Jim Robinson
Posted on 02/15/2012 6:55:30 PM PST by Mariner
BOSTON (Reuters) - Republican candidate Rick Santorum has won support from American conservatives for his views on social issues but a habit of hyperbole may lead to stumbles in his White House bid.
In Boise, Idaho, on Tuesday, Santorum compared contraception to deodorant and soap when making a point about why he believes birth control should not be covered by health insurers.
"Let's mandate that every insurance policy covers toothpaste. Deodorant. That might be a good idea, right? Have everyone cover deodorant, right? Soap. I mean, where do you stop?"
Santorum also fell back on a well-worn Republican criticism that President Barack Obama and his administration are elitists.
"Don't you see how they see you? How they look down their nose at the average Americans? These elite snobs," said Santorum, who reported 2010 income of almost $1 million, according to financial disclosure forms.
Though he is giving Republican rival Mitt Romney a run for his money in the nomination race, Santorum's language might be an obstacle if he wins his party's nomination to challenge Obama in the November 6 election.
"As a frontrunner you have to watch exactly what you say," said Donna Robinson Devine, professor of government at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. "The attention has moved to Santorum, but to me he seems very whiny. I just can't imagine him as president."
Santorum's most famous equivalence came from 2003.
In an interview, he said that if the Supreme Court protected the right for gays to have consensual sex in their own homes, "then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything."
Comments in that interview that homosexuality was not as bad as bestiality...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The only conservative message anyone will hear from him will be that of the social conservative.
Not by his choice, but by the need to defend himself against endless "alarm" in the media and ads that either mischaracterize or lie about what he REALLY said.
If we nominate this guy we're toast.
Ah it's more Reuters opinion masquerading as news.
What is more hyperbolic than claiming the winner of an election can lower sea levels?
In the end, it's more of the same - an attempt to preempt any dramatic GOP pronouncements about Obama who richly deserves to be held up to ridicule.
Apparently we’re now supposed to nominate someone the media finds acceptable.
It is a rhetorical technique which inevitably will fail in an open enviroment because all it does is leave the audience feeling like he has insulted their intelligence.
You are absolutely correct. Right now Santorum is gaining traction because he comes across as a regular guy. But people don’t yet know him. When they hear he wants govt to define marriage and other such bs, he’s toast.
Oh wow, soap and deodorant is really provocative.
But I am sure the Newtsters will help Al Reuters make their case.
It worked the last time around.
Now they want someone acceptable to the media.
The failure of conservatism will be due to an utter lack of courage on the part of so called conservatives.
In a general election Santorum will spend far more time defending his positions on social issues than he will talking about spending, debt, tax reform, regulation, energy and defense...combined.
Since he is running against Obama, he will win. Obama’s social issues are as abysmal as his fiscal issues. He is a complete and utter mess. As far as his comparison of birth control being paid for the insurance company and soap and deoderant, that is true. How much more are the insurance companies going to have to end up paying? Oh and if you don’t think that ALL of our premiums aren’t going to go up for this birth control, then you must not be taking this issue seriously.
While I was reading the article, I was wondering what her screen name was on FR, but then I got to your comment at #1 and it was all cleared up.
Thanks Mariner, another partisan media shills ping.
If he makes it to September you'll see endless, full broadsides.
And, if you think there's a majority of electors in that discussion...well, we'll find out I guess.
Personally I believe Obama and the MSM would beat Santorum in a landslide.
I hope Obama keeps pushing the social issues, and Rick shoves it right back at him.
A big mistake was made when conservatives started attacking Romney from the left. Now no left wing style attacks are off limits.
You're accusing me of being the author, or even sharing anything in common with the author?
Was that just a snarky comment or are you ignorant?
His views on contraception are not regular. It’s a real turn off for women, Republican and democrat.
And just what are "people like you"?
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