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Santorum on ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protests: ‘I Understand the Frustration’
WSJ ^ | 10/07/ | Danny Yadron

Posted on 10/07/2011 11:51:59 AM PDT by freespirited

Former Sen. Rick Santorum departed a bit from the rest of Republican presidential field Friday when he said he was sympathetic to the frustration of “Occupy Wall Street” protesters.

”I certainly understand the frustration,” he told reporters after his speech at the Values Voter Summit on Friday. “I think the answers they have with respect to solve that problem, I would go in a different direction.”

That’s not quite the same tone as the one by struck other Republican leaders, including Mitt Romney (“It’s dangerous, this class warfare”), Herman Cain (“If you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself!”) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.), who described the protests as “growing mobs” Friday morning.

GOP candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry has not spoken personally on the issue, but his communications director said in an email, “We understand the frustration with the Obama economy, but the protests don’t make sense or help create jobs.”As The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, Democrats are divided about how to deal with the protests. But Republicans have been much more hesitant to embrace the anti-corporate activists. Mr. Santorum likened the protests to the tea-party movement in that both groups are opposed to a federal bailout of the financial sector. But he said the similarities end there.

“The solution the Occupy Wall Street folks would have is a much more intrusive government involved in that area,” he said. “Where as the tea party would say ‘No, the problem was intrusiveness and the fact the government didn’t regulate it in a proper way.’”

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: occupywallstreet; ricksantorum
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Am not sure Rick has a clue as to what is really going on.
1 posted on 10/07/2011 11:52:06 AM PDT by freespirited
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To: freespirited

Bye Bye Rick we don’t know you anymore. Go cry on Snarlin’ Arlen’s shoulder.


2 posted on 10/07/2011 11:53:49 AM PDT by US Navy Vet (Go Packers! Go Rockies! Go Boston Bruins! See, I'm "Diverse"!)
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To: freespirited
Sometimes he appears to be a supercilious twit

3 posted on 10/07/2011 11:54:04 AM PDT by Uri’el-2012 (Psalm 119:174 I long for Your salvation, YHvH, Your law is my delight.)
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To: freespirited

I think he meant well, because what Santorum wanted to say was that what they were supposedly complaining about was actually the fault of Obama and the Dems. But he should never have given the media that sound bite. Dumb move.


4 posted on 10/07/2011 11:55:49 AM PDT by livius
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To: freespirited

Correct. Rick is clueless on this issue. Too bad.


5 posted on 10/07/2011 12:00:16 PM PDT by Check6 (United States of Moronia: A nation of morons ruled by a gang of communist thugs.)
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To: freespirited

I don’t understand their frustration and I sure as hell don’t agree with their proposed solutions to their perceived problems. Anyone with even a modicum of sympathy for these vandals won’t be getting my vote next year.


6 posted on 10/07/2011 12:01:12 PM PDT by econjack
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To: Check6

That bunch on wall street is a group of Marxists running the Alinsky scheme directed by SEIU.


7 posted on 10/07/2011 12:02:35 PM PDT by ully2
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To: freespirited

another one bites the dust


8 posted on 10/07/2011 12:02:58 PM PDT by wilco200 (11/4/08 - The Day America Jumped the Shark)
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To: freespirited

The GOP fails to understand the frustration at their own peril. 80% of the public out there is, just below the surface, really, really PO-ed at the banks.

What they need to do is to be ready to offer solutions that do not dismantle Capitalism.


9 posted on 10/07/2011 12:05:51 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: freespirited

Maybe he just had another arlen specter moment.


10 posted on 10/07/2011 12:07:42 PM PDT by JoSixChip (Top 10% of wage earners pay 70% of total income taxes collected. Bottom 50% pay less then 3%, fair?)
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To: freespirited
There have been significant abuses on Wall Street and by banks. Goldman Sachs is one of the prime culprits.

People are upset by those abuses, and rightly so.

Financial reform is not what Occupy Wall Street is all about though. They are trying to promote the overthrow of capitalism.

The GOP needs to point this out and demonstrate how our plans can remedy the abuses without throwing out the system that has allowed us to be prosperous in the first place.

11 posted on 10/07/2011 12:15:36 PM PDT by comebacknewt (Newt (sigh) what could have been . . .)
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To: freespirited

That’s not quite the same tone as the one by struck other Republican leaders, including Mitt Romney (“It’s dangerous, this class warfare”), Herman Cain (“If you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself!”) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.), who described the protests as “growing mobs” Friday morning.

The only one so far who speaks the truth is Herman Cain.

When one of the protest morons was told that there were signs in many store windows looking for help this idiot said “ I’m not going to work for $7.00 per hour”.


12 posted on 10/07/2011 12:17:34 PM PDT by chiefqc
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To: Buckeye McFrog
What they need to do is to be ready to offer solutions that do not dismantle Capitalism.

1. Prosecute fraud: start at the top and work down on the mortgage fraud.

2. Bring back Glass-Steagle. And at the same time, repeal Dodd-Frank

13 posted on 10/07/2011 12:19:39 PM PDT by NeoCaveman (it has electrolytes. plants crave it)
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To: Buckeye McFrog

This is how the left ALWAYS manages to exploit people’s fears...and they have done it successfully in the past. The TEA Party represents Americans. THIS is grab for raw power.
The pubs best learn the difference and NOT play into this...because sooner or later, THIS is going to become violent as the unions and acorn move in and take over the airheads.


14 posted on 10/07/2011 12:22:44 PM PDT by MestaMachine (obama kills)
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To: freespirited

What’s going on is that there is a pile of young people who feel screwed and they blame Wall Street greed and war for their economic situation. But the longer the job recession continues the more young people will join. They have given up on Obama. They are taking the same barbs that the anti-war Vietnam young took but we did get out of Vietnam. Other interest groups are riding on their backs. Kent State again?


15 posted on 10/07/2011 12:23:32 PM PDT by ex-snook ("above all things, truth beareth away the victory")
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To: freespirited

He didn’t really say anything so different than most of the other candidates. He said that he understands that people are upset with the economy, but that he would go in different direction (he wouldn’t protest the bankers).


16 posted on 10/07/2011 12:23:41 PM PDT by Eva
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To: freespirited

Anyone who didn’t read this...should.

Occupy Wallstreet? IS wall street! Effing idiots!

http://tinyurl.com/3m6us7n .


17 posted on 10/07/2011 12:26:10 PM PDT by MestaMachine (obama kills)
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To: freespirited

Not that it matters, but Rick can be sure he doesn’t have any voters in the mob.


18 posted on 10/07/2011 12:27:16 PM PDT by pallis
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To: livius

I don’t hear anything wrong in what he said. The media was trying to get a sound bite from Santorum that would distance him further from the protesters, something that would allow the media to say, Santorum hates you (the protesters) because he hates gays. Santorum simply has to be extra careful with everything that he says.


19 posted on 10/07/2011 12:28:30 PM PDT by Eva
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To: pallis

You’re right there, I am sure that no one in that mob is voting for Rick Santorum, but his answer wasn’t bad. It was a sort of , hate the sin, love the sinner response.


20 posted on 10/07/2011 12:30:54 PM PDT by Eva
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