During the primary season Sanotrum has signed the Cut, Cap and Balance Pledge (promising to make substantial cuts in spending, enforce spending caps and work to pass a balanced budget amendment), the Susan B. Anthony Pledge (promising that if elected to end all taxpayer funding of abortion, defund Planned Parenthood, and appoint abortion opponents to the federal bench and Cabinet positions) and the Taxpayer Protection Pledge (promising not to vote for any tax increases).
Signing pledges gives the Republican candidates an opportunity to bolster their conservative credentials. So far most of Santorum’s colleagues have joined him in signing a frenzy of promises — however, a new pledge, called the Marriage Vow Pledge, has left some of them scratching their heads.
Santorum was the first presidential candidate to contact The Family Leader, an Iowa based conservative group, to confirm that he would sign their pledge. The pledge calls for a candidate, among many other things, to remain faithful to their spouse.
Karen Garver Santorum married Rick in 1990. She’s a nurse and an attorney.
Detractors to the pledge have called the fidelity provision intrusive.
When asked Santorum admitted that he was initially “taken aback,” but ultimately decided to sign the pledge because he understood the groups’ reasoning behind it.
“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?””
The pledge has also stirred up more controversy over an example in the introduction that seems to compare slavery favorably to modern day single parent households.
“Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly 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.”
After mounting pressure the group decided to remove the slavery part in the preamble because they agreed it could be misunderstood.
“After careful deliberation and wise insight and input from valued colleagues we deeply respect, we agree that the statement referencing children born into slavery can be misconstrued, and such misconstruction can detract from the core message of the Marriage Vow: that ALL of us must work to strengthen and support families and marriages between one woman and one man. We sincerely apologize for any negative feelings this has caused, and have removed the language from the vow.”
A spokesman from Santorum’s campaign responded to the controversy saying Santorum supported the groups decision to pull the slavery portion of the introduction but said they still stood by the overall message.
“Senator Santorum was pleased to sign the Iowa Family Leader’s pledge because he is committed to standing up for traditional marriage…With that said, Senator Santorum believed it was the right thing for the Iowa Family Leader to remove the language from the preamble to the pledge about slavery.”
Santorum’s campaign spokesman then took a jab at the other presidential candidates stating, “the bigger question here is why aren’t more Republicans having the courage to stand up for the institution of marriage and signing this pledge.”
So far Minnesota Representative Michelle Bachman has signed the pledge, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is currently reviewing the pledge to determine if he will sign it and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson has come out against it.
Aside from the Marriage Vow asking candidates to practice personal fidelity it also asks them to reaffirm that marriage is between a man and a woman, defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, end anti-marriage parts of the tax code and to fight against the enactment of Sharia Law in the United States.
The Marriage Vow Pledge came at the end of Santorum’s ten-city tour across Iowa. So far he has made at least 15 trips to Iowa.
By Jared Edgerton, Contributing Writer