Rick Santorum's "Real Concerns" <strike>About The Tea Party</strike> {About Liberterianism}

youtube.com ^ | June 2011 | video Santorum Speech

[drpix]

A fuller clip of the truncated clip released by Paulbots and propagated by Romneybots at FNC, that both are dishonestly passing off as evidence of Santorum being "against the Tea Party."

DON'T BELIEVE IT! Listen yourself and/or see below.

[drpix]

[Thanks to FReeper TigersEye for the Link}

What he said in the Paulbot truncated clip (below) is clearly speaking to an influence within BOTH the GOP & Tea Party:

"I've got some real concerns about this movement within THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT to sort of refashion Conservatism and I will vocally and publicly oppose it."

What he said before the Paulbot truncated clip, in the fuller clip (below) makes this irrefutable that he was speaking of the Libertarian (not Tea Party) influence/movement:

"I fight very strongly against Libertarian influence within THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT"

[mnehring]

Thanks, I remember when the Paultards first chopped this video and started pushing it to try to make Santorum the enemy of the Tea Party when in reality, he was trying to protect the Tea Party from them.

[ari-freedom]

Paulbots had to cut out the part about libertarianism because they know that idea just won’t sell.

[joe fonebone]

time for my disclaimer.... there are small l libertarians, and capital L libertarians.... the capital L libertarians are the nut jobs... the small l libertarians are more closely aligned with conservatives than mainstream republicans are... please people, do not alienate an entire group based upon the actions of a few.... all republicans are not conservatives, and all libertarians are not nut jobs...

[drpix]

I just used (and credited you) for the full Santorum clip on the Tea Party, GOP and Libertarians - that you posted on the thread that was pulled by the Moderator a short time ago. Thanks again!

[Josh Painter]

Ronald Reagan, 1975:

“If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals–if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.”

“Now, I can’t say that I will agree with all the things that the present group who call themselves Libertarians in the sense of a party say, because I think that like in any political movement there are shades, and there are libertarians who are almost over at the point of wanting no government at all or anarchy. I believe there are legitimate government functions. There is a legitimate need in an orderly society for some government to maintain freedom or we will have tyranny by individuals. The strongest man on the block will run the neighborhood. We have government to insure that we don’t each one of us have to carry a club to defend ourselves. But again, I stand on my statement that I think that libertarianism and conservatism are traveling the same path.”

http://reason.com/archives/1975/07/01/inside-ronald-reagan/singlepage

It’s clear to anyone with who is intellectually honest that Rick Santorum is not a Reagan Conservative. Santorum is a George W. Bush “compassionate conservative.” Bush, like Santorum, is no doubt a good man, but his failure to reign in federal spending and the size of government is one of the reasons that Barack Obama is now president.

[Sloth]

As a libertarian, I appreciate you bringing this very troubling video to my attention. Up til now, I was hoping Santorum could get some traction.

[ari-freedom]

“time for my disclaimer.... there are small l libertarians, and capital L libertarians.... the capital L libertarians are the nut jobs... the small l libertarians are more closely aligned with conservatives than mainstream republicans are... please people, do not alienate an entire group based upon the actions of a few.... all republicans are not conservatives, and all libertarians are not nut jobs...”

Obviously this is about the Ron Paul/Gary Johnson Libertarians who want to legalize heroin and hookers while ignoring the threat of a nuclear armed Iran.

[Aevery_Freeman]

Obama and Sactorum suffer from the same mental disorder:

"I-am-so-damn-smart-I-can-run-your-life-better-than-you-can-ism", a disease that is running rampant due to the excess power concentrated in governments at all levels.

Why would I want to exchange the economy-meddler for the bed-meddler?

[Raider Sam]

I agree with him on earmarks. That is one of the few ways congressmen can get their taxpayer money back to their districts. And they are not the financial burden that is forcing us to go into debt.

But I dont think libertarians are for “no government.” Smaller government? Yes, but definitely not none.

[John Valentine]

I’m with you, Josh, but this is rapidly becoming unwelcome news here on FR.

I have some reservations about each of the current crop, and most definitely about Santorum.

