Rick Perry Signs Anti-Gay Marriage Pledge Before Mingling With Virulently Anti-Gay Activist

WASHINGTON -- Republicans who support gay rights have seen their brief hopes for Rick Perry's candidacy dashed as old quotes surface, new pledges are signed and news of his forthcoming campaign events and associations emerges.

The Texas governor and leading presidential candidate briefly gave hope to the increasingly influential group of Republican LGBT advocates when he expressed his support for the rights of states to pass their own legislation governing marriage. Since then, however, he has said he would back a constitutional amendment banning the practice, while quotes from an old book surfaced in which he compared homosexuality to alcoholism. On Friday, meanwhile, Perry signed the National Organization for Marriage's pledge that would, among other things, commit him to support sending a federal marriage amendment to states upon becoming president.

But the icing on the cake could come this weekend, when Perry is set to mingle with one of the most virulently anti-gay activists and prominent social conservative donors in his home state.

The event, officially labeled a "call to action," will feature a retreat at a Texas Hill Country ranch. Among the event's hosts will be David Barton, an evangelical leader and founder of the organization WallBuilders.

Barton is most commonly known for holding revisionist historical views, specifically regarding the history of civil rights. But his incendiary stance on LGBT issues has made him an object of intense concern for both progressives who monitor right-wing figures and for Republicans who support gay rights. Most recently, when the state of New York legalized same-sex marriage, Barton argued that anti-gay groups should proverbially "scalp" the four Republican state senators who had backed the bill. He added some choice words for Ken Mehlman, the former RNC Chairman turned LGBT activist, as well.

“I want to see pro-family guys scared straight that are squishy on this issue, and if we can’t take out these four Republicans and the Majority Leader in New York, we will have opened a huge door for Melhman and his kind to come in and start rewarding these guys for going against pro-family stuff, and you just can’t let that happen," Barton said on his radio program, WallBuilders Live. "No disrespect to our Native American friends, but this is where you hang a bloody scalp over the gallery rail. You hang these four Republican scalps over the Senate rail and every other Republican senator looks up and sees those scalps and says, ‘my gosh, I’ll be hanging up there beside them if I don’t stay with this pro-family stuff.’ And that’s exactly what has to happen.”

Mehlman declined to comment on Perry's decision to attend this weekend's affair, and the Perry campaign didn't respond to a request for comment. But at least one Republican LGBT advocate expressed trepidation over Perry's association with Barton, calling his comments more anti-gay than those typical of even the most prominent social conservatives, including James Dobson and Tony Perkins.

"It is unfortunate Governor Perry decided to turn to a big government, anti-conservative position by signing the National Organization for Marriage’s pledge," said R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of the Log Cabin Republicans. "This pledge is out of step with America and the general electorate the GOP needs to win the White House."

"Recent comments by David Barton about the bipartisan achievements made in advance of civil marriage equality is a devise position and not helpful for Republicans to win in 2012," Cooper added. "Achievements made by former RNC Chairman, and Log Cabin member, Ken Mehlman actually strengthen our party and bring back voters in support of the pro-economic growth agenda advanced by Republican leadership. The 2012 election cycle is an opportunity to expand the Republican victories among younger voters, centrists and independents who remain critical for winning any election... Current RNC Chairman Reince Priebus just stated today, 'We need to provide a clear and articulate alternative to Obama.' Obama can be beat, however, the Republican path to victory is compromised when gay Americans are perceived as being attacked for just being how God created them."

On a broader note, Perry's quick move from saying he supported states' rights to signing the NOM amendment underscores how difficult it is to run for president on a federalist platform. Certainly, the Republican presidential field has discussed the importance of health care or education policy being decided on the local level. But each candidate has also been pressed to detail and outline the legislative philosophy he or she would adhere to as president. And on cultural issues in particular -- abortion, gay marriage, and others -- they have consistently backed the federal government's power to institute a set of universal policies.

