IOWA CITY — Nearly every public policy issue that can be named has a direct impact on the very foundation of American society, according to former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, which is a traditional marriage consisting of one man and one woman.
Pawlenty, who told reporters before his public remarks on Monday that he is definitely "leaning toward" a 2012 presidential run, spoke on a litany of issues ranging from the economy to freedom of religion to education to health care, bringing each one back to his primary focus on the family. The remarks were made on the University of Iowa campus at the first of many lecture events featuring national conservatives hosted by The Family Leader, a state-run advocacy group that acts as an umbrella organization for the Iowa Family Policy Center and the formerly federally funded Marriage Matters.
Pawlenty began his public remarks by discussing why he believes the U.S. is a Christian nation.
"That isn't just my editorial comment," he said. "It's in our founding documents."
The basis of Pawlenty's remarks before the public, however, were laid out to members of the press during an advance availability.
"Of course, this being for this organization (The Family Leader), these remarks will focus on things that support, maintain and enhance the family's role in our society and culture," Pawlenty said. "People in public office who are responsible for developing public policy have a key leadership role and responsibility to play that in regard.
"All of us, of course, have memories and a background of our individual family situations, but more broadly than the power and impact of that is the research that shows the importance of families as the building blocks for children, and the stability that families bring to the socio-economics of children and for individuals, and the correlation between strong families and strong results in the economy and education and health and well-being."
Pawlenty applauded Bob Vander Plaats, head of The Family Leader, for "being a champion for saying and doing, and pushing and promoting and leading efforts to try to highlight, encourage and support families."
During the press conference, The Iowa Independent asked if Pawlenty's discussion of families as the building blocks of society included all families as currently recognized under Iowa law, and if he agreed with Vander Plaats' and The Family Leader's continued advocacy to roll back marriage rights for same-sex couples.
"The Family Leader and other organizations have taken a position in favor of traditional marriage. I don't distance myself from that position — I embrace it," he said. "I support the notion that we, as a society, should continue to elevate traditional marriage, that it should remain as between a man and a woman, and that all other domestic relationships are not the same as traditional marriage. That's my view. It's not something that I've changed or evolved on or need to distance from because I strongly believe it."
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