The GOP clown car has now been emptied out with two major clowns left fighting it out, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. This GOP field without a doubt is the saddest field a major party has unleashed on the voting public in this country's history. What we need to worry about with this field is that GOP members will vote for whatever carbon based life form emerges victorious from the caucuses and primaries. They don't care if it's the turd sandwich or the douche, they will come out and vote for them in November! That seems to be a distinct difference between liberals and conservatives I speak with. The candidate that puts a legitimate fear into me and has me perusing through European real estate classifieds is the King of Fear himself, Rick Santorum.
Rick Santorum is clearly using fear to rally voters to his camp, and according to growing poll numbers, they believe his fears are the major problems of the nation. Santorum's speeches have become a cross between Orwell's 1984 and the Spanish Inquisition, chock full of paranoia and intolerance. On Monday, the day before the Illinois primary, Santorum stated, "I don't care what the unemployment rate's going to be. It doesn't matter. My campaign doesn't hinge on unemployment rates and growth rates. There's something more foundational that's going on here." On Sunday in Louisiana, he told supporters that he wasn't there "to give a political speech, I'm here to share with you a little bit about my journey and my life as a Christian." What can you say here? The economy is the number one concern of voters across the board. Knowing that the national debt is $15 trillion and unemployment is past 8 percent, what are Santorum's "foundational" concerns?
Two issues that are top concerns of Santorum's are intertwined, but Santorum separates them between his civic beliefs and religious convictions. Throughout his current speeches, Santorum has an Orwellian fear of government intrusion in the lives of citizens and Obamacare is his proof of this paranoia. The contradiction, his war against contraception and women's health rights, is rooted in his religious fervor. In Santorum's belief system, Biblical hyperbole trumps a woman's right to choose and right to privacy. Sorry ladies, but Rick will keep the government out of your reproductive rights but he can't keep the Bible out of your business. In an attempt to quell the uproar he stirred among women with his support of the Blunt Amendment in Arizona, he sent his wife Karen to Piers Morgan on CNN where she claimed, "Women have nothing to fear when it comes to contraceptives." If we believe his speeches, there seems plenty to fear.
So what other "foundational" issues are in need of a Santorum fix from his point of view? Apparently in the past week, he let Puerto Rico know that they need to make English their primary language as opposed to their native Spanish. I have to admit that this has been a burning issue since we absorbed the Spanish colony in 1898 and the root of so many troubles we are facing. Thanks for addressing that problem, Rick. We can all sleep a little better now. Gay marriage of course is also part of his platform, with Santorum stating that gay parents are worse than convicts. Santorum's parents were/are heterosexuals so not sure if he's proved his theory there. Santorum has also championed the "Born Alive Infant Protection Act" and the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act." He's the Lancelot of the pro-life movement clad in a sweater vest. He's also been a major fund raiser for groups such as "Americans United for Life" and the "National Organization for Marriage." These two groups are not centers of tolerance to say the least. Finally to top things off, his cry for freedom from government oppression was to be introduced by Pastor Dennis Terry. Pastor Terry, first off, needs a quick religious studies class after stating "We don't worship Buddha, we don't worship Muhammad, we don't worship Allah, we worship God, we worship God's son Jesus Christ." He could at least Google Allah! Pastor Terry went on to rail against abortion, gay marriage, sexual perversion and prayer in schools. In the background, Santorum can be seen gleefully cheering this pabulum.
Some say Santorum is just pandering to the fringes of the GOP, but the fringes of the GOP are no longer just that. If Barry Goldwater were alive, he would be too liberal for this new GOP. What candidates like Santorum are advocating is a full blown theocracy. Santorum and his like twist the words of the framers of the Constitution to support their vision of a Christian America, but I highly doubt that they have even read the works of Jefferson, Adams and Madison. Karen Santorum says there is nothing to fear. I believe that would be true if you are a white Christian male. I'm not saying to be like some self-help guru spewing warm and fuzzy phrases to confidence-lacking New Agers, but using fear and paranoia on intolerant or uninformed Christians to reach the White House is madness and irresponsible.
Advertisement