I am declaring my full and unqualified support for Rick Santorum as the Republican Presidential candidate. Rather then blather on about why I think this is such an obvious decision to anyone but the most severely limited, I will list direct quotes and facts about Senator Santorum that will guide you, like a squeeze chute and a head gate, to exactly the same conclusion.
Santorum was one of only two senators who voted against confirming the nomination of Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. Santorum stated that his objection was to Gates's support for talking with Iran and Syria, because it would be an error to talk with radical Islamists.
A supporter of enhanced interrogation, he said in 2011 that John McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner of war, did not understand how the process works.
In an interview with the National Catholic Reporter, Santorum said that the distinction between private religious conviction and public responsibility, espoused by President John F. Kennedy, had caused "great harm in America." “All of us have heard people say, 'I privately am against abortion, homosexual marriage, stem cell research, cloning. But who am I to decide that it's not right for somebody else?' It sounds good, but it is the corruption of freedom of conscience.”
In June 2011, Santorum said he would continue to "fight very strongly against libertarian influence within the Republican party and the conservative movement. In an NPR interview in the summer of 2005, Santorum discussed what he called the "libertarianish right," saying "they have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do. Government should keep our taxes down and keep our regulation low and that we shouldn't get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn't get involved in cultural issues, you know, people should do whatever they want. Well, that is not how traditional conservatives view the world, and I think most conservatives understand that individuals can't go it alone.” (bold is mine)
Santorum has stated that he does not believe a "right to privacy" is part of the Constitution; he has been critical of the Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), which held that the Constitution guaranteed that right, and overturned a law prohibiting the sale and use of contraceptives to married couples. He has described contraception as "a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be,"(bold mine) and stated in 2003 that laws should exist against polygamy, adultery, sodomy, and other actions "antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family" since they were harmful to society.
“If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual [gay] sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything. Does that undermine the fabric of our society? I would argue yes, it does. It all comes from, I would argue, this right to privacy that doesn’t exist in my opinion in the United States Constitution. In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That’s not to pick on homosexuality. It’s not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing.”
“There are people who were gay and lived the gay lifestyle and aren’t anymore. I don’t know if that’s the similar situation or that’s the case for anyone that’s black. It’s a behavioral issue as opposed to a color of the skin issue, and that’s the diff for serving in the military.” ~Rick Santorum, comparing homosexuality to being black.”
“There are no Palestinians. All the people who live in the West Bank are Israelis. There are no Palestinians. This is Israeli land.” ~Rick Santorum, falsely claiming that there are no Palestinians living on the West Bank.
“One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country. It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. [Sex] is supposed to be within marriage. It’s supposed to be for purposes that are yes, conjugal…but also procreative. That’s the perfect way that a sexual union should happen…This is special and it needs to be seen as special.” ~Rick Santorum, opposing contraception and frighteningly suggesting that he would make pre-marital sex illegal.
“You can say I’m a hater. But I would argue I’m a lover. I’m a lover of traditional families and of the right of children to have a mother and father. I would argue that the future of America hangs in the balance, because the future of the family hangs in the balance. Isn’t that the ultimate homeland security, standing up and defending marriage?” ~Rick Santorum, comparing his fight against homosexuality to the war against terror.
“The state has a right to do that, I have never questioned that the state has a right to do that. It is not a constitutional right, the state has the right to pass whatever statutes they have. That is the thing I have said about the activism of the Supreme Court, they are creating right, and they should be left up to the people to decide.” ~Rick Santorum, declaring that states have the right to outlaw all forms of birth control.
“This is an issue just like 9-11. We didn’t decide we wanted to fight the war on terrorism because we wanted to. It was brought to us. And if not now, when? When the supreme courts in all the other states have succumbed to the Massachusetts version of the law?” ~Rick Santorum, comparing legalizing same-sex marriage to the September 11th terrorist attacks.
“Let’s look at what’s going to be taught in our schools because now we have same sex couples being the same and their sexual activity being seen as equal and being affirmed by society as heterosexual couples and their activity. So what is going to be taught to our people in health class in our schools? What is going to be taught to our children about who in our stories, even to little children — what are married couples? What families look like in America? So, you are going to have in our curriculum spread throughout our curriculum worldview that is fundamentally different than what is taught in schools today? Is that not a consequence of gay marriage?” ~Rick Santorum, warning that homosexuality will indoctrinate our children in schools.
The idea is that the state doesn’t have rights to limit individuals’ wants and passions. I disagree with that. I think we absolutely have rights because there are consequences to letting people live out whatever wants or passions they desire.” ~Rick Santorum, declaring that government has the right to limit people from pursuing their dreams.
“I believe that any doctor that performs an abortion, I would advocate that any doctor that performs an abortion, should be criminally charged for doing so.” ~Rick Santorum, advocating for arresting doctors that provide crucial medical services to women.
“The idea that the Crusades and the fight of Christendom against Islam is somehow an aggression on our part is absolutely anti-historical.” ~Rick Santorum, claiming Christians played no role in starting the Crusades.
“I don’t want to go to a trade war, I want to beat China. I want to go to war with China and make America the most attractive place in the world to do business.”
“Almost 60,000 average Americans had the courage to go out and charge those beaches on Normandy, to drop out of airplanes who knows where, and take on the battle for freedom. Average Americans, the very Americans that our government now, and this president, does not trust to make a decision on your health care plan. Those Americans risked everything so they could make that decision on their health care plan.”
The reason I am such a devotee of Ricky is that I am an optimist about the capability of the American people and have lost all faith in the Republican Party. If Romney is the Republican candidate, I believe he will lose by a couple of percentage points. It will be close, but he will lose. And nothing will change for the next election.
If the Rickster wins the Republican nod, his loss to Obama will make the bomb at Nagasaki look like a Black Cat. And why would I want that? Because I am a classical liberal.
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets.
This used to be the mantra of the Republican Party. But an unholy concentration in the Grand Old Party of intolerant religious zealots and neo conservatives who believe the most righteous of activities is to spread “the American Way” by whatever means necessary, has generated a list of candidates for 2012 that are fringe lunatics (see Ricky and Ron) or who lack the personal integrity to stand up to the Town Elders for what he believes in (see Mitt).
So if Rick wins the nomination, he will get annihilated and as a result, once and for all, those Christian Crusaders and itchy finger neo-conservatives will be purged from the GOP ranks and we can return to civility in politics and finally have an election process that encourages true leaders to participate. I did say I was optimistic about the American people.
(thanks to the people at www.Addictinginfo.org for some of these quotes)
For a moment, I thought you had lost your mind and were really endorsing Rixan Torum! But I don't think his being nominated will lead to anything good. A stupendous defeat will not stifle the people you'd like to see stifled. Barry Goldwater suffered a stupendous defeat in 1964, and that certainly did not stifle the movement that backed him.
Posted by: Frank S. Robinson | February 15, 2012 at 01:01 PM