Republican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks during a Republican presidential debate Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, in Las Vegas.
Posted on 11/05/2011 11:36:00 AM PDT by NYer
Republican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks during a Republican presidential debate Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, in Las Vegas.
Republican presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum laid out an ambitious social policy agenda on Friday during the first in a series of three policy speeches he will deliver over the coming weeks.
The program Santorum outlined, the Des Moines Register reports, would include reinstating “don’t ask, don’t tell,” pursuing a constitutional ban on abortion, enforcing the Defense of Marriage Act and abolishing the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has traditionally been liberal-minded.
While other presidential candidates have mostly focused on economic policy, Santorum began the speech by focusing on social policy, describing the two as inextricably connected.
“The economy is inextricably linked to the moral fabric of this country,” Santorum proclaimed. “And we can’t have a real solution-based conversation about fixing the economic problems in this country without faith and family being a large part of that conversation.”
The family, he said, is a necessary building block for fiscal goals.
“You cannot have limited government if you have broken families because someone has to pick up the pieces, and the ones who pick up the pieces are the taxpayers,” Santorum said.
Santorum said that using the power of the executive branch, he would separate abortion and family planning and restore a ban on abortion referrals, as well as re-institute the “Mexico City Policy,” which prevents taxpayer funding or promotion of overseas abortions. (RELATED: Santorum aide: Cain should be more forthcoming on allegations)
He would also ban federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and would ask Congress to implement several laws to that effect. He additionally pledged to repeal the mandate included in Obama’s health care reform that provides contraceptive services, and promised to veto any bill providing funds to Planned Parenthood.
Santorum added that he would defend the Defense of Marriage Act from court challenges, ban same-sex marriages on military bases and demand that Congress restore the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Though his socially conservative message appeals to a significant number of Iowa caucus-goers, it hasn’t significantly aided his poll numbers. In a Des Moines Register poll of likely caucus participants released last weekend, Santorum was in sixth place with five percent support.
“By these statements he shows how little he cares for separation of powers and how desperate he is to attract a little attention before he flames out.”
And how poor his judgement is, talking about social issues, when the VOTING public is MOST concerned about the economy.
Hence, the voting public deems him out of touch. Hence his low polls.
Promises...Promises so many promises...
I have not heard everything Cain has said in this campaign but what I have heard never included promises...I have heard him say what he wants to do and how he wants to do it.
To me there is a vast difference between the two men IMHO.
It could be Cain has made some promises but I have not heard them (a flame preventative statement).
I like Santorum. Stuff like this puts him number two on my ballot behind Cain and ahead of Perry and Gingrich and Bachmann.
You never lose with conservativism.
Reinstating “don’t ask, don’t tell” whould not result in gay soldiers being kicked out simply because they’re gay. I’m not gay, I’m a retired LTCand married to a woman. Gays have a right to serve their country just like I did.
All ask, don’t tell did was require gays to keep their private life to themselves—same as heterosexuals. In fact ask, don’t tell enabled gay soldiers to serve without prejudice. The only caveat being they refrain from pushing their sexual preference in people’s faces.
In fact, most gays who serve, do so honorably. They are also God’s children and should be treated as such.
And, yes, I support reinstating don’t ask, don’tell.
Easy to take positions when you know that you’ll never have to defend them or vote for them.
Talk is cheap Rick. You lost my support a LONG, LONG time ago.
Oh Rick, this is just sad.
You know, I have to wonder why, exactly, the GOP keeps pushing abortion when they haven’t done anything about abolishing it like they say they will.
I mean, if ever there was a time to do it, it would have been when they had a supermajority in Congress, W. in the White House, and a pretty conservative SCOTUS.
I mean, if I didn’t know any better, I’d start thinking that maybe they *want* to keep abortion legal simply because it gives them a ready-made issue to back with a bloc of voters who aren’t going to change their minds on it.
As for Santorum, pushing a social agenda is career suicide in this economy. People don’t have time to worry about gays in the military when they’re busy trying not to lose their houses.
Most people are quite able to be concerned about more than one thing at a time!
Yep. No skeletons in his closet either.
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Well, it seems that executive branch power has been expanded of late, hasn't it? Might as well take advantage of the precedent.
Separation of powers Mr Santorum. Great goals, however if one is to restore America, rule of law must apply. You sir are just as wrong as Osluma. We need no elected King in America, no matter how much I like your goals.
However I have listened to the other 8 canidates, with the exception of Ron Paul make some of the same statements. So Mr Santorium is not alone.
If Santorum does not get elected President, I nominate him for HHS Secretary.
The recent, unprecedented advances against abortion have been stymied by this "president" and his dept of jus' dis. Think what advances could be made if a real president let our Republican form of government actually work?
The 9th is a joke. I'm sure the president could exert sufficient pressure to abolish it through the Legislature.
If a politician solves every problem, they don’t have a reason to run for office. That is why, as much as they might accomplish in office, they always leave at least one problem unsolved on a perpetual basis.
However, on the issue of abortion, I think the pro-life side is expecting too much, too soon and that is why they keep either losing or making only the smallest gains, only to lose them again.
Based on the comments I see repeatedly here, the more conservative side wants everything accomplished and everything accomplished now, while our liberal compatriots will take whatever small victories they can, however they can get it, by whomever they can get it done through.
Guess which side has been winning.
Santorum is the sleeper candidate. I believe he may be the nominee.
Why is he still running? Doesent the increase in overhead expense to campaign more than overwhelm the increase in speaking fees he will generate down the road ? Has he done the math?
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