THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 15, 1996 TAG: 9608150349
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SAN DIEGO LENGTH: 108 lines
From the corner of his eye, 5-year-old Nathan Wolfe caught sight of a bloody body plastered on an 8-foot-tall poster, its lips purple, its hair matted in body fluids. ``This is not a choice,'' the poster read.
``What's that?'' he asked his grandmother, Joan Wolfe, tugging at her leg.
She kneeled down and turned Nathaniel's head back at the looming photograph.
``That's an abortion,'' she said. ``That is what happens to all the little babies that get killed because people don't care about them.''
Wolfe said she was pleased her grandson saw the poster of the mangled fetus. ``His mom's a single mom, and I'm so glad she made the decision not to kill him before he was born,'' she said. ``I want him to see what happens to babies that no one loves.''
Wolfe was among 2,500 religious conservatives who came to a Christian Coalition rally Wednesday morning at Balboa Park. Although the coalition has been trying to broaden its agenda this year to include economic issues, the speeches and the comments of the crowd made it clear that restricting abortions is the engine that keeps the group roaring.
``Let me say, so there can be no doubt, the Republican Party is a pro-life party,'' executive director Ralph Reed told a cheering crowd waving American flags, and red, white and blue placards reading ``Pro life, Pro Family.''
``We exclude no one,'' Reed said. ``But lest there be any doubt, we will never walk away from the sanctity of life within the mother's womb.''
The two-hour rally was organized to showcase the coalition's clout on the heels of its victory last week in stopping efforts to weaken the anti-abortion plank of the GOP's national platform.
Speakers included House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Vice President Dan Quayle, coalition founder Pat Robertson and Joanne Kemp, the wife of GOP vice presidential nominee Jack Kemp.
Outside the tree-lined amphitheater were dozens of diverse protesters. They included transvestites and gay groups arguing that the coalition is homophobic, and abortion-rights proponents accusing the organization of trying to dictate how others should live their lives. There were even some anti-abortion activists who said the coalition has compromised its religious values to gain political clout.
Robertson shook his head from the podium and bemoaned what he called a ``shocking loss of values'' over the last 40 years.
``Ladies and gentlemen, I have watched with amazement the little-by-little assault by the left-wing forces such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Organization of Women,'' he said. ``This left-wing radical coalition has battered down the sacred walls of the family. . . . Its legacy is that 34 million abortions have been performed since 1973, one-third of all births are out of wedlock, drugs are rampant, crime is all around, and so are sexually transmitted diseases.''
Robertson urged his supporters to back up Republican proposals to cut taxes but warned them not to lose their focus on social issues. ``Our problem is that America just doesn't have a fiscal crisis, it has a moral crisis, and we need moral solutions.''
Robertson was preaching to the choir.
``We need to bring God back into the civic arena,'' said Sandy Hutchinson, a San Diego homemaker. ``If we don't put God in our lives, it's at our own peril. Immorality will reign.''
Many in the crowd cited a host of issues that are important to them this fall: voluntary public prayer in school, tax cuts, public assistance to attend private schools. But for many, those issues paled in comparison to abortion.
``You can be right on all those issues, but if you're wrong on abortion, I'll never support you as a candidate,'' said Kevin L. Mackey, a preacher from Hico, Texas, and a delegate at the convention. ``Abortion is the central issue. It defines us as a people.''
Most of those interviewed were quick to express dislike for President Clinton, questioning his marital fidelity and criticizing him for supporting abortion rights and easing restrictions on gays in the military.
They were not as quick, however, to express enthusiasm for Bob Dole, who will become the official Republican nominee tonight.
Many said they were concerned about Dole's unsuccessful efforts earlier this month to dilute the GOP's anti-abortion plank with a clause expressing tolerance for those with dissenting points of view.
``It was just frustrating to see Dole waffling and playing politics with the issue,'' said John Henkel, a San Diego lawyer. ``I'll support him because he's still 100 times better than Clinton, but I'm hoping he'll grow on me.''
The chants of protesters outside the amphitheater occasionally rose above the sound of the speeches within. On one side of a street stood Mary Kreonki of San Diego, in a tie-died jumper carrying a placard bearing a swastika. ``Ralph Reed, America's finest Hitler,'' the sign read.
A few yards away, 25-year-old Charles Lowers was leaning on a 4-foot-tall picture of an aborted baby's scull clenched in a pair of forceps.
``This is what's happening, this is the truth,'' Lowers said. ``As long as this is happening, no one should be declaring a success.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot
Heather Mechanic lets the crowd know where she stands during a
Christian Coalition rally Wednesday in San Diego.
HUY NGUYEN photos/The Virginian-Pilot
Stephanie Chase sports makeshift headgear to shield herself from the
sun at the Christian Coalition's rally Wednesday.
ABOVE: Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed holds up a
copy of the Republican Party platform. ``Let me say, so there can be
no doubt, the Republican Party is a pro-life party,'' Reed told a
cheering crowd. BELOW: The Rev. Jerry Falwell greets Mark Wright and
his wife, Tiffany, at the rally. Sitting next to Falwell was Kay
Fuller. They heard speakers including former Vice President Dan
Quayle, coalition founder Pat Robertson and Joanne Kemp, wife of GOP
vice presidential nominee Jack Kemp.
KEYWORDS: REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION 1996 CHRISTIAN
COALITION by CNB