Ralph Reed: It's Time For The Christian Coalition 2.0

Christianist carnival barker Ralph Reed wants to reboot the old Christian Coalition and get back to doing what he does best: thwarting the basic premises of American democracy.

“This is not going to be your daddy’s Christian Coalition,” Reed said in an interview to describe his new venture, the Faith and Freedom Coalition. “It has to be younger, hipper, less strident, more inclusive and it has to harness the 21st century that will enable us to win in the future.” If so, perhaps this really will be a new start. After all, when Reed ran the original Christian Coalition from 1989 to 1997, he famously warned enemies they wouldn’t know what hit them “until you’re in a body bag.” But, it’s been a decade since Reed left that stage, and he has suffered embarrassments and defeats the past few years. Now, Reed wants back in.

Reed likens his return to Christianist activism as when Steve Jobs returned to run Apple. Only Steve Jobs was never accused of defrauding Native Americans in a multimillion dollar scheme to seize casino rights, the scandal that sent Reed's pal Jack Abramoff to federal prison.