Flailing Rick Perry Pledges to Combat Pornography

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R).<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickperry/5063661666/sizes/z/in/set-72157625123096632/">Texas Governor</a>/Flickr

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


In the 2012 GOP presidential race, the quickest way to the top of the polls is to just stop campaigning. Maybe go on a book tour, sail around the Aegean for a bit, or teleconference with your friends in Norway. Live a little! No one has passed that bit of advice on to Rick Perry, however. On Monday, desperate for the support of social conservatives in Iowa, the Texas Governor signed the Family Leader’s Marriage Vow—a controversial pledge that Mitt Romney previously called “undignified and inappropriate for a presidential campaign.” The pledge commits signatories to a range of positions—including support for a federal marriage amendment, the appointment of “constitutionalist” judges,” and marital fidelity.

But it also extends beyond standard-issue talking points to some more fringey positions. In signing the Marriage Vow, Perry has also promised to reject Islamic Shariah law (first they came for the turkeys!), save women from the corrupting influence of pornography, and promote “robust childbearing and reproduction.” Shariah is defined in the document as a form of “totalitarian control,” which, while not approaching Herman Cain territory, is sort of an odd way to talk about the customs of one of the world’s major religions.

The marriage pledge is best known, though, for the slavery provision. The document originally noted that “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.” That language has since been stricken from the vow, but only after an outcry from prominent GOPers like Romney turned the pledge into something of a toxic asset.

Perry has previously signed the National Organization for Marriage’s pledge to “appoint a presidential commission to investigate harassment of traditional marriage supporters.”

Fact:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2022 demands.

payment methods

Fact:

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2022 demands.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate