CBS "Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer" - Transcript
Interview
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Governor Patrick, many religious voters, including many black voters, are opposed to same-sex marriage. Is this issue going to threaten and hurt the President politically?
GOVERNOR DEVAL PATRICK (D-Massachusetts): I don't think so, Bob. And I want to-- I want to thank Ted for his clear and principled position on this issue and it's consistent with the President's clear and principled position on the issue because it's about convictions. It's not about politics. You know, I dealt with something similar in Massachusetts when I was running the first time in dealing with-- with black clergy and the point I made to them is the same-- same point that President makes to voters nationally, which is that we don't have to agree on everything before we work together on anything. People get that this is about human dignity. And I applaud the President for standing up for human dignity. That is an American value. And it's a real indication of this President's leadership.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, some Republicans have said, and we may hear this, I suspect, in just a minute or two from some of the other folks on the panel, that this really is going to galvanize, in some ways, Governor Romney's support because there are a lot of people on the right side of the Republican Party that were--
GOVERNOR DEVAL PATRICK: Mm-Hm.
BOB SCHIEFER: --not quite sure of him on social issues. Do you think some social conservatives who might have been just lukewarm about Mitt Romney may now come right over and say, "I really like the guy now?"
GOVERNOR DEVAL PATRICK: Well, they may. It's, you know, those are voters, I suspect, who were not likely to vote for the President anyway, unless they vote their interest, which are economic interests, and this President is foursquare with them and standing with them in this election and in office. I think what we know is that Mitt Romney has occupied many positions on many issues, and he has, you know, back in 1994, when he was running for the United States Senate, he said publicly that he would be better than Ted Kennedy on gay and lesbian issues. He takes a different position in front of a different audience today. I think conservative voters know that about Mitt Romney. I think the American people know that about Mitt Romney as distinct from Barack Obama who is running on and leading through a set of convictions.
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