The Summit has become an opportunity for every conservative politician even thinking about running for President to visit Iowa and pander to Vander Plaats, the man who has used his position of leadership to compare homosexuality to the effects of secondhand smoke and claimed that African Americans were better off under slavery than today. Vander Plaats has run for office unsuccessfully several times, but has carved out a niche of influence on the fringe right of the Republican Party in Iowa's first in the nation caucus.
This year's Summit has attracted Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is hosting this year's summit, along with anti-LGBT hate group the Family Research Council. State Senator Joni Ernst, the Republican Party's nominee for US Senate in Iowa, will also speak.
Having attended the past two summits to live-tweet for Progress Iowa, I have a good idea of what to expect today. Here are a few highlights, some of the worst from past summits:
"€œI don'€™t think the mark of the beast will come in the form of a 666. I think it will be a rainbow."I'll be posting live updates all day below, and quoting speakers directly. Stay tuned for more unfortunate and extreme rhetoric from this year's Family Leadership Summit, and follow @progressiowa for quotes before they're posted here.Attendees were called upon to vote against pro-choice candidates even if they have to vote for "€œthe devil himself."
Another radio host who is now teaming up with Vander Plaats for their own right-wing talk show said "there is a reason the child killers are on the side of the homosexual lobby."
10:02 AM CT: Bob Vander Plaats welcomes a smaller than expected crowd. A lot of empty seats here.
10:04 AM CT: Vander Plaats opens by saying that "we are all equal at the foot of the cross." He fails to mention his opposition to equality for LGBT, minorities, and immigrants.
10:05 AM CT: Vander Plaats wraps up his welcome, but not before asking the attendees to not be "the weird one" if they talk to the press today.
10:12 AM CT: Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds and Gov. Terry Branstad are the first two speakers today. They are co-hosts of today's summit, along with anti-LGBT hate group the Family Research Council.
10:05 AM CT: Congressman Steve King now on stage, saying that marriage has been undermined. This despite more Iowans and Americans now having the freedom to marry.
10:32 AM CT: Sam Clovis, candidate for Treasurer, introducing Joni Ernst, the Republican nominee for US Senate.
10:40 AM CT: Ernst speaks for just a few minutes, citing the gospel of Luke and discussing absolutely nothing close to policy.
10:46 AM CT: Bob Vander Plaats back on stage, saying he wants to start evaluating candidates for office on character more than they have done in the past. character -- with their marriage, in their life. Sounds an awful lot like their 2012 Presidential caucus pledge.
10:49 AM CT: "It could be a very dark time" if we don't use government to follow God's will, says Vander Plaats.
10:53 AM CT: Vander Plaats says it's "spiritual warfare" that we're involved in, then immediately puts up a sign on stage promoting "If 7:14" -- which just happens to be the name of his new book.
11:03 AM CT:Joel Rosenberg speaking now, says America is on a "road to collapse" and a "road to judgment" because of our culture. Compares America to Nazi death camp at Auschwitz because of abortion.
11:19 AM CT: "In your lifetime, end times prophecy is coming true." -Joel Rosenberg
11:46 AM CT: Ken Cuccinelli on stage. After losing Virginia Governor's race, he now heads Senate Conservatives Fund. His speech seems geared toward convincing activists in attendance to donate, support his fund. He says that they do not compete with other conservative groups, specifically mentions Club for Growth.
11:55 AM CT: Cuccinelli now turning his fire toward Sen. Jerry Moran and the NRSC, says they attacked a conservative for being conservative in the hotly contested Mississippi Senate primary race.
12:01 PM CT: Cuccinelli: Same sex marriage "will go to the Supreme Court, we hope they don't make the same mistake the did on abortion."
12:14 PM CT: Rafael Cruz, Senator Ted Cruz's father, giving a speech filled with powerpoint slides.
12:16 PM CT: Rafael Cruz: "Social justice is collectivism. It comes directly out of Karl Marx."
12:25 PM CT: Rafael Cruz: "the Bible tells you exactly who to vote for."
12:34 PM CT: Rafael Cruz: Let's stop being politically correct. Let's start being biblically correct.
12:37 PM CT: Rafael Cruz: Our lives are under attack from the "cradle to the grave" by government taxation and regulation.
12:41 PM CT: Vander Plaats wraps up the first session, asking crowd for donations, and to buy his book, the books of other speakers at today's summit.
1:38 PM CT: Back from lunch break, Tony Perkins introducing former Senator Rick Santorum. Perkins is the head of the Family Research Council, an organization recognized as an anti-LGBT hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Santorum was endorsed by Bob Vander Plaats leading up to the 2012 Iowa Presidential caucus.
