Governor Tim Pawlenty has signed on to the NOM Marriage Pledge which was signed yesterday by Republican Presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Michelle Bachmann and Rick Santorum.
Monthly Archives: August 2011
Tim Gill-Funded Log Cabin Republicans Do Not Like NOM's Marriage Pledge
From their press release reacting to news that candidates Romney, Bachmann and Santorum have all signed NOM's Marriage Pledge:
Log Cabin Republicans strongly oppose the so called ‘marriage pledge’ by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), which endangers the GOP’s ability to grow and strengthen.
“Republicans got nothing but bad press from the first marriage pledge of the 2012 campaign season, which turned off voters and detracted from our party’s commitment to addressing issues that matter to all Americans. The last thing Republicans need or want is another group pushing the same outdated social agenda under new branding,” said Christian Berle, Log Cabin Republicans Deputy Executive Director.
SSM Backers in NY Outspent Opponents 3-1?
Money matters. That's what gay newspaper Chelsea Now reports:
The groups that backed same sex marriage outspent their opponents by roughly three-to-one during the fight to enact gay marriage in New York.
New Yorkers United for Marriage (NYUM), a coalition formed by the Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA), New York’s statewide gay lobbying group, Freedom to Marry, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Marriage Equality New York, and the Log Cabin Republicans, spent $1.86 million on its marriage campaign in the first six months of 2011. That cash was spent on television ads, direct mail, and voter canvassing.
...Separately, some NYUM members, such as HRC, ESPA, and Freedom to Marry made additional expenditures on their own that collectively exceeded $1 million. Then a slew of other groups spent smaller amounts on lobbying. The Gill Action Fund, a political group founded by philanthropist Tim Gill, spent $80,000 on lobbying and the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) spent a small amount. Altogether, marriage supporters spent at least $3 million in the first six months of 2011.
... Speaking at July 25 forum sponsored by the law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, Brian Ellner, a senior strategist at HRC, said that in 2009 constituent calls to senators “ran 10, 20, 30 to one against…We knew from the get go that that had to be reversed.”
The coalition hired 35 fulltime canvassers who worked statewide and it produced 135,000 calls, letters or other contacts with legislators.
Video: CBN News Grills Gov. Perry on Life, Marriage
The relevant part about marriage, via CBN News:
[Perry is] such a believer in states rights that he's defended state decisions that he fundamentally disagrees with.
But on issues like traditional marriage, which he says are important to the fabric of the nation, he supports amending the constitution to make it the law of the land.
"I support the federal marriage amendment and I also support the same with the issue of abortion. And I also that same process for a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution so Washington will finally get the message of, 'Hey, quit spending all the money," Perry explained.
His announcement on whether he's running for president is expected in the next few weeks.
Here's the video:
If he runs, will he take the Marriage Pledge?
NY Sen. Savino Furious Over Fellow Democrat Admitting Investigation of NY SSM Vote Needed
PolitickerNY reports that someone isn't happy:
State Senator Diane Savino is furious with fellow Democrat David Weprin after he agreed with an interviewer who said there should be some type of inquiry into whether the State Senate violated its rules when it voted to legalize same-sex marriage.
“I was this close to writing a check to him and I tore it up,” Savino told me. “He knows damn well” rules were followed, she said. “He should just defend his vote.” Weprin, as a member of the Assembly, voted for the bill.
... Weprin is running for the congressional seat vacated by Anthony Weiner in the 9th congressional district covering parts of Brooklyn and Queens where there is a sizable Jewish population, some of whom oppose same-sex marriage.
Video: Maggie Gallagher Explains NOM's Marriage Pledge on CBN News
NOM Chairman Maggie Gallagher was in-studio with the Christian Broadcasting Network today touting the fact that three GOP Presidential candidates --including the two current front runners-- have signed on to NOM's Marriage Pledge. Here's the video:
Here's the CBN article accompanying this interview.
