3 GOP Candidates Sign Marriage Pledge; Pawlenty Declines
Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum have signed a new marriage pledge to show their commitment to protect traditional marriage.
The pledge was created by the National Organization for Marriage as a way of getting confirmation that the Republican candidates will do more than talk the talk.
"These are candidates who are willing to go beyond saying they support one man, one woman marriage – which even President Obama claims he supports – and commit to some concrete actions to protect marriage," Maggie Gallagher, chairman of the board of NOM, told CBN News.
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Candidates who sign the NOM pledge vow 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.
The NOM pledge is not the only marriage pledge out there.
The Family Leader, based in Iowa, also produced a document for candidates to sign earlier this year. The "Marriage Vow," however, sparked controversy over some of its statements – such as "a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA's first African-American President."
Only Bachmann (R-Minn.) and former U.S. senator Santorum signed the vow, though they clarified later that they do not advocate a return to slavery.
The Family Leader CEO Bob Vander Plaats also clarified that the document does not condone slavery. The organization's mission is simply to strengthen families, he indicated.
Tim Pawlenty refused to sign the Marriage Vow, saying he preferred to choose his own words rather than signing on to words chosen by others.
The former governor of Minnesota, who says he is committed to promoting the sanctity of marriage, has also declined to sign NOM's pledge.
Gallagher commented to CBN that she finds the refusal "peculiar," especially for a governor "who's been a champion for marriage in Minnesota to refuse to do the same for the people of America."
"We're hoping the governor changes his mind," she said.
The National Organization for Marriage has joined Family Research Council and the Susan B. Anthony List in sponsoring the "Values Voter Bus Tour." The tour launches on Aug. 9 and will make its way through 22 cities in Iowa. Some of the presidential candidates who are expected to participate include Pawlenty, Santorum and Bachmann.