1:47 PM CT: Santorum says he's not going to sit here and hawk his book. Then immediately discusses his book.
1:56 PM CT: Santorum railing against any government involvement in any aspect of life. Opposing federal support for infrastructure, specifically building roads.
2:01 PM CT: Santorum now attacking immigrants - illegal and legal - as the reason why American workers are struggling.
2:11 PM CT: Tony Perkins now speaking, says that the "fight of our lives" is for religious freedom. His organization, the Family Research Council, has twisted faith and use debunked science to promote their claims.
2:18 PM CT: Perkins: anyone opposing same-sex marriage is now facing a new "McCarthyism"
2:23 PM CT: Perkins: economic freedom comes from religious freedom. Cites "studies" but doesn't say what studies...
2:37 PM CT: Senator Tim Scott speaking, says he failed out of high school as a freshman, failed civics, failed English, failed Spanish, tells story of his mother helping him get back on track.
2:52 PM CT: Alveda King, conservative activist and niece of Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking now. A promotional video for her book ran before her speech.
3:09 PM CT: King wrapping up her speech by specifically promoting Bob Vander Plaats' book. King spent almost all of her speech promoting her own book.
3:16 PM CT: Josh Duggar, reality TV star and Executive Director of FRC Action, says the administration is waging assault on any Christian. "We have a Christian and moral obligation to be involved in this process." Also asks attendees to donate to his organization.
3:25 PM CT: Brian Brown with National Organization for Marriage (NOM) now speaking. His organization and Bob Vander Plaats' organization are under investigation by the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board for potential campaign finance violations in 2012.
3:32 PM CT: Doug Napier with Alliance Defending Freedom says our declining society has "sold our birthright for a bowl of self indulgent soup."
3:47 PM CT: The Benham Brothers now speaking, after a video that made it appear they lost their reality TV show because they voiced an opinion in opposition to same-sex marriage. They failed to mention their ties to radical organizations, including the militant group Operation Rescue.
4:44 PM CT: Kicking off the last session, with a video from Senator Rand Paul, filled with his speeches/remarks. Paul is not speaking here today. Up next are Senator Ted Cruz, Governor Rick Perry, Governor Bobby Jindal, and former Governor Mike Huckabee.
4:51 PM CT: David Bossie with Citizens United speaking now, discussing the decay of society under President Obama. Also Benghazi, IRS, Obamacare. Quotes the Declaration of Independence as well.
5:05 PM CT: Texas Governor Rick Perry on stage now, says that governing is "not rocket science."
5:12 PM CT: Perry receives biggest applause line of the day (so far) for border security. Does not say what he'd do with refugee children here.
5:20 PM CT: First mention of Barack "Hussein" Obama today.
5:27 PM CT: Senator Ted Cruz now speaking, attended the state fair today and had his first pork chop on a stick. Says it's "really hard to go wrong with meat on a stick."
5:30 PM CT: Cruz listing 7 victories for conservatives. First is opposition to gun control, second is the Hobby Lobby case.
5:44 PM CT: The third victory Cruz lists is legislation barring Iranian Ambassador to the U.S. Abutalebi from entering the country. Fourth is the release of Meriam Ibrahim, who was persecuted for being a Christian. Fifth is overturning a ban on flights to Israel. Sixth is an "unfinished victory" on immigration, and seventh is another unfinished goal, repealing Obamacare.
5:54 PM CT: Cruz ends with a list of repealing a variety of programs: Common Core, Obamacare, and abolishing the IRS. Says he has an 'optimistic' agenda but does not mention one policy or position replacing anything he advocates for abolishing.
5:58 PM CT: Governor Bobby Jindal speaking, and says his parents came to this country legally. Senator Rick Santorum would have opposed their immigration to the United States, as he said earlier today, that even legal immigrants are making lives harder for American workers.
6:16 PM CT: Jindal claiming that President Obama has a "catch and release" policy toward terrorists.
6:19 PM CT: Jindal receives standing ovation after finishing by saying there's a "rebellion" brewing in response to President Obama and liberals across the country.
6:36 PM CT: Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee wrapping up a long day at the Family Leadership Summit. Says he's not anti-immigrant, he's anti-lawlessness. Also calls for a "spiritual transformation" to solve America's problems.
6:40 PM CT: Huckabee says we're being "held hostage by nine people in black robes" in reference to the US Supreme Court.
6:46 PM CT: Huckabee on crisis in the middle east: "they're simply practicing with Israel what they want to do to us."
6:52 PM CT: Wrapping up our live blog for the day -- thank you for reading, and be sure to follow Progress Iowa for more on Bob Vander Plaats, the Family Leader, and all the right-wing conservatives who spoke today.