Posted on 02/22/2012 12:54:19 PM PST by SeekAndFind
MESA, Ariz. -- Some of Rick Santorum's advisers are frustrated and angry that reporters are focusing more on their candidate's statements about Satan than on his positions on the issues. Here in Arizona Tuesday, Santorum faced repeated questioning about portions of a 2008 speech at a Catholic university in Florida in which he said, "Satan is attacking the great institutions of America."
"I don't know what's newsmaking that Rick Santorum believes in right and wrong, good and evil, God and the devil," says one campaign aide. "I really don't know how that's out of the mainstream."
It's not. In 2007, the Gallup polling organization asked Americans whether they believe in God, in heaven, in hell, and in the devil. The results: 86 percent of those questioned said they believed in God, 81 percent in heaven, 70 percent in the devil, and 69 percent in hell.
Just 21 percent of those questioned said they do not believe in the devil, giving Satan a healthy 70-21 believe/disbelieve ratio. (Eight percent said they weren't sure.)
Santorum's aides believe it is unfair that reporters are asking questions about aspects of Santorum's faith and not asking similar questions about Mitt Romney's. Of course, Santorum has spoken more publicly about the details of his religious beliefs than Romney has, and that is why some of the questions are popping up now. On the other hand, some in the Santorum camp are pointing to a 2007 interview Romney did with Iowa radio talk show host Jan Mickelson in which Mickelson essentially goaded Romney into discussing, off-air but on-camera, a few details of Mormon beliefs. ("The Church says that Christ appears and splits the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem," Romney told Mickelson. "That’s what the Church says. And then, over a thousand years of the millennium, that the world is reigned in two places, Jerusalem and Missouri. . . . The law will come from Missouri, and the other will be from Jerusalem.")
But specifically religious questioning of Romney is as rare as specific Romney statements about Mormon beliefs. Given the current grilling of Santorum, that is a source of growing frustration to Santorum's advisers. "Why is Mormonism off limits?" asks one. "I'm not saying it's a seminal issue in the campaign, but we're having to spend days answering questions about Rick's faith, which he has been open about. Romney will turn on a dime when you talk about religion. We're getting asked about specific tenets of Rick's faith, and when Romney says, 'I want to focus on the economy,' they say, OK, we'll focus on the economy."
UPDATE: After this was posted, the Santorum adviser called back to stress that his "off limits" point was not specifically about Mormonism but rather that Santorum alone is being questioned about religion. He asked why Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, in addition to Romney, have not faced the level of questioning abour religion that Santorum has. In our original conversation, the adviser said, "If you're going to ask us, you need to ask everybody."
Whatta perfect ticket: Mittens/Saint Rick 2012! VOTE AGAINST THE BROTHER DEVIL!
If they expected anything else they are incompetent. Exactly this behavior by the media has been predicted here multiple times.
As for Romney's more exotic Mormon beliefs, they're saving those for the general election if he gets the nom, which is what they expect.
Look, Santorum is the candidate who said just last October that he wanted to be a President who talked about the dangers of contraception. No one held a gun to his head and made him use the phrase "phony theology" or wax eloquent about how bad prenatal testing is. The fact that his staff is surprised at all the heat they're getting tells me they're simply not ready for prime time.
A biblical worldview includes the following beliefs:
•absolute moral truth exists
•the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches
•Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic
•a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works
•Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth
•God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today
What is on your head, considering where you seem to keep it?
Simple, just blame the media. Saint Rick says he’s no manager, and no visionary, blame the media. Wacky Saint Rick loses in November? Blame the media.
RE: Santorum is the candidate who said just last October that he wanted to be a President who talked about the dangers of contraception.
_______________________
Interesting. Can you cite for us the reliable link for this? Just for our edification. Thanks.
RE: Saint Rick says he’s no manager, and no visionary, blame the media
When did he say that?
So, let’s put in the full quote and NOT JUST STOP at “I’m not a visionary”.
Here’s the entire quote in context:
“I’m not a manager. I’m not a visionary,” he told the crowd in an apparent reference to his GOP rivals Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. “I’m a guy from a steel town who grew up understanding what made this country great and for the years that I’ve been involved in public life, put my heart and my effort on the line to make this country the kind of country that we all want to hand on to our children and grandchildren.”
Santorum also touched on the fight over who’s the real “Washington insider,” saying the only reason Romney wasn’t a Washington politician is because he lost his Senate race in 1994.
“You hear a lot of talk about who’s the insider and who’s the outsider in this race. There’s a guy that’s outside of Washington, who was not a senator or a congressman — not because he didn’t try — but because he never got elected,” he said. In contrast, Santorum added, he was someone who was “an outsider when he was inside” Washington.
Romney’s Mormon idiosyncrasies will be grilled over coals if he gets the nomination. Repubs have been too polite.
The devil is hoping you DON’T believe in him.
RE: Santorum interview
And what was the context of his discussion?
NO FUNDING FOR BIRTH CONTROL.
And he would be right about that.
If someone wants to get a condom or pills, there’s an easy way to do it -— GO TO THE DRUG STORE. It’s legal you know.
Newt will have ashes too then.
It’s ridiculous to discuss tenets of their religions. Discuss instead that everyone here has a right to believe how they choose, from atheists to any of the major faiths. Period. Catholics believe in Satan. Big whoop. It’s ok to follow your beliefs.
Well I’m not with him on belief of the existence of the devil.
RE: Well I’m not with him on belief of the existence of the devil.
I guess that would put you in the minority then. But that’s OK, Santorum won’t force anyone to believe in him.
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