Fact Sheet: Gov. Rick Perry’s Extremist Allies

(Right Wing Watch) On August 6, Texas Gov. Rick Perry will host The Response, a “prayer rally” in Houston, along with the extremist American Family Association and a cohort of Religious Right leaders with far-right political ties. While the rally’s leaders label it a "a non-denominational, apolitical Christian prayer meeting," the history of the groups behind it suggests otherwise. The Response is powered by politically active Religious Right individuals and groups who are dedicated to bringing far-right religious view, including degrading views of gays and lesbians and non-Christians, into American politics.

The Response is modeled after The Call, highly political prayer rallies hosted by the International House of Prayer, an organization that has lent many of its staff to Perry’s event. Active in both The Call and The Response is pastor Jim Garlow, a major Religious Right leader whose extremism has flown largely under the radar of the mainstream media. The following is an introduction to the groups and individuals who Gov. Perry has allied himself with in planning this event. (Read more)