Religious Right in 2006 is the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund’s first annual report on the growing influence of the religious right in the state, said Kathy Miller, president of TFN and the TFN Education Fund.

“This report should spark a serious discussion among Texans concerned about extremists who use religion to divide us and partisan politics to belittle the faith of anyone who dares to disagree with them,” Miller said.
The 2006 report focuses on the key parts of a complex strategy by religious ideologues to shift the political balance of power in Texas sharply to the right. The implementation of this strategy, which stretches back nearly two decades, has included building a dominant power base in the Republican Party and purging mainstream voices from the party.

“These extremists chose the Republican Party as their vehicle for advancing a divisive agenda that promotes their own religious views over all others,” Miller said. “Every election year we see vicious attacks on moderate Republicans who support public education and refuse to divide voters on hot-button issues like abortion and gay rights.”

The report also examines the importance of wealthy conservative campaign donors, such as San Antonio businessman James Leininger; the proliferation of far-right pressure groups, such as the Texas Restoration Project; and the role of key leaders, such as David Barton, vice chairman of the state GOP and president of WallBuilders. WallBuilders is a Christian advocacy organization that opposes separation of church and state and advocates for a government based on narrowly construed conservative biblical principles.

“Too many politicians today pander to extremists who focus on our religious differences to divide Texans instead of focusing on really important issues like health care, the economy and public education,” Miller said.