Washington Examiner is a MUST subscribe for conservatives (and has quickly replaced my Erick Erickson RedState morning priority. In fairness I must say that I’ve noticed we share the sentiment on Santorum, but they make a very good point. Subscribe to them here.) They comment on Santorum’s new economic plan, or should I say, his uncanny ability to make any interview controversial.
This continues the thought I have been saying for 2 months. Santorum will kill any chance we have to build the conservative movement by putting his religious and social views before what is important to
Rick Santorum should be talking about his economic agenda today. He has an op-ed titled, “My Economic Freedom Agenda,” in today’s Wall Street Journal laying out a perfectly conservative 10-point plan.* But nobody is going to be talking about it.
Instead, people well be talking about Santorum’s appearance on ABC News‘ ThisWeek, where host George Stephanopoulos asked Santorum if he stood by comments he made just last October criticizing President Kennedy’s speech on religion on politics. In that College of Saint Mary Magdalena speech, Santorum said of Kennedy’s speech, “Earlier in my political career, I had the opportunity to read the speech, and I almost threw up. You should read the speech.”
Asked specifically about his use of the phrase “throw up,” Santorum replied:
To say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes you throw up. What kind of country do we live in that says only people of non-faith can come into the public square and make their case? That makes me throw up.
Gross. Is Santorum running for President of the United States or president of the fifth grade?
Whatever you think of Kennedy’s religion speech, or whether, as Santorum claims, it said people of faith may not participate in politics, his rhetorical attack on it is downright disgusting. But more importantly Santorum is letting himself, again, be distracted by his culture warrior instincts. Here is how Kennedy actually began his speech: “While the so-called religious issue is necessarily and properly the chief topic here tonight, I want to emphasize from the outset that we have far more critical issues to face in the 1960 election.” Kennedy then went on to list eight other issues before returning to the religion topic. Santorum should learn to do the same.
* Santorum makes no mention in his WSJ op-ed of his Obama-like manufacturing corporate tax loophole.
For those who have not read an objective, track-record based comparison of the candidates ELECTABILITY, CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT BUILDING and GOVERNING PROSPECTS, please click on the caps.
2 comments:
And not only that.. he's not the staunch socail conservative he says he is.. he's back pedaling.. if he truly believed the stuff.. why would it have no impact on him? What has an impact on him, if not his faith? Shouldn't his faith inform his fiscal (like don't steal), as well as his social?
Excerpted interview:
When host David Gregory asked whether he would impose his religious beliefs on society, Santorum responded, “These are my personally held religious beliefs. There’s no evidence at all that I want to impose those values on anybody else.
That economic plan was the most uninspiring I've ever seen.
Just supported my position that Rick should only be a cabinet position guy at best.
Newt should be President.
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