Rick Perry Goes After Obama Over Don't Ask Don't Tell

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry pledges to end "[President Barack] Obama's war on religion" in a new television ad airing in Iowa, railing against open service of gays and lesbians in the military and the prohibition against prayer in public schools.

"I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a Christian," says Perry. "But you don't need to be in the pews every Sunday to know that there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school."

"As president, I'll end Obama's war on religion and I'll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage," the Texas governor continues. "Faith made America strong. It can make her strong again."

Perry has recently stepped up his attacks on Obama for cultural issues. In a statement released Tuesday, he decried the Obama administration's decision to use foreign aid to promote rights for gays and lesbians abroad.

"This is just the most recent example of an administration at war with people of faith in this country," he said. "Investing tax dollars promoting a lifestyle many Americas of faith find so deeply objectionable is wrong. President Obama has again mistaken America's tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles."

Politico reported Tuesday that Perry bought $1 million in broadcast television time ahead of the Jan. 3 caucuses. The Dallas Morning News recently reported that his presidential campaign plans to bring "more than 600 influential Texans" to Iowa in December. However, Perry netted just six percent support among likely Republican caucus-goers, according to a Des Moines Register poll released Saturday.

Comments

[Newocean]

03:05 PM on 01/25/2012

I thought this article was going to be about Katy Perry.
Rick Perry became moot due to his n- - - - - head ranch.
Why would we care what he thinks? He can't even name 3
federal agencies in a live debate lmao!

[eacelc1]

06:59 PM on 01/24/2012

perry who is this PERRY man?

[twinkie1cat]

03:48 PM on 12/30/2011

Rick Perry is among the political religionists who twist the idea around that gay people are not normal. It is ok with them if they live a lie, but not if they admit to being gay. I thought our military members were supposed to be honest and above reproach! The Word of God tells us not to lie. God does not make mistakes. I just don't see how gays serving their country and prayer and celebrating Christmas in the schools are related. The Republican candidates, if and when they get to heaven are going to go into total shock when they see how many gay, lesbian and transgendered Christians are up there with them. And they will also be held responsible at the Judgment of the Believers for hindering the work of the Holy Spirit by telling them that they cannot be Christian and gay and causing them to decide to remain unbelievers. Satan loves the religious right. They do a lot of his work for him.

[twinkie1cat]

03:46 PM on 12/30/2011

Right wing extremists who call themselves Christians always get it wrong because they do not follow the walk of Christ and His values but the regulations that Jesus said were "finished" on the cross.

America did not ban prayer in school. Kids and teachers pray every day, especially before tests. They just cannot require or expect everyone to pray whether they believe or not or persecute them for doing so. In some states they go too far the other way and quake at any mention of God and then in the more conservative states have programs that are outright religious in nature. I will never forget the Easter program at a public school in New Orleans. You would have thought we were in Sunday School. (I also won't forget an argument during it that bordered on physical between a teacher and her paraprofessional. It was right down the hall. Between two devoutly religious women. They had also both sprinkled Holy Water around the classroom during the previous week.)

[Christopher Erwin Hogan]

01:00 AM on 12/15/2011

I am a gay man who treasures his faith just as much as the next man. It was God who helped me get through the grief and pain of losing my husband and best friend of 10 years, Duane. Since then, I have tried to be more like he was and help needy people and volunteer at our church because he really cared about other people and opened my eyes to what's important in life. I am thankful that God gave him to me for the time he was here and also that we found a loving church-home. I hope Mr. Perry discovers that there are in fact many people of faith who happen to be gay, too, even if we don't agree on everything.

[Pennsylvanianne]

11:48 AM on 12/12/2011

What kind of alleged "Christian" wants to exclude others? Jesus Himself mingled with lepers and other rejects of society and never addressed the issue of homosexuality at all.

[Mystical Rose]

03:14 PM on 12/11/2011

The problem that I have with the ad is that it paints being a Christian and a Democrat of liberal as mutually exclusive and that is not true. I am glad that Perry is not ashamed to be a Christian, but I believe that it is very unloving to say that gay people do not have a right to serve their country(even though I am against all wars in principle)and turning this into an us. vs. them mentality. As a Christian, I believe that we should strive to love the way God loves us, including gay people because they too are made in God's image and likeness and He loves them too. Suggesting that gays should serve in the military is not lowering Christian standards; because if one could argue that, then others may suggest that gays should be in work with heterosexuals or that they can't eat together in the same restaurant. My concern is that I feel people are using religion to cause division and hate, instead of love and unity. Christianity is a religion of love and it is being used to justify hate and violence and that should not be so. Also, as stated by other people, children can pray in public schools if they want, but teachers cannot mandate that everyone do so.

[twinkie1cat]

03:54 PM on 12/30/2011

What bothers me is that the principles of the Democratic party---human rights, acceptance of diversity, caring for the needy are all Christian principles. Yet it is the Republicans who support greed and conformity who are considered "Christian".

[Mystical Rose]

11:28 AM on 12/31/2011

Yes. That bothers me too. There are Republican principles that are Christian, but there are Democratic principles that are Christian as well, but people often ignore them.

[theocrat]

09:41 PM on 12/09/2011

Republicans- always ready to repeal the first amendment, because guys like Rick Perry are smarter than Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

[daigz]

07:56 PM on 12/09/2011

I wonder how many takes his campaign videos take given his track record of remembering what he's talking about..

[jmlambion]

02:43 PM on 12/09/2011

I’m not sure that Rick Perry understands what the military does for a living. We send our young people off to join the Armed Forces where they learn how to gut someone with a bayonet or cut someone’s throat without making a sound. They learn how to drop bombs and lay down suppression fire. We ask them to face death, destruction and misery in the service of our Country. Considering all the horror and terror experienced by our young people in the military, the possibility some of those young people might be homosexual is the one thing that outrages Rick Perry’s delicate sensibilities is truly outrageous.

[Tal Massy]

12:32 PM on 12/09/2011

His "Little House on the Prairie" music is hilarious.

[Egghead]

01:27 AM on 12/09/2011

I loved it when Rachel Maddow pointed out that he's wearing the same coat that Heath Ledger wore in Brokeback Mountain.

[daho]

08:59 PM on 12/08/2011

I feel bad gay people in uniform who are serving their country have to hear this kind of stuff. If you don't respect EVERY soldier, you can't be Commander in Chief. That's a basic pre-requisite, and you failed, Rick Perry. Now move along.

[Kiya Tut]

04:26 PM on 12/08/2011

someone tell Perry gay people have faith...somehow what he says really does'n matter much...he shows up for work high as a kite...not much faith there

[ionotter]

01:25 PM on 12/08/2011

I'm just going to leave these here...

http://i27.tinypic.com/2l8bvjr.jpg (Original Healthcare)
http://i31.tinypic.com/2uz6j2p.jpg (Original Socialist)
http://i27.tinypic.com/211qhy0.jpg (Original Terrorist)

Note to mods: All work-safe, all made by me, all free to distribute.