For Immediate Release

April 27, 2012

Faith and Freedom Coalition Targets NASCAR Vote at Richmond, Virginia Race

FFC Sponsors Car in Sprint Series Race as Part of Voter Registration and Education Drive

The Faith and Freedom Coalition will sponsor FAS Lane Racing car #32, a Ford driven by Reed Sorenson, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series race this Saturday, April 28, at the Richmond International Raceway in Virginia. FFC is believed to be the first pro-family organization to sponsor a car in a NASCAR race. The Faith and Freedom name and logo will appear on the Ford’s hood and rear quarter panels, along with texting information and the message: “Register to Vote”.

“There are an estimated 75 million NASCAR fans, many of whom live in battleground states like Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. This vote has significant overlap with the evangelical and Tea Party vote,” observed Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. “An estimated 20 percent of NASCAR fans are not registered to vote. They tend to be pro-family, patriotic, and conservative in their values. Sponsoring this car is part of our strategy to insure that every conservative and faith-based voter in America is registered to vote and goes to the polls in 2012.”

FFC volunteers will make voter registration forms and voter guides available to the crowd of 150,000, while 6 million NASCAR fans watching at home will be asked to text FFC to receive updates on how they can become involved in registering and turning out conservative and evangelical voters. The Richmond blitz is part of a nationwide “Champion the Vote” campaign by the Faith and Freedom Coalition with a goal of registering 2 million new voters and directly contacting a total of 37 million voters prior to the November election.

“We’re proud to be part of NASCAR and have this opportunity to reach millions of voters who share our time-honored, conservative values,” said Ashley L. Taylor, Jr., chairman of the Virginia Faith and Freedom Coalition. “This is the type of grassroots effort that is needed in order to elect leaders who will restore America to its founding principles.”

The Faith and Freedom Coalition is a grassroots organization with over 500,000 members and activists committed to enacting sound public policy that advances the values of faith, hard work, marriage, family, personal responsibility, and helping the least among us. FFC is dedicated to educating, equipping, and mobilizing people of faith and like-minded individuals to be effective citizens. FFC members are working nationwide to pursue public policy goals that strengthen families, promote time-honored values, protect the dignity of life and marriage, lower the tax burden on small business and families, and require government to tighten its belt and live within its means.

THE MINNESOTA FAITH & FREEDOM COALITION SUPPORTS VOTER IDENTIFICATION

April 4th, 2012

The Minnesota Faith & Freedom Coalition applauds today’s actions by the Minnesota Legislature! The proposed constitutional amendment to require Minnesota voters to confirm their identity with a photo ID will serve to improve the integrity of our election process by guaranteeing that every vote will count. The Minnesota Faith & Freedom Coalition firmly believes that Voter ID will in fact protect each vote by ensuring that it is not stolen by an individual claiming to be someone they are not. Every time a vote is stolen in this fashion, or when votes are cast by individuals such as felons who are not lawfully eligible to vote, the right to vote is devalued. After all, the right to vote was fought for with the blood, sweat and tears of generations that preceded us, and to protect it through measures such as this is not only prudent, it is patriotic.

Dear Friends,

Are you worried about recent attacks on religious liberty and traditional values, as well as out-of-control spending and class warfare. . . and want to do something about it?

As you well know, November is fast approaching. In the meantime, there is monumental work to be done if we are to elect leaders at all levels who will honor and protect the foundational principles that made this nation great. The reelection of this president cannot become a reality if we are to put a stop to the tremendous damage he he has already inflicted on this country.

One of the most important ways in which we do this is to help start local chapters and church liaisons across the state. The task is simple- to educate those in your immediate circle of friends, family and coworkers as to the ways that our time-honored and treasured principles can be preserved at the local community grassroots level.

In these busy times, I realize that it is challenging to add one more thing to already-full schedules. However, I would like to encourage you to further reflect on the idea. The time commitment is minimal, and the impact is lasting!

