Rick Santorum Says He Was 'Taken Aback' By 'The Marriage Vow' (VIDEO)

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said he was "taken aback" by a controversial pledge introduced last week by The Family Leader, an Iowa-based conservative group, during an interview that aired on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday morning.

Standing behind "The Marriage Vow - A Declaration of Dependence Upon Marriage and Family" is a requirement for earning the organization's endorsement. The pledge entails supporting "federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which protects the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman." Among other things, it also means backing a ban on pornography.

"When I first read it, I was taken aback by it. I can't argue that I wasn't," Santorum told CNN's Candy Crowley. "But I understand why they're saying it, because it does undermine people's respect for the institution, respect for the people governing this country. If you can't be faithful to the people that you're closest to, then how can we count on you to be faithful to those of us who you represent?"

GOP White House contender Michele Bachmann has also signed her name to the pledge.

Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, a lesser known candidate vying for the Republican presidential nomination, has said that the pledge gives members of his party a bad name.

"Government should not be involved in the bedrooms of consenting adults. I have always been a strong advocate of liberty and freedom from unnecessary government intervention into our lives," Johnson explained in a statement. "The freedoms that our forefathers fought for in this country are sacred and must be preserved. The Republican Party cannot be sidetracked into discussing these morally judgmental issues -- such a discussion is simply wrongheaded. We need to maintain our position as the party of efficient government management and the watchdogs of the 'public's pocket book'."

He added, "This 'pledge' is nothing short of a promise to discriminate against everyone who makes a personal choice that doesn't fit into a particular definition of 'virtue'."

Bob Vander Plaats, who heads The Family Leader, said in a statement last week, "The Family Leader views this pledge as an important component needed to inform constituents about the personal stand that each presidential candidate takes regarding marriage. We believe that the candidates' positions on core values, such as marriage, correlate directly to his/her moral stances on energy issues, sound budgeting policies, national defense, and economic policies."

Below, video of what Santorum had to say on CNN.

WATCH:

Comments

[inesison]

04:35 AM on 07/13/2011

Republicans claim they don't want big government in our lives....except in our bedroom...they feel it necessary to tell you what you can and can not do in YOUR bedroom. They don't care what's in your food, or whether the air you breath is clean, but anal sex in your bedroom is THEIR business. I wonder how they will enforce or monitor your sexual acts?

[Lila Wilson]

08:43 PM on 07/12/2011

If there is supposed to be bi-partisan compromise and work being done, why are the Republicans passing around these silly pacts for signing? They are effectively removing all of their own bargaining rights and abilities. I don't get it.

[guilatty]

02:44 PM on 07/12/2011

I signed it, too, but no one cares because I am not going to be President, either.

[1hotgolfer]

01:01 AM on 07/12/2011

"Taken aback by the pledge"...Seriously, Rick? Obviously you aren't outraged at the suggestion that African-American families were more of a "cohesive" unit when ruled and enslaved by racist white folk. Or, taken aback at the sheer ignorance of history...marriage between man and female slaves was outlawed during slavery.

You finally found the true essence of yourself in that pledge!!!

[SmartladyDem]

10:57 PM on 07/11/2011

More like Rick Sanitorium.

[tominnyc]

09:18 PM on 07/11/2011

these poor souls are against privacy in the bedroom with free porn?!
oh my
way beyond man-on-dog santorum this Bachman candidate
you go jesus churchstate church lady!

[Amathyne]

07:18 PM on 07/11/2011

"We believe that the candidates' positions on core values, such as marriage, correlate directly to his/her moral stances on energy issues, sound budgeting policies, national defense, and economic policies."

Huh? Half of me wants to laugh out loud, and half of me wants to be very, very scared. That has to be one of the single most bizarre political statements I have ever heard... and that is saying a lot! Please explain to me how a so-called "conservative" vote on marriage would equate to sound energy policy? That is such a flabber-gastingly wierd point of view I am simply left with a "deer caught in the headlights" look on my face.

[djekizian]

04:10 PM on 07/12/2011

I had the same "huh?" reaction when reading that convoluted sentence. Critical thinking is certainly not The Family Leader's strong suit.

[Deb Hamilton]

06:41 PM on 07/11/2011

I'm sorry to have to provide this link but I just wrote a thought-provoking blog post about racism, microaggression, and Bachmann: http://debutopia.blogspot.com/2011/07/michelle-bachmann-racism-and-carpet.html#more

[Yvetter]

07:45 PM on 07/11/2011

Excellent! :)

[finnyd420]

04:50 PM on 07/12/2011

Earned yourself another fan.

[HaroldHeckubah]

05:14 PM on 07/11/2011

How sad. He willingly signed the pledge, with no dissent, before the pledge was controversial. It took him a split second to sign it, and now that the darker implications of the pledge are apparent he's going to spend the rest of the campaign (for Santorum, not likely very long) trying to placate us with fake recrimination. Save it, God-boy.

[slickbottom]

04:38 PM on 07/11/2011

Is Rick running for something?? They never mention him in any of the polls. I guess that is because he is polling so well.....

[American 69]

03:59 PM on 07/11/2011

What a weakling ! Anything for a vote eh ? A Presdient needs to keep ALL options open but, I guess that's not a problem for Pawlenty, he'll never get that far.....

[IndependentGadfly]

03:52 PM on 07/11/2011

I hear that both Bachman and Palin love Pawlenty-Santorum as the GOP platform in 2012 :-P

[anytimecowboy]

02:52 PM on 07/11/2011

To all rational thinking people. Be afraid, be very afraid. We must not forget that Hitler was Democratically elected. Santorum and Bachman fall directly into the Nazi Fascist role. We must stop them at all costs.

[wooper]

02:50 PM on 07/11/2011

Gary Johnson...a man with no chance to win the Republican nomination. I'm not familiar with his political positions, but I do know when he stated "This 'pledge' is nothing short of a promise to discriminate against everyone who makes a personal choice that doesn't fit into a particular definition of 'virtue" I had to doublecheck to confirm he was a Republican.

One moment the Republicans complain about too much government in our lives, and the next they are intruding into the most personal parts of our lives, including their attacks on abortion rights.

I'm still waiting for the women of America to rise up and say they have had enough of the Republican attacks on women. They want to make any woman that has an abortion a murderer, they have focused repairing the economy by reducing funds for education and cutting teaching job which are by a wide majority held by women.

If the people of America who are most negatively impacted by Republican policies (women, gays, blacks, Hispanics, the poor, the middle class) vote Democratic, the Republicans would be swept out of politics forever. Open your eyes America...look and see how much harm the Republicans are doing in your own personal life.

[finnyd420]

04:54 PM on 07/12/2011

Re: Johnson. He is more libertarian than republican. I heard him speak on decriminalizing pot over a decade ago. And he is all for personal liberties. He runs as a R I guess since he is also very conservative on the tax side. Wants a lot more states rights and less federal gov't. I'm not pro or anti Johnson just thought you might like a bit more info

[oneyippie]

02:50 PM on 07/11/2011

"We believe that the candidates' positions on core values, such as marriage, correlate directly to his/her moral stances on energy issues, sound budgeting policies, national defense, and economic policies."

They don't, but they're gonna try to make it seem so to voters.

They're mixing religion and politics in order to influence election outcomes. It's been going on too long. Politicians should reject such organizations and their money and prove their independence from the religious right.