Opponents of abortion, same-sex marriage kick off Iowa tour to sparse crowd
from The Des Moines Register.
A bus tour of national groups opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage kicked off Tuesday morning in Des Moines before a large media contingent but few of the “values voters” whom organizers are hoping to reach.
...Among the speakers in Des Moines was Republican presidential candidate and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who spoke for about four minutes.
Pawlenty highlighted his record as a state lawmaker and governor on restricting abortion, defining marriage as a bond between a man and a woman and appointing judges who demonstrated “restraint and humility.”
...In Des Moines, speakers addressed a crowd of a few dozen media and assorted campaign staff, but just a handful of actual voters showed up for the mid-morning event at the Iowa Capitol.
That lack of in-person support for the tour’s kick-off may indicate that social issues like abortion and gay marriage are not top priorities for voters right now, said Troy Price, executive director of One Iowa, a gay rights group that opposes the social conservatives stand on same-sex marriage.
“The press outnumbers the crowd here four to one,” Price said. “I’m just not quite sure how effective they’re going to be.”
