Santorum’s First Look

[Mister D]

Snip

Santorum is the great paradox of the Republican field: At a time when primary voters say they are desperate for a candidate of conviction and consistency, Santorum is both on a range of issues, yet he hasn’t had a proverbial moment. Too earnest and too conventional, he lacks the personal pizzazz that has temporarily boosted the Republican shooting stars. He’s worked to make up for it with an admirably tireless 99-county grass-roots campaign in Iowa that has taken voters and the issues seriously.
Santorum’s calling card is his social conservatism, and he’s competing for Iowa’s evangelical voters with Texas governor Rick Perry and Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann. Santorum is more knowledgeable than Perry and more careful than Bachmann, and he has demonstrated more swing-state appeal than both by winning two statewide races in heavily Democratic Pennsylvania. His 18-point reelection shellacking in 2006 is his albatross, although Ronald Reagan himself might have lost in Pennsylvania in that GOP annus horribilis.
It didn’t help that Santorum’s outspokenness on social issues — especially those related to homosexuality — made him a figure of hatred and vulgar mockery on the left. But he’s not a thoughtless culture warrior, in it for the bombast. Santorum links his social conservatism to the struggles of the working class in one of the few thematic departures in a Republican primary that has been more about personalities and past heterodoxies than substantive differences.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/286702/santorumrsquos-first-look-rich-lowry

[Conley]

Hmm. I admit I don't know much about the guy. Captain had some strong feelings against him.

[Mister D]

I was inspired by CO. I doubt this dude has a chance though.

[Conley]

Was Co's main argument this guy is trying to legislate the bedroom? I have a real problem with the government going in that direction and IMO "social conservatives" who do that are no conservatives at all! :angry:

[Mister D]

That appears to be what he is best known for (his opposition to gay marriage) but I'm not sure if that's because of him of the gay radicals who disagree with him.

[Mister D]

Cap't is much more familiar with him being from PA

[Conley]

He's not a guy who angers easily and it seems this guy really sticks in his craw.

[Mister D]

True.

[Conley]

That appears to be what he is best known for (his opposition to gay marriage) but I'm not sure if that's because of him of the gay radicals who disagree with him.

Most of the GOP field is, aren't they? There must be more to it than that.

[Conley]

Well, he's for Intelligent Design and he endorsed Arlen Specter in '06. Those probably hurt him as well.

In 2001, Santorum tried unsuccessfully to insert into the No Child Left Behind (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind) bill language which came to be known as the "Santorum Amendment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santorum_Amendment)" that sought to promote the teaching of intelligent design (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_design) while questioning the academic standing ofevolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution) in public schools (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school_(government_funded))

[Conley]

Oops

" Santorum was mired in controversy over his residence in Virginia, where he and his family stay while the Senate was in session. He admitted that he spent only "maybe a month a year, something like that" at his Pennsylvania residence,[22] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-21) which critics argued was hypocritical because Santorum himself had denounced—and defeated—Rep. Doug Walgren (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Walgren)-PA for living away from his House district.[23] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-22) Santorum faced damaging stories that he enrolled five of his children in an online "cyber school" in Pennsylvania, for which the Penn Hills (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Hills) school district was billed $73,000, despite the fact that all the children lived in Virginia.[24] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-23) Santorum aimed a television ad suggesting that his supporters had been under investigation for various crimes. The negative ad backfired, as the The Scranton Times-Tribune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times-Tribune_(Scranton)) found that all but a few of Casey's contributors donated when he was running for other offices, and none were investigated for anything.[25] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-24) In fact, two of the persons cited in Santorum's campaidn ad actually gave contributions to him in 2006, and one died in 2004.[26] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-25) Santorum's campaign countered that those donations were not kept, and had been donated to educational institutions.[27] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-26) Santorum faced controversy for statements against "radical feminism", which he claimed had made it "socially affirming to work outside the home" at the expense of child care. Female voters resented his statements, and in his defense, he said that in a family of two wage earners, the second wage earner made only 25% of the first's wages on average."

Santorum shifted his campaign theme to the threat of radical Islam and Islamic terrorism in the United States. He gave a speech comparing himself to the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who alerted his nation and the world to the Nazi menace in the 1930s, and then fought with America, Russia and others to defeat the Germans, Italians and Japan in World War II in the 1940s.[28] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-27) He pointed to the historical date of a Muslim siege in Europe, Sept. 11, 1683, as evidence that "radical Islamists" were waging a more than 300-year old crusade with the intent to restore Shia clerics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_al-Mahdi) to power in the Western world.[29] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-28) Casey told the press that Santorum's claims were outrageous, saying, "No one believes terrorists are going to be more likely to attack us, because I defeat Rick Santorum. Does even he believe that?" A heated debate between the candidates occurred on October 11, 2006.[30] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-PPG1006-29) The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Post-Gazette) reviewed both candidates' performances during the debate as "unstatesmanlike".[30] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-PPG1006-29)
In the November election, Santorum lost, with 41% of the vote to Casey's 59%,[31] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-30)[32] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-31) the largest margin of defeat ever for an incumbent Republican Senator in Pennsylvania.[33] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-32)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum

Sounds like he's made a lot of enemies.