Comments

[frankieboy26]

08:41 AM on 09/29/2011

Rick, why don't you go sit quietly in the corner and count those 12 fingers of yours? and by the way, how is that brother of yours, the one with the two heads?

[JohnBryansFontaine]

06:02 PM on 09/20/2011

Confronting David Barton's Revisionism
by Kyle Mantyla

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/confronting-david-bartons-revisionism

[JohnBryansFontaine]

05:55 PM on 09/20/2011

"...David Barton

David Barton, an official endorser of The Response, is a self-proclaimed historian known for his twisting of American History and the Bible to justify right-wing political positions. Barton’s strategy is twofold: he first works to find Biblical bases for right-wing policy initiatives, and then argues that the Founding Fathers wanted the United States to be a Christian nation, so obviously wanted whatever policy he has just found a flimsy Biblical basis for. Barton, “documenting” the divine origins of his interpretations of the Constitution gives him and his political allies a potent weapon. Opponents who disagree about tax policy or the powers of Congress are not only wrong, they are un-American and anti-religious, enemies of America and of God.

Barton uses his shoddy historical and biblical scholarship to push a right-wing political agenda, including:

Biblical Capitalism: Barton’s “scholarship” helps to form the basis for far-right economic policies. He claims that “Jesus was against the minimum wage,” that the Bible “absolutely condemned” the estate tax,” and opposed the progressive income tax.
Revising Racial History: Barton has traveled the country peddling a documentary he made blaming the Democratic Party for slavery, lynching and Jim Crow…while ignoring more recent history.
Opposing Gay Rights: Barton believes the government should regulate gay sex and maintains that countries which “rejected sexual regulation” inevitably collapse..."

[JohnBryansFontaine]

05:52 PM on 09/20/2011

Please google :

Fact Sheet: Gov. Rick Perry’s Extremist Allies

[RC81]

10:55 AM on 09/13/2011

"No disrespect to our Native American friends..."

What a r*cis+ tool.

[Winette Bekis]

07:05 PM on 09/29/2011

I highly doubt Native's would assist in scalping. We're very tolerant and even revere same-sex individuals.

[fredpa]

08:21 AM on 09/05/2011

Okay Rick. Now what's the next freedom you'd take away from gays? And while we're on the subject of taking away freedoms, what group is next for the Perry White House?

[dav0001]

04:22 AM on 09/05/2011

I just thought of a perfect and totally appropriate way to start this debate. Start with an empty stage then have a small car drive onto the stage and all the candidates can jump out of it like a bunch of circus clowns. It's perfect and sums them all up in one easy action.

[fredpa]

08:24 AM on 09/05/2011

Or as Will Rogers said, "An empty car pulled up in front of the White House and Calvin Coolidge got out."

[Larry Richardson]

11:50 PM on 09/04/2011

its a sick world, tatoos an body-pircing, gay marriages the people that got thier money by taking from someone else,in charge, too many people in prisons, men trying to provide for their families joining the service as warmongers, and when they come back from raping an murding poor innicent people they are our hero's, you bunch of poor brainwashed flag waving americans,can't you see what the media is doing to us

[dav0001]

04:02 AM on 09/05/2011

Dang Larry, you really are a bit of a downer. Tatoos and body piercings..so what? Nothing wrong with them. Gay marriage. Gays deserve the same rights as everyone else. Your ridiculous sentence on the people who join the military is not only a major hoot but an even more major presumption on you part. I can see what the media has done to you. It's made you into a real miserable, angry person.

[blackreign]

10:16 PM on 09/04/2011

Perry and I finally agree on something. Sorry though, I still can't see my self supporting a GOPer, especially one that rejects Evolution.

[dav0001]

04:04 AM on 09/05/2011

So you don't support gay marriage. Maybe we should take a step back in time and return to outlawing interracial marriages? Seems only fair to me. How'd you like that Blackie?

