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Republican Platform Calls for Repeal of Ban on Political Organizing by Churches

""Early Wednesday morning, Donald Trump called Jerry Falwell Jr. and woke him up with news the Liberty University president has long been waiting to hear. The new Republican platform, the GOP nominee told Falwell, calls for the repeal of a half-century-old tax law prohibiting churches and tax-exempt institutions from political organizing.

“He was so excited,” Falwell says. “After 30 years of the so-called conservative leaders who have been elected by evangelicals, none of them thought to advocate for the repeal of the Johnson amendment, giving evangelical leaders political free speech. … He thinks it is going to be a revolution in the Christian world.” ""

The “Johnson Amendment,” as the 1954 law is often called, is a U.S. tax code rule preventing tax-exempt organizations, such as churches and educational institutions, from endorsing political candidates. At the time, then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson was running for re-election, and he and other members of Congress pushed the amendment to stop support for their political opponents’ campaigns, George Washington University law professor Robert Tuttle has explained. Many have also argued the amendment served to stop black churches from organizing to support the civil rights movement.

“All section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office,” the IRS explains of the rule on its website. “Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.”

Repealing the amendment was a priority of the Trump campaign in the GOP platform meetings this week in Cleveland. “They understand the importance of religious organizations and nonprofits, but religious organizations in particular which is what the Johnson Amendment affects, to have the ability to speak freely, and that they should not live in fear of the IRS,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, who is on the Republican platform committee. “That is a priority in the platform, and from the Trump folks, it is a priority of the campaign, and will be a priority of the administration.”

In recent years, religious liberty group the Alliance Defending Freedom has advocated for its repeal, arguing that the law is unconstitutional and lets the IRS “tell pastors what they can and cannot preach,” and “aims to censor your sermon.”

Falwell, an early Trump endorser, has long opposed the amendment. When he endorsed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the 2008 presidential race, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State complained to the IRS and called for an investigation of Liberty University. Falwell countered by documenting ways the law is used only to file complaints against conservative groups. “It intimidates the leaders of the organizations from exercising free speech,” Falwell says. “The law is a farce, it is not enforced, and it is time for it to go.”

Franklin Graham, son of American preacher Billy Graham, has also faced IRS investigations for his organizations Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He wrote to President Obama in 2013 to complain. “I believe that someone in the Administration was targeting and attempting to intimidate us,” he wrote. “This is morally wrong and some would call it ‘un-American.’”

Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, responded to the shift in the GOP platform to TIME. “Changing current restrictions on church politicking will corrupt the church’s mission, violates the beliefs of many parishioners and creates another giant loophole in campaign finance,” he says.

Trump’s supporters hope the move further cements Trump’s support in the GOP’s most reliable voting-bock, white evangelicals. Nearly 80% of white evangelicals already support Trump, slightly more than supported Mitt Romney in 2012, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center, and they prefer Trump on nearly every issue, from “improving economic conditions” to “managing federal government.”

“This is something that could make a difference with Christian voters in the fall,” Falwell says. “It is almost as important for Christians as the appointment of Supreme Court justices.”

According to the RAT's: A lying moral-less liberal democrat pretending to be a republican has attained more for conservatives than all of their flap jaw do nothing's combined.

Republicans Adopt ‘Most Conservative Platform in Modern History’

CLEVELAND—Delegates at the Republican National Convention officially adopted the platform recommended by the Platform Committee, called by one “the most conservative platform in modern history.” Republican delegates from across the nation are accepting the work of the 112-member Platform Committee, ratifying a platform that starkly contrasts with Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party.

Here are the highlights:

Marriage

The American family is the foundation of civil society and the cornerstone is marriage, the union of one man and one woman…we do not accept the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage and we urge its reversal, whether through judicial reconsideration or a constitutional amendment returning control over marriage to the States.

The Supreme Court and Marriage

We condemn the Supreme Court’s ruling in United States v. Windsor, which wrongfully removed the ability of Congress to define marriage policy in federal law. We also condemn the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which in the words of the late Justice Antonin Scalia was a “judicial Putsch”—“full of silly extravagances”—that “reduced the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mythical aphorisms of a fortune cookie.” In Obergefell, five unelected lawyers robbed 320 million Americans of their legitimate constitutional authority to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The Court twisted the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment beyond recognition. To echo Scalia, we dissent. We therefore support the appointment of Justices and judges who respect the constitutional limits on their power and respect the authority of the states to decide such fundamental social questions.

