Gay Marriage

Rick Perry Flip Flops On Gay Marriage, Backs Federal Ban

Benjy Sarlin | July 28, 2011, 1:35PM

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)

So much for states' rights.

Texas Governor Rick Perry (R), one of the country's most prominent defenders of the 10th Amendment, is making an exception when it comes to gay marriage. After initially telling reporters that it's "fine with me" if states like New York legalize same-sex unions through their own legislature, Perry is pulling a 180 and calling for a Federal Marriage Amendment.

Perry, who is flirting with a presidential bid, clarified his position to Family Research Council president Tony Perkins in an interview.

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CPAC

GOProud Co-Founder: Tony Perkins "Demonizes Gay People" (VIDEO)

Andrew Jones | February 9, 2011, 4:05PM

Family Council Research President Tony Perkins and GOProud Co-Founder & Chair Christopher Barron

The 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference hasn't begun yet, and it's already producing fireworks.

Those fireworks took the form of a segment earlier today on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports in which GOProud co-founder & chair Christopher Barron hammered Family Council Research (FRC) President Tony Perkins for not only misrepresenting his group's agenda, but for also being anti-gay.

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Southern Poverty Law Center

Family Research Council Rips SPLC Over 'Slanderous' Hate Group Designation

Ben Frumin | November 27, 2010, 9:05AM

Tony Perkins

The Family Research Council, one of the most prominent voices in conservative social politics and host of the annual Values Voter Summit, has responded to being called a "hate group" with a scathing statement of its own.

As we reported earlier this week, Southern Poverty Law Center added the Family Research Council to its list of hate groups due to anti-gay speech from its leaders.

In a statement, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins calls that designation a "slanderous attack and attempted character assassination."

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Values Voter Summit

Mike Pence Sweeps Straw Poll Voting At Values Voter Summit

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 18, 2010, 3:52PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) is the valueiest politician around. At least that's what participants in the 2010 Values Voter straw poll think. Pence, whose 2012 presidential aspirations are no secret, swept both the presidential and vice-presidential polls.

Pence gave a raucous and engaging speech to the crowd here Friday, which Family Research Council president Tony Perkins told me was at least partially responsible for his double win. Pence, of course, wasn't the only presidential hopeful to address the crowd yesterday. Rick Santorum spoke, too, though his sixth place finish suggests (by Perkins' logic) that people here were unmoved by his morality-focused speech. Mitt Romney tried to slay 'em in the aisles with a series of one-liners that seemed to amuse the crowd here. He came in third in today's results.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Morals, Morals, Morals! Conservatives Gather For Values Voter Summit]

Last year's winner straw poll winner, Mike Huckabee, also addressed the crowd yesterday, ripping into the health care reform law with what can only be described as true relish. He finished second in the presidential poll.

Sarah Palin, who didn't show up here at all, finished fifth in the presidential poll and second in the veepstakes. Because Pence won both polls, Palin was declared the winner of the VP straw poll, meaning -- if it means anything -- that participants here hope to have Pence/Palin bumper stickers on their cars come 2012.

"What a dream ticket," Perkins told the crowd.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Family Research Council Suggests DADT Keeps Soldiers From Getting HIV

Christina Bellantoni | July 30, 2010, 2:26PM

A gay veteran and the president of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins.

In its bid to block the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the Family Research Council is arguing that soldiers could get HIV if gay men and lesbians are allowed to serve openly -- and that kids might read porn instead of the Bible. In a 98-minute Webcast caught by the LGBT POV blog, FRC's Tony Perkins promised to explain, "How the military is being used to advance a radical agenda."

Perkins began the webcast (watch it in full below) with a warning: "What you will see and hear tonight may enrage you." The broadcast included Oliver North, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO). FRC has been campaigning adamantly against the repeal of the Clinton-era ban on gays in the military.

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Republicans

Tony Perkins On Steele's RNC: 'If You Can't Run A Party, You Can't Run A Country'

Christina Bellantoni | April 1, 2010, 5:45PM

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins

Family Research Council's Tony Perkins today defended his group's decision to ask donors give to individual candidates instead of to the Republican National Committee given recent problems there.

Speaking on MSNBC this afternoon, Perkins said the RNC -- and its spending and the flap over a staffer expensing a trip to a bondage-themed nightclub -- is "tone deaf" to social conservatives.

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Family Research Council

Religious Right Holds "Prayercast" To Stop Health Care Bill

Eric Kleefeld | December 16, 2009, 10:19PM

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins

The Family Research Council Action PAC just finished it's spend 90-minute "prayercast," an online event to pray for God's intercession to get Senators to stop the health care bill, and it sure was interesting to watch.

Overall, the event provided a good look at the theocratic right, about which we'll have more to write tomorrow. Guests included -- either live, by phone, or on pre-recorded video -- Sens. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Sam Brownback (R-KS), Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Randy Forbes (R-VA), Todd Akin (R-MO) and others.

But let's start our review with one fun moment from tonight. At the beginning of the event, FRC president Tony Perkins and his co-host Lou Engle spoke of a stirring moment from the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Benjamin Franklin called for the feuding delegates to join together in prayer to God, and how "without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel."

"And you know what happened?" Perkins asked. "History records that they prayed."

Actually, history records that they did not pray -- and this has been a recurring myth of the American religious right that never goes away. As the Library of Congress says: "Franklin's motion failed, ostensibly because the Convention had no funds to pay local clergymen to act as chaplains."

We'll have more tomorrow.