October 19, 2007
Posted: 05:30 PM ET

Watch Tony Perkins in the Situation Room Friday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, took time out from the Value Voters summit Friday to speak with Wolf Blitzer. Perkins discussed evangelical, pro-life voters and the 2008 Republican presidential field. Watch his interview.

Related video: Watch Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention in the Situation Room.

Click here to see CNN's new political portal: CNNPolitics.com

Filed under: Faith • Mitt Romney • Rudy Giuliani • The Situation Room


PollM, Dallas Tx   October 19th, 2007 10:49 pm ET

It's very unlikely the Religious Right will jump ship and joint the Democrats, they're going to make do with what they have in the Republican party. They will play the hand they were dealt.

What Republican candidate do you believe suites the Religious Right needs?

——-> http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=751

.

M. Harris Santa Barbara CA   October 19th, 2007 11:09 pm ET

Why are CNN, and other media outlets, giving so much air time to the religion of a future President, and those who promote their religious agenda by speaking and acting like lobbyists when discussing the Presidential candidates? Are we electing a "Religious Leader"? I thought we were electing the President of the United States! It is an irresponsible use of TV air time if CNN does not give equal time to prominent leaders who believe strongly in the separation of church and state.

Charles from Orem, Utah   October 20th, 2007 2:21 am ET

Regarding Mitt Romney:
I think it's both shameful and shortsighted that anyone professing to belong to an enlightened Christian belief system would feel the need to even consider supporting a candidate whose faith teaches that God endorses racism. The Book of Mormon very clearly teaches that God caused a "dark and loathsome" skin color to come over the "Lamanites" (whose descendants are modern Indians and Latinos) because of their "iniquity", so that the fair-skinned "Nephites" would not want to intermingle with them. Those thus "cursed" with a dark skin then receive a "promise" from the Book of Mormon, however, that their descendants who embrace Mormonism in the latter days and become righteous would one day again see their skin become "white and delightsome". Since their troubled beginnings Mormons have evolved into a respectable group that espouses clean living, strong family values, etc, but the background teachings that God condones racism are still there, and any Latter-day Saint who considers themself to be a committed believer MUST accept them. Could this be one of the reasons Romney doesn't encourage open discussion about the details of his faith? I don't expect anyone to take my word for this — go to any search engine and type in the words: Mormon, skin, white, Indian. Read what you find, and then decide whether a candidate's religion should matter whether he is electable to the office of President of the United States.

Daniel   October 20th, 2007 3:34 am ET

Religious leaders are massivly distrusting Giuliani and are making sure to let it known!

Lou Dobbs, Plano TX   October 20th, 2007 4:10 am ET

Another Chaucerian fraud given air-time for his religious-induced nonsense to be aired.

LaAngeloMysterioso   October 20th, 2007 6:27 am ET

Pro life voters are stupid. Not for their position, but the approach. Chief Justice Roberts, whom takes responsiblity for his personal pro life position by adopting children, believes in a right to privacy. He will not allow challenges to that right to hit the court calendar but would request congress to change our laws as he did in a New Jersey assault rifle case.

laurinda,ny   October 20th, 2007 7:50 am ET

I wish that the Republicans would just shut up about all this family values and pro life garbage. No one believes them. I came from a well off Republican family and we lived in a "great" neighborhood. Lawyers, drs.,da's, even Cab Calloway, but every single family had problems with family members. Hospitalizations, suicides,runaways, you name it. So as far as I am concerned this white picket fence house garbage is for the birds. I've been on both sides of life and there is no such thing. Pro lifers get real and just leave things the way they are. You are turning America off with your family values!

Purnell Millbrook, New York   October 20th, 2007 9:15 am ET

Is Tony Perkins one of the "Men's Room Republicans" you know the offshoot from the Log Cabin group?

Peter, Wausau, WI   October 20th, 2007 12:04 pm ET

I really don't think conservatives should endorse a third-party candidate who couldn't be elected… because then we might have Hillary as president :(
If only The Pope was eligible to be elected…

Jeff Spangler, Arlington, VA   October 20th, 2007 1:09 pm ET

What supreme arrogance for anyone to presume any authority over a woman's body and the life wholly within and dependent upon it. Right-to-lifers are officious intermeddlers (nosy pests) who have no legal standing in these matters. If they even think they do, what other aspects of your life will they attempt to control?

Mrs. America   October 20th, 2007 1:40 pm ET

They are control freaks, excuse my language. They want to control women's bodies and once a fetus is born they want to control the emerged person, and god forbid if the person becomes a criminal because then they want to kill it. They might as well get used to saying "President Clinton" if they're going to narrow their election choice to someone who meets their criteria on only abortion (and probably gay marriage).

John Chamberlain Sturgis, SD   October 20th, 2007 3:55 pm ET

The religious right are so weak, and afraid that they feel they need to control individuals lives, with their own sorry vision of what life is.
When I hear these evangelicals speak about their beliefs, I wonder where they got their info from. Christians want you to believe the Earth is the center of the universe, the world is 5,000 years old…wrong, wrong, and they're wrong in their rational behind abortion. If we (human society) were responsible, abortion wouldn't be used as birth control. I can't imagine anyone with an ounce of sense would disagree, but for a backwards mentality to define how, and why we live can't be allowed. The pope is part of that backward mentality, the church breeds nothing but mental illness. The one thing the Chinese government have right.

Kim, Peabody MA   October 20th, 2007 5:54 pm ET

That is why I am NOT voting for either Democrat or Republican.

Vote for Pete Grasso in 2008!

Grasso will Restore FAITH in America!

http://www.GrassoforPresident.com

Karen,nj   October 20th, 2007 6:44 pm ET

Personally, I don't pay any attention to what the Pope says. Did you know that when Catholic people die if they were cremated they can not have their ashes in the church while a mass is being said. That is unbelievable.

Garrett Babb Indianapolis, IN   October 21st, 2007 1:36 am ET

If we knew the details about Mormonism, we wouldn't even be considering Romney. And, if you knew what Rudy did in his spare time, you wouldn't think he's even close to the Catholicism he pretends to honor. Only Ron Paul can say that he's a man of God. Even Huckabee has turned into a CFR monkey. Just check out the latest issue of Foreign Affairs. If you're CFR you for the NAU. AND THAT'S NOT COOL WITH US!!! Why don't you poll that, CNN?

Jay, Washington, DC   October 21st, 2007 7:36 pm ET

Here's the horns of the dilemma for the Religious Right. They have been attaching themselves to policy based on religious principles. While they had clout, they talked about how abortion was such a key issue (a life/death issue). If they support a Republican candidate like Guliani just because he is GOP, they turn themselves into nothing more than another group playing political compromise.

roger, conway sc   October 22nd, 2007 3:15 pm ET

who cares what this right wing, neo-conservative, has to say about my or anyone elses values…they need to work on their own values instead of spending all of their time lobbying for a republican that will lie, cheat, and do whatever needed to spit out their right wing message/beliefs ex craig, vitter, gw, cheney, gingrich

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