[Conley]

It seems he's against contraception as well:

"Though not a named author of the special Schiavo legislation, Santorum played a key role in shepherding the bill through the Senate to a vote on March 20, 2005. Santorum has frequently stated that he does not believe a "right to privacy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy)" exists under the Constitution, even within marriage; he has been especially critical of the Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griswold_v._Connecticut) (1965), which held that the Constitution guaranteed the aforementioned right, and on that basis, overturned a law prohibiting the sale and use of contraceptives (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_control).[65] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-64) He has described contraception as "a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be."

[MMC]

I don't see him surpassing Paul. Plus like it said he would have to split the Evangelical Vote.

[Mister D]

Oops

" Santorum was mired in controversy over his residence in Virginia, where he and his family stay while the Senate was in session. He admitted that he spent only "maybe a month a year, something like that" at his Pennsylvania residence,[22] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-21) which critics argued was hypocritical because Santorum himself had denounced—and defeated—Rep. Doug Walgren (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Walgren)-PA for living away from his House district.[23] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-22) Santorum faced damaging stories that he enrolled five of his children in an online "cyber school" in Pennsylvania, for which the Penn Hills (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Hills) school district was billed $73,000, despite the fact that all the children lived in Virginia.[24] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-23) Santorum aimed a television ad suggesting that his supporters had been under investigation for various crimes. The negative ad backfired, as the The Scranton Times-Tribune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times-Tribune_%28Scranton%29) found that all but a few of Casey's contributors donated when he was running for other offices, and none were investigated for anything.[25] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-24) In fact, two of the persons cited in Santorum's campaidn ad actually gave contributions to him in 2006, and one died in 2004.[26] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-25) Santorum's campaign countered that those donations were not kept, and had been donated to educational institutions.[27] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-26) Santorum faced controversy for statements against "radical feminism", which he claimed had made it "socially affirming to work outside the home" at the expense of child care. Female voters resented his statements, and in his defense, he said that in a family of two wage earners, the second wage earner made only 25% of the first's wages on average."

Santorum shifted his campaign theme to the threat of radical Islam and Islamic terrorism in the United States. He gave a speech comparing himself to the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who alerted his nation and the world to the Nazi menace in the 1930s, and then fought with America, Russia and others to defeat the Germans, Italians and Japan in World War II in the 1940s.[28] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-27) He pointed to the historical date of a Muslim siege in Europe, Sept. 11, 1683, as evidence that "radical Islamists" were waging a more than 300-year old crusade with the intent to restore Shia clerics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_al-Mahdi) to power in the Western world.[29] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-28) Casey told the press that Santorum's claims were outrageous, saying, "No one believes terrorists are going to be more likely to attack us, because I defeat Rick Santorum. Does even he believe that?" A heated debate between the candidates occurred on October 11, 2006.[30] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-PPG1006-29) The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Post-Gazette) reviewed both candidates' performances during the debate as "unstatesmanlike".[30] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-PPG1006-29)
In the November election, Santorum lost, with 41% of the vote to Casey's 59%,[31] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-30)[32] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-31) the largest margin of defeat ever for an incumbent Republican Senator in Pennsylvania.[33] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-32)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum

Sounds like he's made a lot of enemies.

Cap't mentioned the residency issue.

[Mister D]

It seems he's against contraception as well:

"Though not a named author of the special Schiavo legislation, Santorum played a key role in shepherding the bill through the Senate to a vote on March 20, 2005. Santorum has frequently stated that he does not believe a "right to privacy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy)" exists under the Constitution, even within marriage; he has been especially critical of the Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griswold_v._Connecticut) (1965), which held that the Constitution guaranteed the aforementioned right, and on that basis, overturned a law prohibiting the sale and use of contraceptives (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_control).[65] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum#cite_note-64) He has described contraception as "a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be."


Good luck with that.

[Conley]

That would mean a lot of mini-Putins running around! :shocked:

[Mister D]

That would mean a lot of mini-Putins running around! :shocked:

A world full of Putins! :shocked:

This guy should probably drop out if he doesn't generate excitement within a month or two. I couldn't believe Huckabee stayed in the 2008 race as long as he did.