Iowa conservative culture warrior Bob Vander Plaats talks to Salon about porn, sharia and Mitt Romney's Mormonism
By Justin Elliott Tuesday, Jul 12, 2011 07:45 ET
Presidential candidates are asked to sign pledges all the time, but the GOP primary has been roiled for the past few days by an uncommonly influential document [ http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/07/08/bachmann_conservative_pledge/index.html ] -- the Marriage Vow: A Declaration of Dependence Upon Marriage and Family -- put out by an Iowa group, the Family Leader.
The Family Leader was formed [ http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/11/15/vander-plaats-to-lead-iowa-group-with-2012-endorsement-plans/ ] after the 2010 elections as a coalition of Iowa social conservative advocacy groups, with Bob Vander Plaats as its executive director and public face. Vander Plaats had become the best known conservative culture warrior in Iowa that year after receiving a respectable 41 percent of the vote in the GOP gubernatorial primary; his campaign focused on reversing a 2009 decision by the state supreme court allowing same-sex marriage.
I spoke with Vander Plaats by phone Monday night to check in on the developments surrounding the Marriage Vow and the presidential contest in Iowa. The following transcript of our conversation has been edited slightly for length.
Can you tell me briefly what the purpose of the Marriage Vow is and why you decided it was necessary for this field of candidates?
Well, the purpose behind the Marriage Vow was to basically introduce a high standard, a standard we believe our leaders should strive to attain. To be quite frank, when we see Congressman Weiner, or Gov. Schwarzenegger or Gov. Sanford or Gov. Spitzer or Congressman Foley, it's a bipartisan issue. So we said, "Let's do a Marriage Vow that first and foremost talks about fidelity to your own spouse." And we're not trying to beat up anybody for past mistakes because we're a Christian organization -- we fully understand the need for forgiveness and redemption. We've all made mistakes in the past. This is about moving forward. So what we did is put together a comprehensive marriage vow that basically declares our nation's dependence on marriage and the family. Because we believe when you have healthy marriages, you have healthy families, when you have healthy families you have healthy economies, and then you have a healthy society.
So Rep. Bachmann and Sen. Santorum have committed to signing the vow or have signed it. But Mitt Romney hasn't responded yet. Would you be able to support him if he does not sign it?
What we've said is that a primary candidate for the office of president will not get our support if they can't sign this pledge. If they can't sign the pledge, we're going to ask them questions like, "Where's the issue you have with the pledge?" Because we want to have a discussion and a debate. And if for any reason they point out something we're just wrong on, then we'd admit it and say "OK, we're wrong on that." But we don't see that. That's why it's a fairly researched and supported and well-resourced document. Now, Huntsman says he's not going to sign any pledges. Romney we have not heard back from. We gave the candidates till Aug. 1. The reason is that we want them and their own policy teams to do their own research, take a look at what we concluded and then when they sign, they've really thought this deal out. With Congresswoman Bachmann and former U.S. Sen. Santorum, they read it and right away they said, "You know what, we see nothing in that pledge that we won't adhere to." So I think that kind of showed their executive leadership style.
On Romney, apart from this Marriage Vow, do you think his religion -- the fact that he's Mormon -- will be a problem at all among evangelical Christians in Iowa who might be skeptical of that?
You know, I've been asked that question a lot. In 2008, I was Huckabee's state chair in the state of Iowa. And I remind people, it wasn't the Mormonism that I think turned the people of Iowa off on Mitt Romney and why Huckabee won. Because Mitt Romney led the polls in Iowa for a long time, and he was a Mormon then as well. He leads the polls today in Iowa, and he's still a Mormon. I think what it was is that Iowans just had kind of a disconnect with Romney. They probably couldn't relate to him real well, but they could relate to Huckabee extremely well. And the other piece was, there seemed to be some inconsistencies with what Romney said and what his record was -- and then even what he said in one arena versus what he would say in another arena. And Huckabee was always consistent. I think those are the things that cost him way more than him being a Mormon.
You take a look at Mitt Romney's family, he and his wife, Ann, have a model marriage. It's probably a marriage that a lot of marriages could look up to. And they've raised five wonderful boys. So he has done well with his own particular family. I think it's something he could highlight.
There's one section in the pledge that says the candidate has to reject -- the phrase used is "Sharia Islam" -- can you describe what you mean by that phrase and what you want the candidates to reject in that?
Well, Sharia Islam -- and I'm not an expert on Sharia Islam -- but I think just in the brief knowledge [I have] of Sharia Islam, one, you can have multiple wives, and two is you can have temporary wives, and three is I think it disrespects women as a whole. And so we see Sharia Islam as being an issue.
And you see that as something that is a dominant thing in Islamic cultures and societies, or more of a historical idea?
No, there's a lot of American Muslims who reject Sharia. And we believe the president of the United States needs to be aware of some of the threats to our culture, and one of them is Sharia Islam in our opinion.
Another part of the vow that's gotten attention was the clause about promising to protect women and children from a long list of evils. Some of those things were obviously crimes -- human trafficking was one -- but there was also pornography. What would you say to people who don't see pornography as a threat to women? And secondly, do you think only women need to be protected from pornography or should men be, too?