Marriage Champions Emerge in Presidential Race! NOM Marriage News, August 4, 2011
Three marriage champions have emerged in the race for the presidency!
Two weeks ago, we got a Marriage Pledge to ten of the major announced candidates for the GOP nomination.
NOM's marriage pledge asks candidates to commit to five simple, straightforward, concrete steps to protect marriage nationally:
- To support and send to the states for ratification a federal marriage amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
- To do vigorously what President Obama has refused to do: defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court.
- To appoint to the Supreme Court, and as his or her Attorney General, only those who support the original meaning of the Constitution and who will, therefore, not invent a right to gay marriage.
- To establish a presidential commission to investigate the increasing reports of harassment and threats to supporters of traditional marriage.
- And to give back to the people of D.C. the right already guaranteed in the Charter which Congress gave them: the right to vote on marriage via the referendum process.
Today we announced the three candidates who have signed onto NOM's Marriage Pledge: Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum.
For these three candidates, support for marriage is not just a matter of words. (Even Pres. Obama does that!) These candidates emerge as leaders because they are willing to walk the walk, to commit to concrete actions to support marriage.
As Politico's Ben Smith put it today, reporting on NOM's pledge, "The pledge is less meaningful for its direct consequences than for the fact that it commits the three candidates fully to the hottest front in the culture wars."
As I said in NOM's press release, "We are grateful to Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum for their courage and their leadership in standing up for marriage, and so are millions of Americans who care about protecting marriage. Marriage is an issue with an unbroken string of victories that unites Republicans, and we're pleased and honored [that] the leading candidates in the race for the GOP nomination have spoken up for marriage. We expect the voters of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina will continue to reward candidates who champion marriage."
(The offer to sign NOM's marriage pledge will be extended to Gov. Rick Perry and other major candidates not currently in the race, as and when they enter the race).
[Update - Gov. Pawlenty signed the NOM Marriage Pledge. Bravo, marriage champions!]
Marriage is an issue which unites Republicans like almost no other issue. For example, a Public Policy Polling survey released on May 4, 2011 found that just 12 percent of Republicans support gay marriage.
The major GOP candidates need to know that support for marriage is not a tough call; it's common sense. We need marriage champions who are unafraid to stand up to the mainstream media for marriage!
Thank you for the privilege I cherish of being your voice for your values, whether in Iowa, Washington D.C., or New York—from sea to shining sea.
Speaking of New York, I wanted to share with you a couple of new videos from NOM's Let the People Vote rally.
We showed this video at a recent coalition meeting in Washington D.C.—and it had people cheering from their seats:
Main message: This is not the end. It's just the beginning of holding politicians accountable!
As Maggie said at the Manhattan rally, it's really encouraging, "So many people standing up for what's right: Marriage, the union of husband and wife, and for the most important civil right of all, the right of the people to vote!"
Currents TV has another exciting video of the Let the People Vote rally in Manhattan, which NOM co-sponsored.
Finally, here's NOM's own video from the Buffalo rally: Pastor Kevin Backus explains that nobody likes a politician like Mike Grisanti who breaks his firm promise, a promise to protect marriage, given over and over again.
In other news, Congress weighed in on defending DOMA in court for the first time this week, with a brief filed by superlawyer Paul Clement on behalf of the House of Representatives. (Kudos again to Speaker John Boehner for standing strong on this!)
It's a strong, lawyerly brief, designed above all to win Justice Anthony Kennedy's vote. Bill Duncan of the Marriage Law Foundation (who often works with us here at NOM) filed this analysis up on National Review.
We are grateful for all our marriage champions, including Florida's Rep. Allen West. The conservative media went wild when Debbie Wasserman Schulz unilaterally attacked West from the floor of Congress in the debt ceiling debate.
But they've been a lot more silent about the latest despicable attack on the Congressman, a former Army Lt. Col. who won the Bronze Star and many other military honors.
The LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party in South Florida successfully got the Wilton Manor Business Association to publicly kowtow and cancel their invitation to Rep. West to come address the business group on key economic issues. Why? Because Rep. West opposed repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, and supports marriage.
Now, boycotts have a place in America's free-speech tradition. Usually, though, they target a business which has done something wrong in the eyes of the boycotters. What was Wilton Manor Business Association's crime? Inviting a sitting congressman to speak on economic issues of interest to the local business community.
For that crime, the LGBT Democratic Caucus was willing to threaten to hurt local businesses, threatening to "Call on the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to boycott any and all businesses who are a member of the Wilton Manors Business Association, including GLBT-owned businesses willing to put profits ahead of human rights."
How many ordinary people might lose their livelihoods? Did the LGBT Caucus care? No.
There's something new, ugly and aggressive taking place among organized gay rights activists. They want to create an America in which Rep. West is cut out of the American mainstream, punished and excluded for his views—even his views on an issue that they have already won on in Congress!
NOM's issue portfolio is marriage and religious liberty, not military policy.
But we say, whether you agree with Rep. West on DADT or not, he's earned a right by his service to our country to his point of view.
This is shameful treatment of an honorable man, and we cannot be silent and watch the story unfold.
(Check out this cartoon, by a pro-gay-marriage cartoonist, to see someone who would agree with us on that!)
We have not yet begun to fight!
Thank you for all you have made possible. As Maggie says, in the end, I promise you that truth and love will prevail.
God bless and keep you and your family.
Brian S. Brown
President
National Organization for Marriage
P.S. When you donate to NOM, you're making sure that your voice is heard and your values are respected in the corridors of power. Whether you can give $20 or $200 (or perhaps a monthly gift of just $10), you are making a difference. The victories we've won for marriage are your victories. Your generosity can help win more battles, protecting and defending marriage for this generation and the generations to come.
Media Alert: Brian Brown on MSNBC Friday, 11:30AM ET
NOM President Brian Brown will be on MSNBC Live tomorrow morning between 11:30AM - 12:00PM ET with Thomas Roberts from their Los Angeles studio talking about NOM's new Marriage Pledge signed by three of the GOP candidates running for President.
It will be a panel discussion. Be sure to tune in if you can!
Round-Up: Media Coverage of NOM's Marriage Pledge
Ben Smith at Politico was first to take note:
Former Gov. Mitt Romney has joined Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Sen. Rick Santorum in signing a pledge to oppose same-sex marriage on a number of specific fronts.
... The pledge is less meaningful for its direct consequences than for the fact that it commits the three candidates fully to the hottest front in the culture wars.
Danny Yadron at the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire blog:
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R., Minn.) and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum have signed a pledge from the National Organization for Marriage to oppose gay marriage at several levels of the federal government.
But former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has sought to burnish his credentials as an evangelical Christian, declined to sign it, possibly putting him at odds with the social conservatives he is trying to court in Iowa. The National Organization for Marriage is running a four-day Iowa bus tour leading up to the Aug. 13 straw poll in Ames.
Kathryn Lopez at National Review's The Corner blog:
I’ve sorta tired of pledges, but it does seem bizarre that Tim Pawlenty hasn’t signed onto the National Organization of Marriage’s marriage pledge. The pledge is straightforward. And Governor Pawlenty does come from Minnesota, which has been a ground zero for the marriage debate lately. Pawlenty knows this is not a mere rhetorical debate for primary times.
Alex Pappas at The Daily Caller:
Sources tell The Daily Caller that Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Gary Johnson, Thad McCotter, Ron Paul and Tim Pawlenty all declined to sign the pledge.
“Marriage is an issue with an unbroken string of victories that unites Republicans,” said Brian Brown, president of the conservative marriage advocacy group, “and we’re pleased and honored the leading candidates in the race for the GOP nomination have spoken up for marriage.”
The organization added that “serious announced candidates for the GOP nomination” had the opportunity to sign its marriage pledge.
