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60 Friday, December 19, 1980
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
A Detroiter's Personal Experience With the `New Right' Threat
By JEFFREY COLMAN
(Editor's note: Jeffrey
Colman spent this fall in
Iowa working for the
John Culver Senate
campaign and the Iowa
Democratic Party. Col;
man is a recent graduate
of the University of
Michigan who is active in
Jewish, Zionist and polit-
ical affairs.)
"Our democracy (cannot)
agree to a moral majority
that makes religious doc-
trine the test of political
opinion. You may have that
only where all are alike in
thought and root and intent,
which America is not."
— Bill Moyers Journal
The New Right is a well-
organized coalition of fun-
damentalist Christians and
right-wing activists who are
trying to change the Ameri 7
can political system to re-
flect their own conservative
political doctrines and fun-
damentalist Christian be-
liefs. They are different
from old-time conservatives
like Barry Goldwater and
William Buckley in that
they ignore traditional
party politics and invoke
the name of God as being on
their side in their crusade to
radically change the
American political scene.
One New Right leader,
Paul Weyrich, perhaps de-
scribes his movement the
best: "We are radicals,
working to overturn the
present power structure."
The 1980 election pro-
vided the New Right with
the perfect opportunity to
try to secure political power
for itself. Not only were
New Right leaders jubilant
in their belief that one of the
JEFFREY COLMAN
Presidential candidates,
Ronald Reagan, mirrored
their interests and ideas (al-
though all three major
Presidential candidates
claimed to be "born-again"
Christians), but they were
eager to rid the halls of
are house calls
a thing of
the past??
OF COURSE NOT!
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Congress of their "liberal" press, by lawmakers in
Washington and by its own
enemies.
They concentrated on the leaders. Whether or not
U.S. Senate by targeting for President-elect Reagan per-
defeat six Senators (all ceives the New Right
Democrats) who they (whom he publicly endorsed
deemed as both liberal and during the campaign) as
vulnerable. They went to being powerful, we have yet
war armed with millions of to see.
Although I am uncertain
dollars, sophisticated com-
puters and skillful organ- about the current power of
izations like the National the New Right, I am certain
Conservative Political Ac- about its potential danger. I
truly believe that the New
ton Committee.
I had the opportunity to Right extremists pose the
see the New Right from the greatest threat to indi-
front lines, for I spent this vidual and group freedoms
fall in Iowa working on the in our country since the de-
campaign for one of the mise of McCarthyism and
Senators on the New Right's forced segregation.'
Our freedoms are only as
hit list: John C. Culver.
In John Culver, I found firm as is our tolerance for
the rare leadership qual- those who live, think and
ities so desperately lacking worship different from our-
at all levels of government selves. The New Right's
today: the ability to com- message is clearly one of in-
bine intellect and reason tolerance; intolerance for
with traditional liberal other people's lifestyles,
ideals of compassionate political beliefs and reli-
government, and translate gious values.
If I have learned anything
them into a workable legis-
from my studies of Ameri-
lative program.
During his first Senate can history, it is that an
term, Culver established a environment of intolerance
reputation as one of the breeds bigotry and curtail-
body's most effective mem- ment of liberties. As an
bers. However, there was American, and as a Jew —
only one thing of impor- a member of a religious
tance to the leaders of the minority — I believe the
New Right: John Culver New Right must be pre-:
was too liberal and there- vented from creating such a
dangerous environment.
fore un-Christian.
I am not so much bothered
So New Right groups
began working toward the by the New Right's conten-
defeat of the Democratic tion that religion and reli-
Senator by pouring hun- gious people should play a
dreds of thousands of dollars part in American politics.
into a negative, media cam- Our country, after all, was
paign against Culver, even founded upon certain moral
before his Republican oppo- traditions rooted in reli-
gion. My own political in-
nent had been chosen.
