James Dobson says prefers families to politics

By Ed Stoddard

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo (Reuters) - U.S. conservative heavyweight James Dobson is tired of being asked his preference in the 2008 White House race but he says two things are for certain.

One is that the Republican Party cannot count on the unequivocal support of right-wing Christians. The other is that Republican front-runner and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is unlikely to inspire the party's conservative base because of his checkered marital past.

In an interview, the founder and chairman of the influential conservative advocacy and counseling group Focus on the Family said that politics was a sideline to his real passion: helping families via his books, radio show and counseling services.

"It's not Focus on Politics, it's Focus on the Family," he told Reuters at his spacious office that offer breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

Dobson, who turns 71 on Saturday, founded Focus 30 years ago to combat what he regarded as the moral decay of the family, a trend he linked to broader social problems.

"If it (the family) disintegrates I believe the social structure will collapse with it," he said.

Dobson has also made his mark in politics -- though he insists it is only a small part of what Focus does and that it springs from a desire to help families.

He is viewed as one of the most influential figures on the "Religious Right" -- a movement aimed at molding U.S. public policy along evangelical Christian lines.

His influence there has grown not from a pulpit like televangelist Jerry Falwell but from his books and weekly radio broadcasts that proffer advise on a range of family matters from disciplining children to conflict resolution between spouses.

His radio broadcasts reach several million Americans and more than 200 million people worldwide. He has authored more than 30 books on subjects such as child rearing and marriage.

THE HEARTLAND'S OUTLOOK

Critics say the Religious Right aims to impose an intolerant theocracy by merging church and state and rolling back rights for women, gays and others.

Its supporters say it has a broad base in a country that counts 60 million evangelicals and that it harkens to the conservative outlook of the "heartland".

That base has been tapped for votes by the Republican Party. But Dobson said there had been too much talk from the party on issues like abortion and not enough action.

"When Republicans get in power they tend to say ... Let's try not to do anything that will upset anybody ... When Democrats win they go for the very heart of what they care for," he said.