Religious Right Mad at the GOP
In 2001, Family Research Council leader Tony Perkins gave a speech to the openly white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens. And when Perkins worked for Senator Woody Jenkins, he purchased a phone-bank list from former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke.
Today he’s angry at the Republican Party over recent revelations that the RNC paid for a wild night at a strip club in Hollywood. And by sheer coincidence, Sarah Palin’s angry too: Palin turns down RNC after nightclub incident.
“This latest incident is another indication to me that the RNC is completely tone-deaf to the values and concerns of a large number of people from whom they seek financial support,” Perkins wrote in his most recent “Washington Update” newsletter. “I’ve hinted at this before, but now I am saying it—don’t give money to the RNC. If you want to put money into the political process, and I encourage you to do so, give directly to candidates who you know reflect your values.”
Perkins, a major figure among Christian conservatives, also chastised the RNC for hiring prominent lawyer Ted Olson to represent the committee in a campaign finance case. Perkins is critical of the decision because Olson is one of the lawyers fighting to overturn Proposition 8 in California (the ballot initiative that banned gay marriage).