Monday, November 7, 2011

So-So Santorum


As it would appear, Rick Santorum has been fighting and fighting, but does not seem to be reaping very man benefits. So I have decided to figure out what it is about him,that is just not clicking. He seems to be the “family man” of the bunch, but does he merely pale in comparison to the other Republican candidates?

Last Wednesday morning, Santorum answered a few questions at Copper Lantern Restaurant in Iowa. On this particular occasion Santorum mainly discussed the issue of education, but seemed to really make a connection with the small but appreciative few who gathered to meet him. Santorum has been to every single one of the ninety-nine counties in Iowa to reach out to potential voters. This is a quest he began in June when declared his candidacy.
Even though this has been quite a feat, Santorum seems to be encouraged by his campaigning efforts. “I prayed a lot about this and thought a lot about stepping out and putting my family through this, from the point of view of not being there. Financially, I’m not making a whole lot of income right now. We’re going through our savings, and I got seven kids. But you’ve got to feel like your country is at stake. If that doesn’t motivate you, you shouldn’t be doing this. I don’t get a whole lot of sleep,” he stated in an interview that Wednesday morning. Definitely give that a 9 on my I.B.I. scale.

In previous debates, we have not been able to hear too much from his side of the stage. So what exactly does Rick Santorum stand for? Is there anything that makes him different from the other hopeful candidates?
He has experience no doubt. At the age of thirty-two he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, later served in the U.S. Senate, then in 2000 was elected to the position of Senate Republican Conference Chairman. While researching his website, I learned that Santorum was a member of the “Gang of Seven”. Gang of Seven was a group of seven men (of course) who exposed the Congressional Banking and Congressional Post Office scandals. And according to his website, Santorum also served eight years on the Senate Armed Services Committee where he led the fight before the attacks of September 11th, 2001 to transform our military from a Cold War force to meet today's threats.

Where does Rick Santorum stand on the issues? Well, let us take a look at his website for his stances. There are three sections to describe the kind of candidate he is. These sections are entitled, Champion of Faith & Families, Defender of the Taxpayer, and Believer in American Exceptionalism.
Being a champion of faith and families means he is against gay marriage and abortion rights. A defender is defined as reforming congress and changing the nation’s entitlement programs. And a believer means protecting our American soil by not backing down to the Jihadists. A champion, defender and believer sounds like a great kind of guy, right?

So where is he going wrong? This is a question I ask myself every time his name is mentioned. Watching the debates and reading articles about Santorum help clarify a little bit. For me, Rick Santorum doesn’t “sparkle” enough to be a leading man; a man to lead our country. And maybe, just maybe… he’s not quite tall enough.

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