Does Rick Santorum have a Satan problem?
Does Rick Santorum have a Satan problem? Specifically, is it a political negative for him that the Drudge Report all day Tuesday has about a 2008 speech he gave at Ave Maria University in Florida in which he said America is under assault by Satan?
鈥淪atan is attacking the great institutions of America, using those great vices of pride, vanity, and sensuality as the root to attack all of the strong plants that [have] so deeply rooted in the American tradition,鈥� Mr. Santorum said in that 2008 speech.
from the speech indicate that Santorum said Satan had successfully subverted academia first, followed by mainline Protestantism, which he said is 鈥渋n shambles,鈥� and then the culture. Politics came last.
鈥淭he body politic held up pretty well until the last couple of decades,鈥� he said in the speech.
As to whether this hurts Santorum鈥檚 electability, we鈥檒l just note that lots of people were making fun of this Tuesday on Twitter. We suspect, however, that they鈥檙e people who were not going to vote for Santorum in the first place. On the other end of the spectrum, his committed supporters may shrug off the references. Because he was speaking in a religious context, he was using religious language, and 鈥淪atan鈥� as a metaphor for lots of things is a pretty common usage from pulpits of a Sunday.
Will swing voters, or new fans of Santorum whose attachment is not deeply rooted, be put off? That鈥檚 the real question.
Furthermore, the fact that this speech is surfacing now, at such a crucial moment in the campaign, should trouble Santorum鈥檚 advisers. Where did it come from? The most likely prospect would be from the camp of an opponent who has the money to do opposition research and needs to slow Santorum鈥檚 rise. You can supply your own names there 鈥� we don鈥檛 have to.
If his opponents have this, they may have other stuff, too. Santorum is recent days has already spent a lot of time explaining what he meant when he referred to President Obama鈥檚 鈥減hony theology.鈥�
On Sean Hannity鈥檚 Fox News show, Santorum said that in fact he鈥檚 on the campaign trail in the upper Midwest talking about energy, talking about manufacturing jobs, talking about the budget deficit and cutting corporate taxes. Yet all the media harp on are his comments about abortion, contraception, and other hot-button social issues, Santorum complained.
鈥淥f course they want to talk about the issues that fit their narrative and their narrative is, oh, Rick Santorum all he cares about are these issues,鈥� .
Santorum went on to say that the 鈥減hony theology鈥� line referred to Mr. Obama鈥檚 embrace of what the ex-Pennsylvania senator called 鈥渞adical environmentalism鈥� that raises the Earth to a position above man, instead of the other way around.
In a keynote speech Tuesday in Arizona to the Maricopa County Lincoln Day Lunch and Presidential Straw Poll, Santorum offered up his hard-hitting view of the Obama administration that has drawn supporters who've been wary of Mitt Romney鈥檚 commitment to conservatism.
鈥淟adies and gentlemen this election is about foundational things. It is about whether ... we are going to be a free people economically,鈥� said Santorum.
More and more, the government is prescribing what kinds of loans you can get, what kinds of light bulbs you can use, what kind of car you can drive, according to Santorum.
鈥淧resident Obama says, 'I am going to give you the right to health care, give me your money, give me your freedom, and we will provide for you.' When the government gives you rights, they can take those rights away,鈥� said the GOP presidential hopeful.
White House spokesman Jay Carney declined on Tuesday to be drawn into a discussion about whether Santorum is questioning Obama鈥檚 religious faith.
鈥淭his president is focused on doing the things that he believes the American people elected him to do, which is work with Congress or independently to take every measure and every action he can to grow the economy and create jobs,鈥� said Mr. Carney.
