Posted on 02/07/2015 12:51:22 PM PST by Steelfish
Santorums’ New Book Reveals How Faith And Love Are Tested By A Daughter’s Disability
By Karen Tumulty and Colby Itkowitz February 7 Over and over, Rick Santorum has watched the old video of himself at a presidential candidate forum in Iowa. He can read in his strained expression the struggle that was going on in his mind as he tried to figure out how to answer a challenge put to the Republican contenders: “Bare your soul.”
The shadow on Santorum’s soul was the memory of a time when he hadn’t loved his own child as a father should. Could there be a more grievous sin for a champion of the pro-life movement?
When his turn came to speak, the former senator from Pennsylvania choked on tears and described the birth of his youngest, Isabella Maria Santorum. She has an extra 18th chromosome in every cell of her body, a condition deemed by doctors to be “incompatible with life.”
Until Bella was 5 months old and near death on a gurney in an emergency room, Santorum said, he had deluded himself into believing that “the best thing I could do was to treat her differently and not love her” as he had his six older children.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Santorum is an opportunist begging for attention prior to another failed Presidential run where he will tear down all the conservative candidates before promptly handing everything off to the RINO.
If he were a Democrat, this would be a resume enhancer, just as Ann Romney’s multiple sclerosis would be if Mitt were a Democrat. Since Santorum is a believing Catholic member of the GOP, his daughter’s situation doesn’t fit “the narrative” and so as far as liberals are concerned, she doesn’t exist—or, perhaps, shouldn’t exist.
FRiend, say what you want about Santorum, but I don’t see how anyone could read that article and not be affected.
For God’s sake, don’t let your heart become like stone, even if the guy isn’t your idea of a candidate (and mine is Cruz, BTW).
He was out of step with others in his family as well. There was the time that Rick and his teen daughter, Elizabeth, were putting together a crib for newborn Bella. Rick told Elizabeth to save the box, in case they needed it to send the bed back to the store, because “we just don’t know how long Bella is going to be here.”
He wrote: “I wish I could take those words back, because I’ll never forget the way she looked at me, as though I had not only hurt her but condemned Bella myself. My feisty Lizzie grabbed the box and tore it up as she started to cry.”
If he thinks baring his soul like this is going to earn him points, he’s mistaken.
I can’t imagine even thinking about sending a crib back to a store after your child died. Not only does he display his gross insensitivity to his teen daughter, but he’s cheap!
You are probably right. But this make-believe soul bearing tactic of Santorum, illustrates something that needs to be addressed calmly. The Office that George Washington distinguished, is not one that should be involved in the same tactics employed by soap opera writers, to hook the susceptible.
Santorum is not intelligent enough to fill the shoes of a George Washington, or even one of our more average Presidents. His capacity to grasp the very basic issue--basic to any level of administration--that goes to what level or branch of Government has what legal responsibility for what type of decision making, is defective. He has repeatedly attacked others for understanding what he lacks, in this area; and, as such, will very correctly turn off many of us in the coalition that elected Ronald Reagan, while turning those misled by the soap opera tactic against the actual Conservatives running for office.
William Flax
Bump that!!!
I don’t fall for this emotionalism stuff. I realized he was a faker back when he’d start talking about how courageous he was while standing in front of a banner that said “courageous.” It’s stupid.
The guy is a phony and probably has a deal with the RINOs to disrupt the nomination process. A battle over “who is more conservative”, especially with a guy willing to be as nasty as he can be, damages all the candidates, splits the vote and only aids the RINO.
An opportunist. He has taken the opportunity over the years to stand up without reservation for conservative social values while just about everyone else, including conservatives, were laying low hoping not to draw enemy fire. As a result, Santorum became a lightning rod, a target for liberals...and not a few so-called conservatives.
May he have many more opportunities. Thank you, Rick.
This guy is a weirdo.... thanks for reminding me.
It has nothing to do with “emotionalism stuff.” Separate everything out-—your opinion on Santorum, the Post’s motive behind the story, whatever else—and you have an account of a very sick little girl who probably won’t live very much longer.
If you still don’t feel a damned thing, if you see no reason for a glimmer of compassion for her and her family, and if you view such human (and Christian) response as “emotionalism”, then you have my sympathy.
A glimmer of compassion for the family is not what these posts are about. I can feel compassion for the family, but the posts are about Santorum running for President. He is not Presidential.
Agreed. It’s cold.
I guess it never occurred to you that at the time they may not have been blessed with unlimited cash.
And they were young.
Bella was born in 2008.
Clearly.
" I can feel compassion for the family, but the posts are about Santorum running for President. He is not Presidential."
Yes, and?
Ah yes, old George, the guy who owned slaves. Sold slaves who didn’t obey him- even though he didn’t really like to sell slaves and separate them from their loved ones and obviously felt it wasn’t right. But he wouldn’t stand for the defiance because business trumped morality, and he was struggling with debt.
Brilliant mind it is true... thank God we had him at such a crucial time, but a sinner, not a saint. I think owning and disciplining slaves to obey is a far greater error than anything our candidates do today. Yet God made use of him, and through him and many others that sin of stripping men of their freedom was dealt a hard blow.
Let he who is without sin, keep on chucking rocks... and see what it gets you. But we would be better off instead of trashing candidates for their shortcomings, if we just promoted the ones we favor most by their merits.
We should take Reagan’s advice. Reagan himself said , roughly paraphrasing : don’t let perfection be the enemy of good.
Santorum is no Washington, Jefferson or Adams.
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