Well, I think if you read in that, there's also the word "coercion" -- "coerced." I don't have the vow in front of me right now, but I think if you read that it's going to talk about coercion as it relates to abortion, prostitution, pornography. What we're trying to do is have a high standard for women and for children, as well as for marriages and for family.
Some people were saying that the pledge was somehow calling for a ban on pornography, is that what it was intended to do?
No, not at all. I think if the Family Leader could have its way, we'd probably say we'd like to have a ban on pornography. But that's not the vow. The vow was [about] forcing women into pornography.
Gary Johnson released a statement[ http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/gary-johnson-calls-family-leader-pledge-offensive-and-unrepublican ]today attacking your group. He says "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.' " He also says, "Government should not be involved in the bedrooms of consenting adults." Do you want to respond to him?
Well, first of all, who's Gary Johnson? Two is, if we are truly endowed by our creator -- and if our founders are right that this thing we call a republic hinges on two inseparable rungs, religion and morality -- we believe there needs to be a higher standard. Because, believe me, if we go down [the road of] a culture that says, "Gary has his standards, and Bob has his standards, and Justin has his standards," it will be a train wreck. There has to be a higher standard. We don't believe things are right or wrong because Bob says they're right or wrong, or because somebody else says they're right of wrong. We believe they're right or wrong because God says they're right or wrong and it's released in his Scripture in his Word. So that can be Gary's opinion -- I don't think it's going to play real well.
By Paul Stanley | Christian Post Reporter Mon, Jul. 18 2011 05:42 PM EDT
Texas Governor Rick Perry seems to be getting closer to entering the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is already a committed candidate and in all respects, has earned “frontrunner” status.
This leads many political analyst and pundits to wonder: Could Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann be the ideal “Dream Team” for Republicans in 2012?
Perry successful executive experience, combined with Bachmann’s conservative legislative credentials could make an interesting combination, but could present some challenges at the same time.
Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the University of Virginia, works with Dr. Larry Sabato and has been following the presidential race closely.
“The Republicans aren’t going to have a problem motivating the base in 2012, so that’s not the issue,” said Kondik. “The Democrats love to paint Republicans as extremists so the Republicans may have to decide if Perry and Bachmann are too conservative in a general election. I think Obama would certainly prefer to run against a more conservative ticket than one made up of Romney and another moderate, but Romney would certainly need a conservative on the ticket to keep the base excited.”
Both have an extensive political background and in many ways they parallel each other.
An Eagle Scout and graduate of Texas A&M University, Perry was an Air Force pilot before resigning with the rank of Captain in 1977 and returning to West Texas to farm with his father.
In 1984 Perry was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat and joined a group known as the “Pit Bulls,” earning their name by sitting pushing straightforward budget ideas on the Appropriations Committee. In 1988 he served as Al Gore’s presidential campaign chairman in Texas, before switching parties and becoming a Republican in 1989.
As a new Republican, Perry ran successfully for Agriculture Commissioner in 1990, defeating a longtime Democrat Jim Hightower. He was reelected in 1994 and in 1998, was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas. He later assumed the office of Governor when then Governor George W. Bush was elected President in 2000.
Perry has been elected as Texas Governor three times – in 2002, 2006 and 2010.
Like Perry, Bachmann also began her career in the State Legislature and has long taken conservative stands on fiscal and social policy. She also grew up in a Democratic family but says she became a Republican during her senior year of college.
After obtaining a law degree from Oral Roberts University in 1986, two years later, in 1988, Bachmann received as LL.M. degree in tax law from William & Mary School of Law. From 1988 to 1993, she worked as an attorney for the Internal Revenue Service, before leaving her position to become a full-time mother.
Bachmann’s political career began in earnest when education issues motivated her to run for school board in 1999 – a campaign that she lost.
However, in 2000 she was elected to the State Senate in Minnesota, where she served until she was elected to Congress in 2006, and the first Republican woman to serve represent Minnesota in Congress.
Bachmann has claimed substantial support from Tea Party activists and serves as chairman of the Tea Party Caucus in Congress.
Another commonality between the two Republicans have in common is being targeted by liberal groups such as atheists and pro-homosexual activists.
In an interview last week about on Marcus Bachmann’s Christian Counseling centers, Exodus International President Alan Chambers indicated many homosexual groups are determined to try and do everything possible to defeat any candidate who advocates conservative fiscal or social positions. The bigger issue would be how independent and swing voters respond to the issue.
Atheists groups, on the other hand have targeted Perry over his upcoming prayer conference in August.
Joe Zamecki is the Texas State Director of American Atheists Incorporated, a component of the national group founded by the late Madelyn Murray O’Hair.
Zamecki told YNN in Austin, Texas, “The Texas government right now is having such problems that if our governor can’t solve them or even address them or own up to his responsibility with them, I don’t think a prayer is going to help.”
There are also other names Washington insiders throw out when they talk about potential republican Vice Presidential contenders. Ohio Governor and former Congressman John Kaisch are often mentioned as is California Congressman and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy. But Senator Marco Rubio is the one most are talking about. Said one such insider who did not want to be identified, “Rubio is the person I feel President Obama wants to avoid as a Vice Presidential nominee. He’s the right person – young, bright, a proven legislative leader, Hispanic and from a swing state. Biden would probably not fare well in that debate, but then again, Biden doesn’t do well against many others either.”
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