Oh my! This is very awkward for the Obama campaign.
An open letter (posted by The American Spectator) from Jeffrey Lord, a member of the UCC in Pennsylvania, to Obama, details Obama’s visit to a UCC celebration, last June, his flagrant disregard for well known, and specific rules that regulate the appearances of political candidates campaigning in front of church audiences, and the legal ramifications thereof.
The invitation was extended to Obama, (a UCC member himself) to speak before the UCC’s General Synod during the church’s 50th anniversary celebration in Hartford, CT. , well before he became a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Jeffrey Lord, although conservative, originally thought the choice of Obama was a good one, but when Obama made his formal announcement that he was running for POTUS, he changed his tune:
The moment your status as a candidate changed, both you and the UCC had two options. One, you could have gracefully refused the invitation, citing the Johnson law and your candidacy. Or the church could simply have withdrawn the invitation to you on the same grounds. Two, the church could have easily complied with the IRS rules under the Johnson law by simply inviting your competitors for the Democratic nomination. Yes, you would have been sharing the spotlight, but under the circumstances that shouldn’t have been too much to ask of you.
In the event, neither of these options — withdrawal or inviting other candidates — was taken. And so you went to Hartford. Almost immediately you violated IRS rules, discussing your presidential candidacy from what, under the circumstances, meets the legal definition of a pulpit. Addressing some 10,000 of our religious brethren you said:
“It’s been several months now since I announced I was running for president. In that time, I’ve had the chance to talk with Americans all across this country. And I’ve found that no matter where I am, or who I’m talking to, there’s a common theme that emerges. It’s that folks are hungry for change — they’re hungry for something new. They’re ready to turn the page on the old politics and the old policies — whether it’s the war in Iraq or the health care crisis we’re in, or a school system that’s leaving too many kids behind despite the slogans.”
Further on, you said this:
“I have made a solemn pledge that I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term as president that will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family’s premiums by up to $2,500 a year.”
The statement on health care is what’s known in the trade as a campaign promise, and you made it from a UCC pulpit.
Pretty brazen if you ask me.
UNSURPRISINGLY, ALL OF THIS resulted in a complaint being filed with the IRS following your presentation. In addition to your speech and the stories featured by the UCC’s own website, the complaint cites numerous media accounts describing your appearance as a campaign event. This is bolstered by photographs of volunteers manning Obama campaign tables at the entrance to the Civic Center, volunteers who were then ushered inside for the oldest of campaign rituals — a photo op with the candidate.
As a direct result of your actions, this last week the UCC — our mutual denomination — has now been notified officially by the IRS that it is under investigation.
Our national church suddenly stands in danger of losing its tax exempt status — because of you.
Read on…it’s a long letter, but well worth the read. It will be interesting to see if there’s any political fallout from all of this.
Via Hot Air Headlines
March, 4, 2008 at 11:56 am
Political fallout does not exist with Obama.
He’s got a lifetime free pass from the MSM.
March, 4, 2008 at 12:11 pm
The tide is turning:
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/03/726268.aspx
March, 4, 2008 at 12:16 pm
As much as I’d like to see Obama fall on his face for this, I’m not sure the guy has a case for things having changed once Obama announced he was running for the presidency. If Obama had made the same speech as a senator who was not running for president, would they be in the same hot water? The tax code (it’s in IRS publication 557) states any political campaign, not just presidential campaigns.
I’d rather see the outcome of this ending up as both parties agreeing that the tax code should be repealed, even if it gives Obama a free pass. It was put in place because LBJ couldn’t deal with churches criticizing him, and in my mind is a perversion of the idea of separation of church and state. If anything, it’s the opposite of the original intent of separation of church and state, since the original intent of the phrase seems to have been to prevent government from legislating freedom of religion. If anything, it seems to have done a good job of quashing religious speech about ‘political’ matters.
March, 4, 2008 at 12:31 pm
If Obama had made the same speech as a senator who was not running for president, would they be in the same hot water? The tax code (it’s in IRS publication 557) states any political campaign, not just presidential campaigns.
I’m not sure about that. Was he running for re-election as Senator, yet, when he announced his candidacy for President?
I’m not sure it would be a good idea, myself, to repeal the LBJ tax code. I for one, am glad that politics is left out my church. Who do you think would be more aggressive in politicizing churches, if the rules were changed, Democrats or Republicans? All of a sudden, secular liberals who have always despised Christians would become their new best friends.
On the other hand, I’ don’t think it’s the government’s business to determine who speaks at church gatherings, no matter who they are.
It’s a tough call.
March, 4, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Secular liberals already have their own churches. Think Unitarian Universalism or Religious Science. The New Thought movement has given libs who don’t adhere to a Christian belief system a place to congregate on Sunday mornings too.
It would be much less effort for someone to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing on the Internet, if they’re going to be trying to change someone’s beliefs by befriending them. And certainly less expensive than tithing.
These days, is there ever a time in a politician’s life when he’s not working on the next election? And Obama made a campaign pledge, it would have been irrelevant whether he said “I have made a solemn pledge…by the end of my first term as president” or “I have made a solemn pledge…by the end of my next term as senator”.
March, 5, 2008 at 2:40 am
Friends,
It has become clear that the IRS complaint against the United Church of Christ is the work of a a very evil person, James Hutchens. I urge you not to go to the website the same way I would encourage anyone I care about not to dive into a pool of liquid fertilizer. However, a link to a pdf file containing the original IRS complaint that was filed back in August appears on the website’s front page!
For the sake of truth and justice, I would encourage you to forward this to three to five people. The truth needs to get out there.
Thanks,
Jeff Johnston
Community United Church-Christ
http://www.mortoncommunityucc.org
March, 5, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Our pastor atttended the conference in Hartford. He noted that in addition to Sen. Obama, speakers included Lynne Redgrave and Bill Moyers. He noted the Senator’s remarks did not concern politics.
He did state there were some campaign tables but they were well outside the conference facilities and were on public sidewalks.
This would all seem to be well outside the IRS scrutiny.
As tax time does draw near for many Americans, these controversies are also reminiscent of Christ’s Tax Return itself as noted by that First Century CPA Saint Matthew, in The Gospel According to Saint Matthew 17:24-27 .
‘… “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes – ”from their own sons or from others?”
“From others,” Peter answered.’
Peter and Jesus had to go fishing for their tax money.
Maybe this time it is the IRS which has nothing to do but fish.
March, 5, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Well, the transcript from Obama’s speech which I’ve posted in part most certainly does concern politics.
Speaking of Jesus….I wonder what he thinks of Obama’s extreme pro abortion record?
http://nicedeb.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/the-obamessiah-patron-saint-of-botched-abortions/
March, 6, 2008 at 5:38 pm
It has become clear that the IRS complaint against the United Church of Christ is the work of a a very evil person, James Hutchens.
Sir, have you ever read Matthew 7:1-2? Such comments from a Christian is very unbecoming.