Consider the following:

As a church liaison, after you’ve met with your pastor (note: never usurp the role of the pastor. You must have the support and oversight of the pastor to perform the role of liaison at your church) and after you’ve met with your MNFFC local chairman/leader to discuss decided upon what activities would be best addressed in your community, your responsibilities could include the following:

a. Set up an educational bulletin board in your church with announcements about upcoming events, and other information.

b. Start a prayer team to pray specifically for our country, its leaders, and the Faith & Freedom Coalition. These prayer team names can also be submitted to MNFFC so that
they can receive our monthly prayer team updates.

c. Hold voter registration drives at your church on Citizenship Sunday around Memorial Day or the 4th of July, or before voter registration deadlines; typically in September of
an election year.

d. Make occasional announcements to the church congregation about upcoming events and critical issues that arise in your state or community.

e. Place FFC voter guides in your church bulletin at election time.

Starting a chapter can be as simple as asking a group of your coworkers, family, fellow church members, and neighbors to attend a Citizen Action Seminar put on by the Minnesota Faith & Freedom Coalition leadership on an agreed-upon date, time and place in your city, where you and your group would receive essential training in grassroots political efforts.

Remember, never before has it been more critical for us to speak out for these values. That is why the Minnesota Faith and Freedom Coalition is committed to educating, equipping, and mobilizing people of faith and like-minded individuals to be effective citizens. Together we will influence public policy and enact legislation that strengthens families, promotes time-honored values, protects the dignity of life and marriage, lowers the tax burden on small business and families, and requires government to tighten its belt and live within its means.

There is such amazing talent among our membership. Leaders can rise to help turn our state and our nation away from the precipice we currently face, and I ask today that you search your hearts and pray for guidance as to how you can best use your talents and abilities to preserve our precious freedoms.

Please email our Field Communications Director, Mary Ramirez, at maryr.mnffcoalition@gmail.com to find out more regarding these two important roles within the Minnesota Faith & Freedom Coalition.

Blessings,

Tom Emmer
State Chairman
Minnesota Faith & Freedom Coalition

Paid for by the MN Faith & Freedom Coalition, a 501c(4) organization.
PO Box 44593 Eden Prairie, MN 55344

(For full version including sourcing, please click here.)

March 23rd, 2012
Last night, in the Minnesota House of Representatives, the Chief Clerk called up a written motion filed by Representative Doug Wardlow (R-Eagan). Representative Wardlow, however, was not in the Chamber. Rather than putting the motion aside, the Speaker of the House, Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove), allowed the House to sit and wait . . . and wait . . . for several minutes. Now, for those unfamiliar with the legislative process, you might wonder why Representative Wardlow was not present for his motion and why he would be so inconsiderate as to allow his colleagues to just sit and wait. Well, as is usually the case, there is more to this than meets the eye.

For the last few days, Representative Wardlow has been on a mission to get a vote on the Employee Freedom Act. House File 2140 was formally filed on January 12, 2012, and referred to the House Commerce and Regulatory Reform Committee Chaired by Representative Joe Hoppe (R-Chanhassen). The same bill was introduced in the Senate (SF1705) on February 8, 2012, by Senator Dave Thompson (R-Lakeville). The Employee Freedom legislation provides:

. . . No person shall be required as a condition of obtaining or continuing public sector or private sector employment to: (1) resign or refrain from membership in, voluntary affiliation with, or voluntary financial support of a labor organization; (2) become or remain a member of a labor organization; (3) pay any dues, fees, assessments, or other charges of any kind or amount, or provide anything else of value, to a labor organization; or (4) pay to any charity or other third party an amount equivalent to, or a portion of, dues, fees assessments, or other charges required of members of a labor organization. An agreement, contract, understanding, or practice between a labor organization and an employer that takes force or is extended or renewed after adoption of this section is unlawful and unenforceable. . . .

The legislation further provided that the following proposed Constitutional Amendment be put to the voters on the 2012 ballot:

The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at the 2012 general election. The question submitted must be:

“Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to guarantee all citizens the individual freedom to decide to join or not join a labor union, and to pay or not pay dues to a labor union?

Despite being a “legislative priority” championed by the Republican majorities in the Minnesota Legislature, after being formally introduced, the Employee Freedom legislation sat idle in both the Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Committee, Chaired by Senator Geoff Michel (R-Edina), and the House Commerce and Regulatory Reform Committee Chaired by Representative Hoppe.