Brian Montopoli at CBSNews' Political Hotsheet blog:
Rep. Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum also signed the pledge, though that's not much of a surprise: Both candidates have grounded their campaigns in part in strong social conservatism. Romney's decision is more interesting because he has largely tried to keep his focus on fiscal issues and declined to sign an earlier, more far-reaching "values" pledge from a conservative group in Iowa.
More outlets:
- Alicia Cohn at The Hill's blog briefing room
- Kheli Bouarrouj of the DC Examiner
- Catalina Carnia at USA Today's On Politics blog
- Lynda Waddington at the Iowa Independent
- David Weigel at Slate
- Christian Broadcasting Network
- Huffington Post's HuffPost Hill Update
- Seattle Post Intelligencer Politics News blog
- Boston Globe's Political Intelligence blog
- International Business Times
- RTTNews
- Human Events
Maggie Gallagher on "T-Paw's Odd Absence" from NOM's Marriage Pledge
Kathryn Lopez at NRO's The Corner blog interviews NOM Chairman Maggie Gallagher briefly on our new marriage pledge:
I’ve sorta tired of pledges, but it does seem bizarre that Tim Pawlenty hasn’t signed onto the National Organization of Marriage’s marriage pledge. The pledge is straightforward. And Governor Pawlenty does come from Minnesota, which has been a ground zero for the marriage debate lately. Pawlenty knows this is not a mere rhetorical debate for primary times.
Maggie Gallagher, who is chair of NOM, says [...] “At this point, the people of Iowa need to know that Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are the only candidates willing to step forward and pledge to protect marriage in this campaign. We hope Governor Pawlenty will reconsider.”
WSJ: Where's Pawlenty on Marriage?
Danny Yadron at the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire blog asks that question, and includes NOM Chairman Maggie Gallagher's comments:
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R., Minn.) and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum have signed a pledge from the National Organization for Marriage to oppose gay marriage at several levels of the federal government.
But former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has sought to burnish his credentials as an evangelical Christian, declined to sign it, possibly putting him at odds with the social conservatives he is trying to court in Iowa. The National Organization for Marriage is running a four-day Iowa bus tour leading up to the Aug. 13 straw poll in Ames.
“Pawlenty’s communications director Ann Marie Hauser, personally informed me on Tuesday that Tim Pawlenty would not sign NOM’s marriage pledge,” said Maggie Gallagher, chairman of the board of NOM. “Like many people, we are scratching our heads wondering why Gov. Pawlenty, who has been a champion for marriage in Minnesota, would not commit to doing so for America.”
All Major Candidates Sign NOM Marriage Pledge, Commit to Concrete Steps to Support Marriage
"[The pledge] commits the three candidates fully to the hottest front in the culture wars." -- Ben Smith, Politico
"Three marriage champions have emerged," says Brian Brown, President of NOM
UPDATE - Tim Pawlenty has signed the pledge as well.
WASHINGTON - "Many candidates say they support traditional marriage (like President Obama!) but three GOP presidential candidates today stand head and shoulders above the crowd as marriage champions, for their willingness to go beyond words to commit to concrete actions," said Brian Brown, president of NOM, speaking on the eve of the launch of the Values Voter Bus Tour through 22 Iowa cities, which NOM is co-sponsoring. "We are grateful to Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum for their courage and their leadership in standing up for marriage, and so are millions of Americans who care about protecting marriage."
NOM's marriage pledge was offered to all serious announced candidates for the GOP nomination. An opportunity to sign the Marriage Pledge will be extended to Gov. Rick Perry and other major candidates, if and as they enter the race.
In signing NOM's marriage pledge, Mitt Romney, Michelle Bachman and Rick Santorum pledged to:
- Support and send to the states a federal marriage amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman,
- Defend DOMA in court,
- Appoint judges and an attorney general who will respect the original meaning of the Constitution,
- Appoint a presidential commission to investigate harassment of traditional marriage supporters,
- Support legislation that would return to the people of D.C. their right to vote for marriage.