[cripplecreek]

The head of our local Tea Party Patriots group is pimping Paul and hanging out with the OWS crowd which is exactly why I avoid joining any official tea party groups.

Instead I stick with my even more local informal group that has no leader and no one to claim to speak for all.

[GeronL]

Being opposed to wacky liberaltarians does not make you against the TEA Party

[Ozymandias Ghost]

I, too, have similar reservations about Santorum’s political philosophy; which is why I have been supporting Newt; whom I consider the “least imperfect” of the candidates now running. That said, I would still support Rick against either Romney or Obama.

Regards,

-Geoff

[Prokopton]

It is the height of foolhardiness for a Republican candidate to badmouth supporters of tea party philosophy or libertarian philosophy. Without supporters of both, the Republican candidate cannot win. Any candidate with a brain would be emphasizing issues in which we we all share a common philosophy; small government, less government intrusion in our lives, less spending, more freedom, etc.

If Santorum badmouths the libertarian philosophy, he will be a loser as a candidate. Hopefully he will now be able to afford advisers who understand how to win a national campaign.

[drpix]

In your Reagan excerpt you'll find: "I can’t say that I will agree with all the things that the present group who call themselves Libertarians."

The group of Libertarians that Reagan spoke of opposing, at that time were of the Ron Paul type - who left Congress during the Reagan Presidency (1985) wrote an anti-Reagan polemic ("Freedom Under Siege") and then left the GOP and ran for President as a Libertarian in 1988.

In fact the Libertarians that Santorum is opposing in the video are the same Libertarians Reagan oppesed and for the same reasons. Thanks for your unintentional assistance in making the point of my post.

[joe fonebone]

you are correct.... bushie 2 is the one that pushed me away from conservatism and into the arms of libertarianism... although I do not buy into, for even a second, the nut job part of it, I firmly believe in the constitution as written... the bushie one and two version of conservatism is nothing more than big government wrapped up in a pretty package, and this is as close to conservatism that the republican party will ever go...... What has been seen cannot be unseen, and the bushies open my eyes, and I saw..... I did not like it

[drpix]

CORRECTION:

same Libertarians Reagan oppesed opposed

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

This raises more questions then it answers.

He says he doesn’t like a rise of libertarianism in the conservative side of the Republican party.

But he *doesn’t* say what parts he doesn’t like.

This is what I think is the current “top 12” issues that libertarians are advocating (that are not currently strongly supported, like gun rights). (I will put an asterisk next to the ones many conservatives agree with.)
(Information taken from the Libertarian party website.)

http://www.lp.org/issues

*1) No government bailouts for big business.
*2) End the War on Drugs.
*3) Return federal takings of state land to the states.
*4) Most serious environmental problems are caused by government agencies that should clean up their own messes, instead of forcing environmental controls on industry and individuals.
*5) Significantly reduce the size of and taxation by the federal government.
6) Pro free-trade and against foreign intervention.
*7) Strongly opposed to government censorship and Internet control. Strong advocacy of privacy.
*8) Medical Savings Accounts and deregulated health care.
9) Easier legal immigration.
*10) End public welfare, encouraging charitable contributions.
*11) Individual Retirement Accounts instead of Social Security.
*12) Tea Party - Libertarian Party executive director Wes Benedict issued the following warning to Tea Partiers: “Republicans are trying to fool you again.”

Now, within this list are some issues, not mentioned, that most conservatives *very strongly* disagree with, such as the libertarian embrace of abortion, slashing military spending and disengagement from military actions that may have strong consequences in the future.

TL;DR: Which of these issues does Rick Santorum disagree with?

[drpix]

In a GOP primary were former Libertarian presidential candidate and (at the time) vociferous Reagan critic Ron Paul is one of the leaders, your list suspiciously ommits many issues on which Ron Paul Libertarians in the GOP and Tea Party today detract form Reagan Conservatism.

Here's just a start to a list (that I'm sure others could add to) of why Reagan Conservatism is everything Ron Paul Libertarism is not.

for strong mililtary
for strong CIA
pro-police
pro-NASA
pro fair-trade enforcement

Against America's foreign enemies
anti-drugs
anti-gay-marriage
anti-abortion

For these issues it is to Santorum's credit that he openly opposed Libertarian influence.