Protecting Human Life

The Constitution’s guarantee that no one can “be deprived of life, liberty or property” deliberately echoes the Declaration of Independence’s proclamation that “all” are “endowed by their Creator” with the inalienable right to life. Accordingly, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth. We oppose the use of public funds to perform or promote abortion or to fund organizations, like Planned Parenthood.

Title IX

We emphatically support the original, authentic meaning of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. It affirmed that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” That language opened up for girls and women a world of opportunities that had too often been denied to them. That same provision of law is now being used by bureaucrats – and by the current president of the United States – to impose a social and cultural revolution upon the American people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation, or other categories. The agenda has nothing to do with individual rights; it has everything to do with power. They are determined to reshape our schools – or entire society – to fit the mold of an ideology alien to America’s history and traditions. Their edict to the States concerning restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities is at once illegal, dangerous, and ignores privacy issues. We salute the several States which have filed suit against it.

National Defense

We believe that our nation is most secure when the president and the administration prioritize readiness, recruitment, and retention, rather than using the military to advance a social or political agendas. Military readiness must not be sacrificed on the altar of politically correct social agendas, which this administration has done.

Safe Neighborhoods

The next president must restore the public’s trust in law enforcement and civil order, by first adhering to the rule of law himself. Additionally, the next president must cease the sowing the seeks of division and distrust between the police and the people they have sworn to serve and protect. The Republican Party, a party of law and order, must make clear in words and actions that every human life matters.

Economic Growth

Republicans consider the establishment of a pro-growth tax code a moral imperative.

We condemn attempts by activist judges at any level of government to seize the power of the purse from the people’s elected representatives by ordering higher taxes.

Republican budgets will prioritize thrift over extravagance and put taxpayers first. We support the following test: Is a particular expenditure within the constitutional scope of the federal government? Of not, stop it.

Health Care

Any honest agenda for improving health care must start with repeal of the dishonestly named Affordable Care Act of 2010: Obamacare. It weighs like the dead hand of the past upon American medicine.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach—who authored both the language on the Supreme Court and marriage honoring Scalia, and also wrote the wildly popular language on the border wall previously analyzed by Breitbart News, says, “We fought for, and won, a socially conservative platform today.”

Texas delegate and conservative Christian leader David Barton made the point in historical terms, saying the 2016 Republican Platform “is the most conservative platform in modern history.”

Former Platform Committee Vice Chairman Ken Blackwell concurred, telling Breitbart News:

The media’s crowing of the death of Reagan Republicanism has proven premature. The Republican Party in 2016 has shown that it still holds to the timeless truths of constitutional fidelity that were the hallmark of Ronald Reagan, and that conservatives of all stripes should enthusiastically mobilize to defeat Hillary Clinton in November.

Clinton Nightmare: Republican Platform Reinstates Glass-Steagall

And, indeed, the final platform — passed by the convention on Monday — did (emphasis added):

The Dodd-Frank law, the Democrats’ legislative Godzilla, is crushing small and community banks and other lenders. The Federal Communications Commission is imperiling the freedom of the internet. We support reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 which prohibits commercial banks from engaging in high-risk investment.

Breaking: Trump Wins Republican Nomination! – Record Setter Wins GOP after Breaking Primary Record in Votes

I heading out to the salt for some deep water Tyee, keep twaddling and G-lying while I am gone.

“If the Americans choose Trump, that will have consequences, because an American election is a world election,” the Socialist leader told journalists.

“It could lead to a very strong turn to the right in the world, or to a correction … the American campaign shows issues that will be reflected in the French campaign,”

"This odd discord between the candidate and the platform isn’t yet a sign of resurgent movement conservatism in the GOP, but rather owes itself to an unusually distant approach to policy from the nominee."

“This is the most socially conservative platform the Republican Party has ever adopted, and that’s in no small part because Donald Trump and his campaign did not take much of an interest in the social aspects of this,”

The platform apparently did change stance on helping Ukraine defend itself from russia. Some say it was at trump's request (his only input on the platform), but there is some question about this claim.

To me, if trump ignored the platform process it means that he feels no obligation to implement it if elected.

Donald Trump accused the media of mocking Christians and vowed to be a champion for religious liberty at a gathering of social conservatives in Washington on Friday.

Speaking at the Values Voter Summit, the GOP presidential nominee received several standing ovations from the packed ballroom of Christian conservatives.

Trump has at times struggled to convince social conservatives that he can be a trusted advocate for the causes that are important to them, but many have come around as they consider the prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidency.

On Friday, Trump thrilled the crowd with a speech that flashed an increased familiarity with the language Christians use and the issues that are most important to them.

