Politics

Over the weekend while you might have been planning for the upcoming holiday this week, GOP presidential hopefuls gathered in Iowa to talk about their faith.  Six of the candidates were able to openly express how their beliefs and religion have influenced their lives and their political choices in a free flowing forum.  This was set up and sponsored by a Christian group of Iowa, and the candidates attempted to gain an edge politically with the social conservatives in the area.  The talk of faith and beliefs, of course, got pretty personal and many of the candidates shared tears and stories with the audience.

If you have watched the previous ten debates that have already taken place for the 2012 campaign between the GOP nominees, then you would have noticed a stark contrast during this forum.  There were no rapid fire questions or timed answers, and there were no podiums and formal feel.  In fact, on the stage sat a dining table with fall decor looking as though it was set up for a family to have a Thanksgiving dinner.  There was a free flow with Frank Luntz moderating the event that was two hours long and went on like a conversation.

Newt Gingrich talked about how he battled feelings of “collapsing” under a weight, and he took advice from a recovering alcoholic to find his way to God.  Herman Cain discussed his cancer diagnoses and getting through it with help from his wife.  Michelle Bachman had the chance to talk about her parent’s divorce and how “God uses those challenges to shape your life…”  Rick Santorum teared up when talking about how he loved his severely disabled daughter differently.  Rick Perry and Ron Paul’s experiences were not as deep and revealing, but they did discuss some of their background and some personal experiences.

All six had some personal things to share.  The crowd of 3,200 social conservatives in the large church were listening intently, and while things got personal, the candidates also addressed issues about the role of the government in people’s lives.

There are still six more weeks for the candidates to wait for the caucuses, and it looks like we will have to wait until then to see who the conservatives in Iowa choose.