Posted on 02/15/2012 6:55:30 PM PST by Mariner
BOSTON (Reuters) - Republican candidate Rick Santorum has won support from American conservatives for his views on social issues but a habit of hyperbole may lead to stumbles in his White House bid.
In Boise, Idaho, on Tuesday, Santorum compared contraception to deodorant and soap when making a point about why he believes birth control should not be covered by health insurers.
"Let's mandate that every insurance policy covers toothpaste. Deodorant. That might be a good idea, right? Have everyone cover deodorant, right? Soap. I mean, where do you stop?"
Santorum also fell back on a well-worn Republican criticism that President Barack Obama and his administration are elitists.
"Don't you see how they see you? How they look down their nose at the average Americans? These elite snobs," said Santorum, who reported 2010 income of almost $1 million, according to financial disclosure forms.
Though he is giving Republican rival Mitt Romney a run for his money in the nomination race, Santorum's language might be an obstacle if he wins his party's nomination to challenge Obama in the November 6 election.
"As a frontrunner you have to watch exactly what you say," said Donna Robinson Devine, professor of government at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. "The attention has moved to Santorum, but to me he seems very whiny. I just can't imagine him as president."
Santorum's most famous equivalence came from 2003.
In an interview, he said that if the Supreme Court protected the right for gays to have consensual sex in their own homes, "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."
Comments in that interview that homosexuality was not as bad as bestiality...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I support Santorum.
I understand the Church’s position on contraception - I understand Santorum’s position, and God bless him for living according to his ideals.
That being said?....He really needs to stop talking about this issue.
Like.....now.
I asked my machinists, now that I am apparently responsible for their contraception, if it was OK if I just put a box of rubbers next to the Band-aids in the First-Aid cabinet.
“You mean people won’t like it when they find out that conservatives want to protect marriage and fight the homosexual agenda of the far left?”
No, I don’t want the govt getting involved with personal lives, that’s right.
Gene, I am old school and grew up in the 50’s. It was a time when teen pregancies were rare; crime in my neighborhood was almost unheard of and parents controlled their children. Of course civility still existed in that era too.
Not to rehash the old cliche but we did leave our doors unlocked during the day and windows open at night.
The govt is treading a thin line when they interfer with social rights and issues that are none of their business. They are not our parents. Parents should be responsible for teaching morals in the home.
If our judges would abide by the constitution ...we would be a better nation for it. I am more concerned about our nations economy and once again..if the govt would stop with their inane regulations and interference our country would be better off.
I do not want them telling me what to feed my children, what they should or should not watch on tv or teaching them about sex. They should stay the hell out!
That is two vague, cryptic, senseless posts, when you can speak clearly, then ping me.
Saint Rick is right, but he will never be able to explain this to the American people, many of whom are barely literate.
That's what I am trying to convey...
He can't stop now.
Hell, now it's going to be the PRINCIPAL subject of the debate just before the MI/AZ primaries.
Unfortunately, Romney has the position that plays best with most American women: "There's no reason to even be talking about this. It's a given."
And I earnestly, passionately, despise Romney.
I say he wins both states and Gingrich is second. 4th will be a close call between the other two.
Folks, 52% of the electorate are women. They are not going to give up contraception and they are not going to majority vote for a man that publicly espouses any negative energy toward contraception.
Everything else being equal this puts Santorum 5 to 8 points down in a general election.
Right out of the gate.
You're an effective communicator and advocate.
Agreed.
She ought to be on his bus and everyone should perceive her as Newt's obvious VP choice.
This silly sh!t has gone on long enough. The Republic is at stake.
“This is not hyperbole, this is reductio ad absurdum.”
Marriage between a man and a woman is necessary for the responsible care and upbringing of children, and hence the survival of any serious culture. Homosexual marriage and communal humping should not be treated as being the equivalent of traditional marriage.
When Santorum complains about our leftist elites trying to trivialize marriage, he is not being “whiney”. The left is trying to trivialize marriage for the same reason that they are dumbing down public schools. They want to deconstruct our culture.
For at least 1,800 years the Christian Church did just fine without Government Sanction of Marriage.
It's amazing we made it this far!
If anything this is a 10th Amendment...or Constitutional Amendment issue.
I'd prefer the feds be out of marriage altogether. Completely.
Same with education.
True, she has 4 candidates or if she wants the nomination.
What is the hold up-either she is in for our side to win with a bold change or another gimmick. Like you, she needs to be campaigning with Newt in Ohio and Michigan. She has to know, Rick is a weak candidate to fight Obama. Obama will twist his own words on him. The Daily Kos www.dailykos.com has an operation chaos going on calling for all dems to jump over and vote for Rick. same idea is on different lefty web sites too and www.HuffingtonPost.com has a old newspaper clipping of Santorum saying he is a progressive conservative not a Reagan conservative from a Pa. newspaper. The article -someone should share it here. That should make the news but they are covering for him. This thing is crazy and the social conservatives are taking the fiscal conservatives off the cliff.
So is this attack on Rick Santorum meant to push voters toward Mr. Moderate?
Make your point simpler: don't talk about contraception, talk about how people are being forced to pay for drugs that cause abortion, and if Obama has no problem forcing insurance company's and churches, all of us through increased premiums, to pay for abortion and baby killing, it won't be long before he'll be forcing hospitals to turn off Grandma's life support. Obama has no respect for human life, especially the most vulnerable. Santorum shouldn't be comparing it to soap and deodorant, though I know what he meant.
For marriage to exist, it has to be defined.
“In a general election Santorum will spend far more time defending his positions on social issues than he will talking about spending, debt, tax reform, regulation, energy and defense...combined.”
If all we have to offer is the economy and it improves under Obama, we’re toast.
If we’re all about national security and Obama says “well, I’m the guy who actually got Osama bin Laden” we’re toast.
But if we’re about values then there’s no way Obama can touch us. Unless, that is, we pick a liberal Mormon or someone who was married 3 times and had to drop out from Clinton’s impeachment hearings because of his own personal failings.
“But unlike you I don’t think he’s electable. Of course he hasn’t won the nod yet and everything is conjecture at this point. “
Who says anyone we pick is electable? Only G-d knows. At least we can vote our conscience.
“I’d prefer the feds be out of marriage altogether. Completely.”
Me too
“Same with education. “
See ...
Educator: Parents Don’t Know Best
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2847086/posts
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