On March 8, 2012, Senator Thompson made a motion on the Senate floor to “re-refer” the Employee Freedom legislation from the Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Committee to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The motion prevailed by a vote of 34 to 30. One Republican Senator, Jeremy Miller from Winona, voted against the motion.

On March 13, 2012, the Senate Judiciary Committee Chaired by Senator Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove) held a hearing on the Employee Freedom legislation. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Committee passed the legislation to the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration# on a vote of 7-6# with one Republican Senator (Bill Ingebrigtsen R-Alexandria) voting nay. Despite the efforts of Senator Thompson and his supporters, the Senate Rules Committee did not schedule a hearing on the legislation before the Senate deadline (Friday, March 16, 2012) passed. At this point, Senator Thompson has shown no interest in making another procedural motion on the Senate floor to move the legislation directly from the Rules Committee to the Senate floor for a vote. Presumably nothing but pressure from his colleagues and the fear of retribution from his Senate leadership prevent him from bringing the motion.

In the House, there has been no activity on the Employee Freedom legislation. According to the Speaker of the House, business leaders had told him their priority is a reduction of business property taxes. Based on this, the Speaker announced at the beginning of this week that the House would be moving business property tax reductions to the front of the line and – he implied – if there was time before the House deadline (today, March 23, 2012) he would consider moving the Employee Freedom legislation forward. He did not explain why his caucus could not move both matters (the proposed reduction of business property taxes and the Employee Freedom legislation) forward together. In fact, according to one report (that was actually provided by a caller on our radio show), the Speaker had absolutely no intention to move the Employee Freedom legislation to the floor for a vote.
On Wednesday morning, March 21, 2012, we had a caller (“Cindy”) on the radio show who claimed that after she called the Speaker’s office to encourage him to pass Employee Freedom; she received a return call from a staffer named Ian Marsh. According to Cindy, Marsh told her the House Republicans were not going to move the Employee Freedom legislation forward because they were worried about the $30 million the unions were threatening to spend on the 2012 legislative elections. She claimed Marsh also told her that since the Minnesota business community had only committed $7 million (presumably to counter the threatened union money) the House Republicans were not going to pass Employee Freedom.

I have not confirmed Cindy’s information with Speaker Zellers or his staffer, Ian Marsh. I have not, however, received any communication from the House Republicans that would dispute Cindy’s information. In fact, based on the failure of the House Leadership to move Employee Freedom forward (despite passing legislation to reduce business property taxes earlier this week) it would seem that Cindy’s information was accurate.

So what happened to Representative Wardlow’s motion to re-refer the Employee Freedom (HF2140) directly to the House floor for a vote last night? Again, based on the video of the House proceedings that show the Speaker and the House recognizing Representative Wardlow for purposes of his motion and then waiting for several minutes before moving on, it would appear the Representative simply missed his opportunity.

Perhaps it was Representative Wardlow’s fault that he failed to be present when his motion was called. On the other hand, could it be possible that Representative Wardlow had been thwarted by his leadership and that the theatre on the House floor was purposely intended to embarrass the Representative and to intimidate anyone else who might challenge the House Republican leaders?# At this point, we have no idea and perhaps one should not speculate. However, the handling of Representative Wardlow’s motion on the House floor was unusual to say the least. Ordinarily, the Speaker knows when a member is not on the floor and, as a common courtesy, the Speaker will not have the Chief Clerk report a motion, amendment or a bill if the member is not visibly present – after all, the Speaker has the best view of the House floor. If, however, a motion, an amendment or a bill is inadvertently reported when the author/member is not present, the Speaker will usually set the matter aside immediately pending the member’s return.
For some unexplained reason, the Speaker did not handle Representative Wardlow’s motion in the typical/traditional fashion. Instead, after the Chief Clerk reported the motion, the Speaker called out Representative Wardlow and had the House simply sit and wait . . . was this public retribution for a member’s attempt to represent his constituents?

