Log Cabin Republicans rip Rick Perry ad

The Log Cabin Republicans, a gay Republican group, on Wednesday criticized a new ad from Rick Perry in which the Texas governor and Republican presidential candidate suggests "there's something wrong" when gays can serve openly in the military but kids "can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school."

"Our nation was built upon individual liberty and individual responsibility, and open service by gay and lesbian servicemembers is directly in line with the vision of our Founding Fathers," said R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of the Log Cabin Republicans. "It is wrong for Governor Perry to assume being a person of faith does not afford one to support equality."

Perry's new ad, seemingly designed to appeal to far-right conservatives, includes a call by the candidate to end "Obama's war on religion." In it, Perry, clad in a barn coat, tells the camera, "I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Christian, but you don't need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school."

Perry, who hosted a religious revival called "The Response" shortly before beginning his campaign, also vowed in the ad to "fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage." In response to the spot, the Log Cabin Republicans also said it wanted to remind Perry that he "is running to be Commander-in-Chief, not Theocrat-in-Chief."

Perry is spending more than $1 million to run ads between now and the Jan. 3 caucuses in Iowa, where evangelicals make up a significant portion of the GOP electorate. The Texas governor, who entered the race as a favorite but who is polling in the single digits nationally after a series of stumbles, is hoping to revive his campaign with a paid-media driven surge in the Hawkeye state, where his standing was 11 percent in this week's CBS News/New York Times poll.

Full CBS News coverage: Rick Perry

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Rick Perry on the campaign trail

[tmn]

Perry is pretty much done. This is his last gasp of a campaign...

[hawkman1001-2009]

Just 1 more reason why Rick Perry is completely unfit to be president.

[mariannpepit]

There isn't any. I believe soldiers that are gay should be separated from soldiers that are straight in the military. God made man for woman not man for man. Get a grip. Perry's ad is right and I agree with him. There are schools that do not allow prayer. This generation of voters don't have the brains to sit on or a window to throw them out of. You voters voted for Obama now you can't wait to vote him out of office. If your thinking Gingrich or Rommney would make a good president you better think again. Ron Paul is 76 and should be sitting home in his rocker.

[elliotstamler]

I have zero sympathy for the Log Cabin Republicans. Any gay person, and I a straight Democrat, who remains in the Republican Party nowadays deserves all of the revilements, insults, and vilifications hurled at them by the overwhelming majority of their fellow Republicans who are in fact fascists, prudes, bigots, religious fanatics and ignoramuses. It makes as much sense for a gay person to try to remain a Republican as it does a Jew to try, if he could somehow have gotten in, to remain a Nazi.

[modonnel22]

Well said.

[phatandphoolish]

this moron redefines stupid - he even makes 'w' look intelligent. more republi-con idiocy

[mariannpepit]

What is wrong with being republican. They won the house and will win the senate leaving the dumbocrats home where they belong. Good for Perry. He said it right. The way gays live is not normal. They should try reading the good book sometime maybe that will change them.

[modonnel22]

Rick, why don't you check yourself into Michele Bachmann's clinic... Perhaps your stupidity can be cured through prayer.

[mariannpepit]

Do you have a problem with prayer? Gays really do not belong in the military. I definately agree with Perry and I am the same religion as he is. The problem with todays generation many of them are busy with their drugs, booze and sex. They probably never seen the inside of a church and don't care to. I would rather see a christian voted in office than a man that has been married three times cheating on each one ofthem.

[mountainstates1]

With all those gay rumors about Perry playing both sides of the fence swirling around, you gotta ask, "Rick, does thou protest too much?"

[mariannpepit]

I haven't heard any rumors about Perry. Are you gay? Two of your words "does thou" are in the bible. I wouldn't mock those words if I were you. Maybe you need a good lesson from God.

[mountainstates1]

I don't understand gays being Republican. Wouldn't that be like a minority voting for the Nazi party in WW II Germany??

[Rodeo_Joe]

The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished Slavery.
Note- the THIRTEENTH.

So this "Our nation was built upon individual liberty" is false.
It was built by slaves on stolen property. FACT.

Some town in Texas is missing their idiot.

[mariannpepit]

That must be you. Because your probably one of this generations nut cases that left their brains behind on graduation day.

[antoniof123]

This guy gets nutter by the minute.

[mariannpepit]

You must be one of them gay guys that feel insulted because of the ad. The ad is correct and if the gay's don't like it they should try changing their life around and live like a normal human being. And why would a man want to go to bed with another man. To me that isn't normal. And the same goes for woman who go to bed with woman.

[longtree-2009]

not an obama fan but would vote for obama over perry any day. perry might appeal to evangelicals and the extreme right wing but doubt he appeals to the majority of U.S. citizens. obama won by a landslide last time a feat that perry on his best day could not accomplish.