[Spengolf]

11:57 PM on 08/30/2011

SOMEONE NEED TO TELL RICK PERRY TO TAKE THE SHEET OF HIS FACE WE NO IT A BRAND NEW DAY JUST COME ON OUT AND SAY WHAT HE HAS TO SAY

[tincup2005]

03:27 PM on 08/30/2011

If a Chinese gay lives in Dallas, would Rick Perry call him the Yellow Hose of Texas?

[tincup2005]

03:24 PM on 08/30/2011

How do you get four GOP candidates on a bar stool? Turn it upside down.

[Justjack1]

05:58 AM on 08/30/2011

Perry shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the white house, first he wants to beat up Geitner, and now he wants to scalp republicans that support Gay rights? Another act of talk about small government then do big government when elected. They tell you how they will govern, so its really no surprise.

[Manuel Little]

04:13 AM on 08/30/2011

Perry does not contradict himself in allowing New York State to pass same-sex legislation.
Perry does not contradict himself in allowing New York State to pass same-sex legislation, while at the same time promising to seek a Federal amendment to the Constitution defining "marriage" as between a man and woman pair. There is Supreme Court precedence to keep the Federal definition as is. Sure, New York can set their Statewide marriage definition. Perry is Governor of Texas, not New York, so why would he care? At the Federal level, nevertheless, if voted US President, it can be expected that he would seek a national definition that agrees with his opinion on that subject. There's nothing strange of flip-flop about it at all. That's the way to keep government small, by not redefining anything about marriage, not having to change legal code (costs staff time), not having to set up all sorts of new procedures accepting same-sex marriage nationally. Yes, the majority of the States might approve a US Constitutional amendment which would silence the ridiculous legal opinions of the same-sex marriage lobbyists.

[WheelsOnFire]

09:05 AM on 08/30/2011

Nice try at defending Perry-Go-Round, but I'm not buying any of it at all.

Moreover, this guy wants to divide this nation -- to create a multiple-class society, such as exists in India. One class for straights, and a second class for gays.

Sorry, but I do not want this country to resemble India.

And he bases his belief on the notoriously erroneous, ambiguous, and equivocal bible -- subject to all manner of interpretation. I'd rather stay true to our founding principles and our Constitution. Perry-Go-Round wants to run the Constitution through a paper shredder.

[TBJ]

12:01 PM on 08/30/2011

That's..ugh. I'm pretty sure this is a paid-to-post post, but, I'll respond nonetheless.

Perry repeatedly stated in the past that he supported the states' right to define marriage. If there's a federal amendment that defines marriage, it will legally prevent the states from establishing their own definitions. Not only is he terribly contradicting himself, that federal amendment IS big government, you tw1t. I have literally never heard the opinion that more federal decisions/laws means smaller government.

BTW, the 'ridiculous legal opinions' didn't seem so ridiculous when prop8 was struck down in court.

[Manuel Little]

06:39 PM on 08/30/2011

No. It is reasonable that States can legislate their own definitions and amend their Constitutions to define marriage as is, or change it. But only until a Federal US Constitutional amendment is reached (not easy to do). We didn't write the US Constitution so don't blame us for following it. The US Constitution prescribes the power of the States and the powers of the Federal government. Same-sex civil marriage advocates certainly didn't complain when Lawrence vs. Texas decided the legality of sodomy laws for the rest of the country. So you are accusing Perry of a ideological contradiction, where there is none (different levels and scope of legislation), while doing the same. Talk about a contradiction about a contradiction(!)...

[blackreign]

10:21 PM on 09/04/2011

The Feds should have not right to dictate a State's definition of marriage. Period. California and New York should have every right to legalize homosexual marriages, if that is the will of the people in these states. But no state should have the ability to dictate marriage laws to other states, for or against.

[Doug Clement]

02:57 AM on 08/30/2011

Obviously this so much more important then getting people working, making sure people have basic healthcare....

This country is so F'ed up.

By the way, all of these people, if not a good majority of them, are homosexuals themselves.