Two leading Christian conservatives talk with CNN about Mitt Romney
Today on CNN’s State of the Union with Candy Crowley, Gary Bauer and Tony Perkins joined Candy Crowley to discuss Pres. Obama’s same-sex marriage announcement and the commencement addresses given by the president and Mitt Romney. A full transcript of the interview will be posted on http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/2012.05.13.html. A highlight is after the jump.
MANDATORY CREDIT: CNN’s “State of the Union”
Gary Bauer to CNN: “I think the president this past week took six or seven states he carried in 2008 and put them in play with this one ill-conceived position that he’s taken.”
Highlighted Excerpt
THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CROWLEY: You, of course, are talking about the president’s decision to say personally I support gay marriage, although it is up to the states to decide what — what they want to do about it. Do you think this is something he should campaign on? Because we — in your — even your immediate response to this was, OK, we all knew how the president felt about this, but where are the jobs?
So is this really something that you think helps Mitt Romney with the general public?
BAUER: Well, I think — I mean, again, I don’t — I’ve said this before — I don’t think it should be the central point of his campaign. I think the way he addressed it yesterday is the way to do it. I don’t think the way the Republicans on Capitol Hill are addressing it is the way to do it, saying it’s a distraction.
Defending the family, the cornerstone of civilization, is not a distraction. It should be a priority. And it should be a part of what Mitt Romney talks about.
Absolutely, jobs, the economy, this president hasn’t done those — hasn’t addressed those issues. I don’t know that I would say that he put this out there as a political distraction. I think this is who he is, but that’s not where America is. Every time a state…
CROWLEY: Well, it, kind of, is where America is. If you look at the polling…
BAUER: The polling is actually shifting.
CROWLEY: You see more than…
BAUER: No.
PERKINS: No.
CROWLEY: … that a little more than half of Americans say gay marriage is fine.
BAUER: Where do they live, Candy? There’s — where do all these people that are now in favor of same-sex marriage live? Thirty-two states have voted. It’s always overwhelming.
PERKINS: And Gallup — Gallup shows in the last year a six-point swing toward traditional marriage. As this president pushes this radical agenda, America realizes it’s more than marriage. It’s about education of our children. It’s about religious freedom. It’s about public accommodations. It’s a lot more than just marriage, and Americans are catching onto that.
….
CROWLEY: Let me — I need a two-word answer from both of you, your best V.P. pick for Mitt Romney. Who would you like him to pick, number one?
PERKINS: I’d like to see either — I think Bobby Jindal would be a good pick, or Mike Huckabee.
BAUER: Marco Rubio.
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