Trump focused heavily on school choice, religious liberty, the Supreme Court and the threat of terrorism — all of which are among the top issues for the social conservatives at the yearly conference.

And he hit the social conservative sweet spot in bemoaning how culture, aided by the liberal media, has turned away from traditional values.

“Our media culture often mocks and demeans people of faith,” Trump said. “All the time, I hear from concerned parents how much harder it is for Christian families to raise their children in today’s media environment. Your values of love, charity and faith built this nation. So how can it be that our media treats people of faith so poorly?”

“One of the reasons is that our politicians have abandoned you to a large extent, and Hillary Clinton you can forget about her,” he said.

The crowd erupted, with one conference-goer shouting: “Put her in jail!

Several of the early speakers at the conference — Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) among them – expressed ambivalence toward Trump, while acknowledging that he is still the best choice between the two major-party nominees.

“I would like to tell you that one day we’ll have the perfect candidate to lead this country, but I don’t know what to tell you, I don’t think it will happen anytime soon,” Scott said.

“But this year our election, it matters and it’s a binary choice for me,” he continued. “It’s either you vote for the policies to continue that have been in place … or you can vote for hope, for an alternative, you can vote, to make America great again.”

That was the theme that emerged throughout the day, as conservatives warned that a Clinton presidency would be death blow for social conservatives.

There is tremendous anxiety among Christians that Clinton will tap ultra-liberal Supreme Court justices who will infringe on their right to freely practice their faith.

Trump on Friday won big applause for vowing to repeal The Johnson Amendment, which prohibits churches and other tax-exempt organizations from endorsing political candidates.

Trump left his script to tell the story of how frustrated he was when asking for the endorsements from a group of Christian leaders that gathered to meet with in New York City earlier this year, only to find out they were prohibited from doing so.

“The first thing we have to do is give our churches their voice back,” Trump said. “The Johnson Amendment has blocked our pastors from speaking their minds from their own pulpit. If they want to talk about Christianity, if they want to preach or talk about politics, they’re unable to do so, they take a tremendous risk that they’ll lose their of their tax-exempt status.”

Trump also warned that Clinton does not understand the threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), casting the threat from the terror group as one of particular urgency to Christians.

“ISIS is hunting down and exterminating what it calls the nation of the cross,” Trump said. “ISIS is carrying out a genocide against Christians in the Middle East and we cannot let this evil continue. ISIS must be destroyed.”

And he basked in the plaudits he’s received from conservatives for releasing a slate of conservative Supreme Court justices he’d appoint as president.

“Hillary Clinton has refused to provide such a list, because she knows the extremist judges she would pick would be rejected by the overwhelming majority of the American public,” Trump said. “Clinton’s judicial picks would allow her to completely takeover American healthcare, the American economy, and Americans’ religious liberty.”

It was a far more self-assured appearance for Trump than in 2015, when he wielded the Bible he said his mother gave him as a child and talked about the importance of saying “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays.”

Trump left the stage to a standing ovation and headed for a rally in Florida later this evening.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Donald Trump called for the roughly 1,500 people who gathered at the Values Voter Summit to help unite the divided nation.

“You have to get out and vote!” Trump told the ballroom filled with faith motivated voters, suggesting they didn’t get out and vote in the 2012 presidential election. “If you do, we’re going to win by a lot.”

He thanked evangelicals for supporting him during the GOP primary.

“It will be our faith in God and his teachings, in each other, that will lead us back to unity,” the Republican nominee stated while speaking at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. “It’s that spirit of giving that we will need…to rebuild this country.”

The New Yorker said that the “media culture” in this country “often mocks and demeans people of faith.”

“All the time, I hear from concerned parents how much harder it is for Christian families to raise their children in today’s media environment.Your values of love, charity and faith built this nation. So how can it be that our media treats people of faith so poorly?” Trump questioned, adding, “One of the reasons is that our politicians have abandoned you.”

“So let me state this up front: in a Trump Administration, our Christian heritage will be cherished, protected and defended – and that includes your religious liberty,” he vowed.

Academy Award winning actor Jon Voight introduced Trump at the summit, slamming his rival Hillary Clinton.

“I feel there is a dark cloud over the country now and we are all witness to Hillary Clinton’s lies and corruption,” Voight stated before Trump joined him on stage. “We are witness to President Obama covering every false move that she makes and making them appear right.”

“My heart aches watching Donald Trump day after day…how can anyone doubt his sincerity?” Voight questioned, adding that if Trump becomes president the dark cloud that is hovering over the country will be lifted.