Ron Paul Wins Values Voter Summit Straw Poll Despite Having Some Admirable Values

A committed Christian and staunch pro-life advocate, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul garnered a first-place showing at the Values Voter Summit straw poll, winning 37% of the vote and trouncing Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, and Michele Bachmann.

To which Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and organizer of the straw poll, had the only reasonable response: the guy who won most votes among Values Voter Summit attendees is obviously not the real choice of "values" voters…

"I don't think Ron Paul is truly reflective of where values voters stand," said Perkins on CNN's American Morning on Monday.

Perkins described the Texas congressman's top place finish in the poll as an "outlier."

"Ron Paul bused in over 600 people not to attend the conference but to hear his speech and vote," he said. "I give them credit for being organized."

Maybe the president of a designated hate group — and who better to judge values? — is right. After all, Paul's speech focused on war as the greatest threat to family life and invoked the Golden Rule in describing the ideal foreign policy. And every real "values" voter knows the real threat to family values comes from…committed, loving relationships formed by gay couples. Cue Bryan Fischer, president of the American Family Association, who also spoke at the Summit…

We need a president who will treat homosexuality not as a political cause at all, but as a threat to public health…Homosexual behavior represents the same threat to human health that injection drug use does. I believe we need a president who understands that neither homosexual behavior nor injection drug use represent lifestyles that any responsible government ought to normalize, legitimize, legalize, protect, sanction, or subsidize.

Well then. It's possible that the views of Ron Paul's supporters are not "truly reflective" of what many regular Summit attendees believe, but I'm pretty sure I know which group has the better values.

Photo by Steve Pope/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Tags: American Family Association, Bryan Fischer, Family Research Council, Ron Paul, Tony Perkins, Values Voter Summit

Rick Perry Wants You to Know That, Despite Rumors to the Contrary, He Is Not a Reasonable Person

Texas governor and person-who-will-very-likely-unseat-Mitt-Romney-in-the-driver's-seat-of-the-GOP-clown-car Rick Perry shocked the world last week when he made a blatantly reasonable and and non-bigoted statement regarding New York's recent decision to legalize gay marriage…

“Our friends in New York six weeks ago passed a statute that said marriage can be between two people of the same sex. And you know what? That's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me. That is their call. If you believe in the 10th Amendment, stay out of their business,” Perry said at an event held by the Aspen Institute in Aspen, Colo., on Friday.

Obviously, this set off a firestorm of religious conservatives accusing Perry of measured tolerance and thoughtful statesmanship. Which is to say, putting his as-yet-unannounced presidential campaign in extreme jeopardy!

So, today, Perry sought council with the de facto head of American Christendom and put an end to all such ugly rumors…

"I probably needed to add a few words after that 'it's fine with me,'" Perry admitted to [Family Research Council President Tony] Perkins Thursday.

And he repeated his commitment to the 10th amendment as well as his conviction that marriage should be between a man and a woman. "It's fine with me that a state is using their sovereign rights to decide an issue. Obviously gay marriage is not fine with me. My stance hasn't changed."

Oh, I see! Two gay dudes getting married is fine with Perry, however two gay dudes getting married is definitely not fine with him. Subtle distinction, but I get it.

Photo By Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Tags: Bill of Rights, Christianity, Constitution, Family Research Council, LGBT, Marriage Equality, Primaries, Religion, Republicans, Rick Perry, States' Rights, Texas, Tony Perkins

Mitt Romney Still Seen as Not Quite Crazy Enough for Chunk of GOP Base

Poor Mitt Romney. What a predicament this guy is in! You're heart really goes out to him, doesn't it?

Sure, he's got a solid business record of screwing over workers in favor of kicking extra money upstairs to all the John Galts in the penthouse. And sure, he's way ahead in the polls.

But he's got this nagging issue of having behaved kind of like a decent human being would back when he was governor of Massachusetts. And that is poison for the Evangelical/Tea Party base…

In June, FreedomWorks invited 150 Tea Party organizers to a planning session where participants were asked for their candidate of choice in the 2012 field. Only one Tea Party activist at the meeting supported Romney, Kibbe said…

Some evangelical Republicans believe they lost their front-runner when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee decided against another presidential run…

[Family Research Council president Tony] Perkins, who has not endorsed a candidate in the GOP field, noted Romney has some appeal with many social conservatives. But he added there are lingering questions about contradictions in Romney's record.

"It's fair to say there are those who see his record when he was governor of Massachusetts as not consistent with the platform that he ran on four years ago," Perkins said.

You'd think that a bunch of Christians, if anybody, would be able to find it in their hearts to forgive Romney for having behaved in a manner consistent with The Golden Rule.

He was weak, people! He can do better! I know it!

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News /Getty Images

Tags: Christianity, Family Research Council, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Mormon, Primaries, Religion, Republicans, Tea Party, Tony Perkins

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on the Fall of Prop 8 and the Coming Gaypocalypse

Enjoy life as you know it while it lasts, my fellow straight people, for soon we will be forced to endure the unimaginably horrific dystopia of two dudes that you don't know buying each other rings and fighting over floral centerpieces. My mind is bending toward insanity at the mere thought of it…

After the jump, Stephen Colbert reveals his flawless plan for us heterosexuals to ruin gay people's marriages the same way they're ruining our heterosexual marriages with their gay marriage-having.

The Daily Show and Colbert Report air Monday through Thursday starting at 11pm / 10c.

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Tags: CNN, Constitution, Economy, Elena Kagan, Family Research Council, Fox, Jon Stewart, LGBT, Maggie Gallagher, Marriage Equality, National Organization for Marriage, Neil Cavuto, Proposition 8, Rick Sanchez, Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Tony Perkins, Vaughn Walker, Video

Family Research Council Tries to Stop Donations to the RNC (Yes, That's an "R")

The Family Research Council — that group that sounds like it's investigating reasons why Timmy won't share the toys with his sister, but instead spends most of its time hating gay people — has joined the chorus of conservatives slamming the Republican National Committee after l'affair lesbian-bondage-stripper-gate.

Now FRC head Tony Perkins is hitting the GOP where it hurts. No, the other place…

Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council and an influential social conservative, is urging his members to stop giving money to the Republican National Committee, POLITICO has learned.

"I've hinted at this before, but now I am saying it: Don't give money to the RNC," Perkins will tell FRC members in the group's next e-mail newsletter. "If you want to put money into the political process, and I encourage you to do so, give directly to candidates who you know reflect your values."

Sage advice, Mr. Perkins.

As we all know, candidates who reflect conservative values never, ever get caught up in sex scandals.

Tags: Conservatives, Family Research Council, Michael Steele, Money, Republicans, RNC, Sex, Tony Perkins