Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback says the government should release "cultural statistics" in the same way it releases economic data, like the unemployment rate. "What would happen then in a state like Iowa, or in my state of Kansas, if you started having data out like that? ‘Out of wedlock child birth rates up seven percent from a year ago’ — What would happen?" Brownback asks. "…People would react to it."
Brownback says such data could be a powerful force in helping to rebuild America’s culture. "We have to have a culture that honors what’s good and not what’s bad — and knows the difference between the two of them," Brownback says.
Brownback opposes gay marriage because he says it undermines the family, which he argues is the foundation of America. Brownback today told reporters he would not comment on whether he approves of the decision Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter made to raise a child with her lesbian partner. "That’s their personal activity," Brownback said. "I congratulate them on having a baby."
Mary Cheney gave birth to Samuel David Cheney this week and plans to raise the child with Heather Poe, her long-time partner. Samuel is the vice president’s sixth grandchild.
Brownback is holding six receptions around the state today and tomorrow for potential supporters, giving them a chance to hear a presentation from David Barton, an author who Time magazine once named as one of the 25 most influential evangelical Christians in the country.