Two things have changed since then: One, James Dobson officially ended his simmering feud with John McCain in a recent radio broadcast--owing mostly to McCain's selection of Sarah Palin. And two, it looks as if Dobson has been shocked to action by liberals poaching on evangelical turf. The pro-Obama group Matthew 25 has been running these spots on God-friendly channels in Colorado, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, knocking honchos like Dobson off balance. (Amy Sullivan's book The Party Faithful explains how Democratic operative Mara Vanderslice--who now heads Matthew 25--pioneered this kind of liberal outreach to evangelicals, which was completely unheard of as recently as 2004.) "We are responding directly to the Matthew 25 campaign--running TV and radio ads in the same markets targeted by Matthew 25," one FRC source says to David Brody.
Indeed, FRC Action's president says the Council decided to start a PAC because, "By registration Christians are becoming more independent. Some folks in the political process have confused what it means to be a values voter. They've asked, ‘What do values issues mean?' We hope to help cut through some of the clutter."
--Barron YoungSmith