What bothers me is not volvement is due in large
that these New Right measure to the sense of jus-
groups helped to defeat tice and compassion which
Culver, but rather how they Judaism has taught me. But-
helped. Instead of running a it is a totally different mat-
straightforward campaign ter to try to impose through
espousing their own values political involvement a
and policies (or those of Re- single religious doctrine
publican candidate Charles upon the country. That, in
Grassley), they ran a totally my view, is what the New
Right is trying to do.
negative campaign.
These New Right crusad-
They did not advocate any
positive programs for ers claim that their fun-
change; rather they damentalist interpretation
targeted a candidate for de- of Christianity provides the
feat because he was a "lib- only hope for America's na-
eral" and supposedly tional salvation. They mis-
against the principles they use Scriptures to support
stood for: family, life and their narrow-minded con-
ception of morality and to
God.
I would be less alarmed chastise the positions of
with the New Right if I be- their political opponents.
They devise moral litmus
lieved that its tactics, prop-
aganda and influence were tests to determine whether
limited to Iowa. But its or not a candidate is "Chris-
political crusade is a na- tian" enough to hold public
office. And they sentence to
tional one.
New Right groups were political and religious dam-
deeply involved in several nation those who fail to pass
Senate and House races these ill-conceived tests.
As a Jew, I find such so-
across the country. Already
some of the New Right lead- called Christianity ratings
ers have targeted a Demo- distressing. For, if the New
cratic Senator from my Right's equation is that to
home state of Michigan for be an American political
leader you have to be a good
defeat in 1982.
No state is immune from Christian, then the corol-
the polluted politics of this lary is that you have to be a
New Right. And no candi- Christian.
I am not deceived by Rev.
date (of either party), so
long as he or she does not Jerry Falwell when he pro-
fully endorse the narrow- nounces his support for Is-
minded view of morality of iael over and over. He does
the New Right, is immune support a strong Israel but
from its bullyboy tech- only because it may be part
of his particular mission to
niques.
The New Right in this Christianize the Jews. That
country today is perceived is hardly part of the Zionist
as a powerful force by the dream.
'
.:)1
I do not believe American
Jews should walk a tight-
rope with the New Right-
ists, balancing the "good"
things they say about Israel
with the "bad" things they
say about everything else.
We must see the danger
which the New Right poses
to religious freedom in this
country — for Christians
and Jews.
We must join with other
progressive and ecumenical
forces in defending Ameri-
ca's pluralistic political tra-
dition from the monolithic -
tyranny advocated by th,
New Right. For there can- —\
not be pluralistic democracy
or true religious freedom in
a society run by a "moral
majority."
In this year's election,
John Culver and several of
his Senate and House col-
leagues were so-called
targets of the New Rif
We must realize that we
all targets of the New Right
— Jews and Christians — if
we do not fully accept its t
political-religious gospel.
We should follow the
example of what John
Culver did in Iowa: "I'm a
target. Sure I'm a target.
But this target is going to
fight back."
Shin Bet Chief
Has Retired
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
Premier Menahem Begin
announced to the Cabinet
the retirement of Avraham
Ahitouv who, for the past
six years, has headed the
Shin Bet.
The announcement was
the first official disclosure of
the name of the man who
occupied the top secret post.
Begin praised Ahitouv and
his successor, but did not
reveal the latter's identity.
Grant Will Aid
Testing Bureau
NEW YORK (JTA) — A
grant of $25,000 from Boris
Shteinshleifer, a Jewish,
communal leader, has been
received by the American
Association for Jewish Edu-
cation as the initial contri-
bution of a $75,000 gift to
re-establish a national test-
according to Ar-
ing
A AJ E
Brody,
thur
president.
The testing bureau will
develop, publish, distribute
and work on grading of
standardized tests in all
areas of Jewish study.
Wine Industry
Wins Kudos
for Israel Aid
NEW YORK— At its s,
nual dinner, held at the
Waldorf Astoria, the
American Israel Chamber
of Commerce and Industry
honored the United States
wine industry by giving
special awards to Peerless
Importers, New York City,
and Knickerbocker Liquors,
Inc., of Syosett, N.Y., both
distributors of Carmel
Wines of Israel, "for their
service to the state of Israel
in adding to its commerce."