"Marriage is an issue with an unbroken string of victories that unites Republicans, and we're pleased and honored the leading candidates in the race for the GOP nomination have spoken up for marriage. We expect the voters of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina will continue to reward candidates who champion marriage," noted Brown.
The signed pledges can be seen here:
Michelle Bachmann
Tim Pawlenty
Mitt Romney
Rick Santorum
Related: Round-Up: Media Coverage of NOM's Marriage Pledge
To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of NOM, or Maggie Gallagher, Chairman of the Board of NOM, please contact Mary Beth Hutchins, [email protected] at 703-683-5004 ext. 105.
###
Politico's Ben Smith on NOM's Marriage Pledge
Ben Smith at Politico blogs:
Former Gov. Mitt Romney has joined Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Sen. Rick Santorum in signing a pledge to oppose same-sex marriage on a number of specific fronts.
The three candidates signed the pledge advanced by the National Organization for Marriage, which has led national and state campaigns to limit marriage to a man and a woman. The signature of the frontrunner, Romney, is a bit of a coup for the group, as he's been careful about committing to other pledges, including a broad promise to a socially conservative Iowa group that caused trouble for other candidates.
Romney, Bachmann, and Santorum signed on to supporting a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage, to appoint federal judges who don't see a Constitutional right to same-sex marriage, and to back the Defense of Marriage Act.
They've also pledged to support offering a referendum on marriage in the District of Columbia, and to establish a "presidential commission on religious liberty" aimed at protecting the rights of marriage foes to speak out.
Bottom line:
The pledge is less meaningful for its direct consequences than for the fact that it commits the three candidates fully to the hottest front in the culture wars.
Gay Activist Compares Rep. Allen West to KKK Member in Op-Ed
Will the NAACP issue at least a mild rebuke to this outrageous and defamatory characterization of the first black GOP congressman elected from Florida since Reconstruction?
In an op-ed published yesterday in the Sun Sentinel, Michael Kenny, executive director of Florida Together writes:
If the infamous Klu Klux Klan leader, David Duke, were coming to Wilton Manors to speak and the NAACP and Anti-Defamation League were calling for the invitation to be rescinded, would the Sun Sentinel call them intolerant?
That is the crux of the problem. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board erred in equating Allen West’s well documented, inflammatory, bigoted, hate speech with the GLBT Democratic Caucus’s call to disinvite him. In your editorial, you attempted to compare the incomparable.
Brian Raum: Polls Increasingly Manipulated by Left, Media Ignores Bias
Brian Raum, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund writes in Town Hall:
Recently, PR Newswire ran the latest Harris Interactive poll under the headline, “Over Half of all Americans Favor National Recognition for Same-Sex Marriages.” And like so much of the homosexual agenda, both the headline and the story beneath it demonstrated the Left’s not-so-subtle habit of using verbiage to say one thing but communicate another.
... A bigger problem with the poll is that Harris Interactive purposely oversampled those who engage in homosexual behavior ...How significant was the oversampling? Consider this: those who identify as homosexual only constitute 1.4 to 1.7 percent of the U.S. population, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the Harris Interactive poll, they constituted a sample of well over 14 percent. With this distortion understood, it’s no wonder the poll showed that “‘49% of all U.S. adults…support the right for same-sex couples to marry,’ [vs.] 41% who oppose the right, and 10% who are not at all sure.”
... These numbers simply aren’t trustworthy (and they are definitely nothing to brag about once the oversampling is brought to light). And if we look at scientific polls, like the one conducted by the Alliance Defense Fund and Public Opinion Strategies during May 16-19 of this year, the distortion of the Harris Interactive poll is simply too great to go unchallenged.
For example, on the issue of marriage, 62 percent of those polled agreed that “marriage should be defined only as a union between one man and one woman.” That means nearly two-thirds of those polled believe marriage should remain what it has been for so many millennia, rather than be changed to accommodate the demands of the homosexual agenda.