Notwithstanding the Speaker’s handling of the matter, why didn’t any other member stand for the motion in Representative Wardlow’s absence? Certainly, one of Representative Wardlow’s colleagues recognized that he was absent – after all, the Speaker made it painfully obvious by reporting Wardlow’s amendment, calling for Representative Wardlow and then waiting – there is no reason that some other Republican couldn’t have been recognized, made a brief statement in support of Representative Wardlow’s motion (i.e. that the right of an employee to decide whether to belong to an association is a basic right – the right to choose – afforded every American and, after all, almost 70% of Minnesota supports the Employee Freedom legislation) but no one said a word. Is that because they knew something about pressure that was brought to bear on Representative Wardlow and they did not want to suffer the same fate? Hopefully not . . . instead, we have to trust that this was all just a matter of coincidence and that the House of Representatives will still find a way to pass Employee Freedom.

March 21, 2012

The following letter, signed by FreedomWorks, presents our case to House Republicans and affirms our commitment to fiscal responsibility in government.

Dear House Republicans,

President Obama recently proposed a new budget that never balances — not in ten years, not in twenty, not ever. But at least he proposed one, in contrast to Senate Democrats. Nonetheless, and especially in light of the unprecedented accumulation of debt by this administration, it reflects a stunning abdication of fiscal responsibility. In short, it is completely unserious.

Now you have the opportunity to produce a serious budget of your own, but it must sharply contrast with the Obama budget. It will be difficult for President Obama’s opponent to set up such a stark contrast if they have to defend a budget that is not serious.

We therefore write to suggest a compelling point of contrast: present a budget that balances in ten years or less and does not raise taxes on the American people. As members of the conservative movement, we believe that no budget that fails to meet these two standards can reasonably call itself conservative. At kitchen tables across America, families are making tough choices as they balance their own budgets. The very least Washington can do is to do the same.
You will have our strong support, along with the enthusiastic support of our millions of members, and the respect of American people at large, for doing the right thing. Please don’t settle for anything that doesn’t meet these two criteria.

Together, we look forward to working with you to restore fiscal sanity in our great country and avoiding the plight of countries like Greece that failed to rein in their deficit spending.

Your Friends,

Colin Hanna & Alex Cortes
Let Freedom Ring

Matt Kibbe
President, FreedomWorks

Morton Blackwell
Chairman, Weyrich Lunch

Jim Martin
President, 60 Plus Association

L. Brent Bozell III
Chairman, ForAmerica

David Bozell
Executive Director, ForAmerica

Amy Kremer
President, American Grassroots Coalition

Jenny Beth Martin
Co-Founder and National Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots

Gary Bauer
President, American Values

David Bossie
President, Citizens United

Gary Marx
Executive Director, Faith and Freedom Coalition

Gary Aldrich
Chairman, Council for National Policy Action, Inc.

Dr. Jim Garlow
Chairman, Renewing American Leadership Action

Jim Backlin
Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Christian Coalition

Eli Lehrer
Vice President, The Heartland Institute

Andrew Langer
President, Institute for Liberty

Amy Ridenour
Chairman, The National Center for Public Policy Research

Mathew Staver
Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel

Deryl Edwards
President, Liberty Counsel Action

Mandi Campbell
Legal Director, Liberty Center for Law and Policy

Seton Motley
President, Less Government

Richard Falknor
Chairman, Maryland Center-Right Coalition

Self-Identified Evangelicals Comprise a Total of 50.53% of All Republican
Presidential Primary Voters, According to Network Exit Polls

Evangelicals have cast a majority of the vote in the Republican presidential primaries so far in the 2012 cycle, the highest percentage recorded in a presidential nominating process in the modern era, according to an analysis of entrance and exit polls conducted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition.

Through March 12, an estimated total of 4.29 million evangelical Christian voters have gone to the polls in the 16 primaries and caucuses for which exit or entrance polls were conducted by news organizations, out of a total of 8.49 million total votes cast. This 50.53% evangelical turnout rate compares to a 44% turnout rate in the 2008.

“Conservative people of faith are playing a larger role in shaping the contours and affecting the trajectory of the Republican presidential nomination contest than at any time since they began pouring out of the pews and into the precincts in the late 1970’s,” said Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of
the Faith and Freedom Coalition. “They are indispensable to any winning strategy for the eventual Republican presidential nominee in both the primaries and the general election. Any candidate who ignores these voters and the values that motivate them does so at their own peril.”

According to the exit polls, Rick Santorum has won a plurality of the evangelical vote with 32.85 percent, compared to 29.74 percent for Mitt Romney, 29.65 percent for Newt Gingrich, and 7.76 percent for Ron Paul.

The evangelical vote is the highest recorded in almost every primary in 2012, not only in the South, but throughout the country. Thirty-six percent of the voters in the Arizona GOP primary were evangelicals, compared to 33 percent in 2008. In Ohio, 47 percent of primary voters were evangelicals, compared to 44 percent four years ago.

Even this high figure of half of all voters understates the role of social conservatives in the Republican primaries, as it does not include faithful Roman Catholics who frequently attend Mass. These Catholics comprise roughly 10-14% of the total GOP primary vote, higher in states like Ohio, Michigan and
Massachusetts.

The Faith and Freedom Coalition is a grassroots organization with 400,000 members and 31 state chapters committed to restoring America’s time-honored values and enacting sound public policy that protects small business and strengthens the family.

THE MINNESOTA FAITH & FREEDOM COALITION SUPPORTS THE “FREEDOM OF EMPLOYMENT ACT”

March 12th, 2012

The “Freedom of Employment Act” is in the form of a Constitutional Amendment that we are trying to get on the ballot for the November 2012 Elections. This would allow all Minnesotans to have the privilege of holding a job without the force of law compelling them to be a member of a labor union and therefore be obligated to pay dues. Other right-to-work states share in this employment freedom, and as such it is not new to American employment practice. Currently in Minnesota we have laws that force individual citizens to be members of labor unions and demand that they pay dues, just to hold a job and feed their families. As such the Minnesota Faith & Freedom Coalition fully supports the “Freedom of Employment Act” as a means through which to ensure that every Minnesotan be allowed to choose whether or not he or she participates in a union with all that said membership entails.

Paid for by MN Faith & Freedom Coalition PO Box 44593 Eden Prairie, MN 55344

FFC: “The 2012 Faith & Freedom Conference and Strategy Briefing, to be held at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC on June 14-16, is almost here!

This year we anticipate over 50 partnering organizations as cosponsors and participants. Past FFC event speakers include Newt Gingrich, Bob McDonnell, Rick Santorum, Sean Hannity, Karl Rove, Dick Morris, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Paul Ryan, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Herman Cain, Eric Cantor, Ron Paul, John Boehner, and members of the U.S. Senate and House. Click here to register for this exciting event TODAY!”

MN Faith & Freedom Applauds Congressman Erik Paulsen for defending Religious Liberty

February 8, 2012

Eden Prairie, MN: The Minnesota Faith & Freedom Coalition opposes the controversial decision by the Obama administration to force private hospitals and similar institutions to provide services that run in direct contrast to those institutions’ religious beliefs.This issue remains at the forefront of our concerns, and we are deeply concerned with this blatant disregard for freedom of religion.

Minnesota Faith & Freedom Coalition applauds Representative Erik Paulsen, Eden Prairie, and the 153 lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who have signed a letter to the President in protest of this measure. In a letter to supporters, Paulsen states, “This is a violation of the first amendment right to freedom of religion and an obvious infringement of American values. Unfortunately, this is the essence of government-run healthcare.”

The national Faith & Freedom Coalition has also extended a letter to the President, stating that “Pro-family and pro-freedom Americans will not sit idly by as government attempts to compel us to violate our own conscience. For three years, the Faith & Freedom Coalition has pointed out this Administration’s war on religion. This unconscionable edict is the final straw.”
A petition has been issued by the Faith & Freedom Coalition, and a link to this petition can be found both at www.ffcoalition.com, and on our state website, www.mnffcoalition.com. We strongly encourage those who view this action by the Obama administration as an affront to religious liberties to sign this petition and make their voices heard.

Click here to sign the petition.