I was speaking with a friend on the phone yesterday from college. He’s kinda’ pro-life but not passionate about it and fiscally conservative but not very religious. He’s a little squishy, if you know what I mean. In short, he was a McCain supporter.
Anyway, he was saying that he felt uncomfortable with Rick Santorum. He assured me that he would vote for Santorum over Obama but he thought there were many people like him who would not.
I asked him why and he got a little cagey but finally said that Rick was “a little too extreme” and that’s why he was supporting Mitt Romney.
On what was Rick so extreme, I asked.
“I think the whole gay thing,” is what he said.
“What gay thing?”
“Santorum’s really against gay marriage,” he said.
I reminded him that so was Mitt (and so is Obama although he’s reportedly “evolving”). But then my friend said the thing that I think sums things up perfectly. He said, “But Santorum really means it.”
That’s it right there. There’s a sense about Rick Santorum that he really means what he says. And that scares people. There’s a sense among some, I think, that while Mitt may be pro-life, he’s not one of those oogedy boogedy religious types who might march on Washington on the coldest day in January to protest abortion. Mitt won’t embarrass the squishes by actually bringing up abortion at cocktail parties or anything. Rick might. Because Rick means it.
My friend was comfortable with Mitt because he thinks he doesn’t reeeeeaaally believe what he’s saying. He thinks Mitt will give us pro-life judges but he won’t keep talking about it and putting our noses in it.
The fear is that if Rick gets in the White House changes will occur. It won’t just be lip service anymore.
January 5, 2012 at 5:45 pm
You have just backed up my prediction that Obama will be reelected. Not what I want, but what I believe will happen.
January 5, 2012 at 5:48 pm
Rick Santorum is a modern day Atticus Finch, standing strong in the truth, wherever it leads. We need him!
January 5, 2012 at 5:48 pm
Matt, this is extremely interesting. It deserves an anthropological analysis. Everybody complains about politicians lying, but they know when they are lying, they just do not want the truth (Christ).
God gave Santorum´s family to the US, I hope she uses.
January 5, 2012 at 5:57 pm
Well, don't mention any of this to Mark Shea, who seems to be happy (enjoying it?) when he's unhappy. And right now he seems pretty unhappy about Santorum.
January 5, 2012 at 6:16 pm
Santorum is like Tsar Nicholas. The Tsar had plenty morality, but completely misunderstood the realities of the world. He will be ineffective with respect to actually getting anything done on the pro-life issue, and will very likely buy the pro-war propaganda (he already seems happy to go to war with Iran). Death shall not be mitigated.
January 5, 2012 at 6:23 pm
"… Mitt may be pro-life …"
I'm going to put this in as mild terms as I can muster: HELL NO HE IS NOT!!!
January 5, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Hey Matt,
Did you read that we Catholics are, at most, 60% right by Ann Coulter?
I am not quite sure, but, if I did not know who are Santorum and Romney, Coulter would help to chose Santorum:
http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2012-01-04.html
Best,
Pedro
January 5, 2012 at 7:08 pm
Exactly!
Folks, let's lose the fear. We're scared we have to pick a moderate in order to win this thing. Let's choose the best candidate in the primaries. If I have to vote for Romney on the national level, I will, but why settle now.
January 5, 2012 at 7:37 pm
At least Rick dodged this bullet.
January 5, 2012 at 7:43 pm
Apparently, Santorum is "too Catholic" for Ann Coulter:
Ann Coulter … Anti-Catholic Bigot [UPDATED]
January 5, 2012 at 7:45 pm
I see Pedro beat me to it.
Oh well. But my link does have some choice commentary added.
January 5, 2012 at 8:00 pm
I'm not sure what Pro Ecclesia quoted from Coulter demonstrates that she is an anti-Catholic bigot. She is basically saying that Catholic political thought, as embodied by the bishops, tends to be correct on some issues (from a libertarian-conservative position), but wrong on others from that perspective. I think that she is wrong, but I am not convinced the statements are bigoted.
As for her conclusion that this year the election is only about jobs, we'll have to see. For social conservatives such as myself, I again think she is wrong—I take other issues into account. But for many right-leaning libertarians that I know, they are turned off by "social issues." Shifting the focus from teh economy might scare off some potential voters.
January 5, 2012 at 8:11 pm
Seriously? You don't see anything bigoted about a blanket statement that being Catholic automatically means you're wrong on 40% of the issues from a conservative standpoint?
And her saying it in defense of someone who REALLY IS a big-government, non-conservative RINO makes it not only bigoted, but laughable.
January 5, 2012 at 8:48 pm
No, I don't. Look at it this way, assuming the Catholic is devout and follows the Church's teaching, you *know* that he or she will be anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion, etc. This may put the individual at odds with a strictly libertarian conservative.
Look, the church's teachings are all right there for the world to, and while there is room for variety on some issues, by and large a truly devout and obedient Catholic's response to most societal issues should be fairly predictable. If one does not agree with the church's position on those same issues, it should be fairly easy to predict that a strict Catholic will be "wrong" X percentage of the time.
Again, I think she's wrong on those issues, but I don't see anything bigoted about a her saying, in effect, that a politician who strictly follows the Church's teaching will be wrong (from her perspective) a given percentage of the time. Frankly, her position is in many ways a compliment to Santorum. We should all be so predictably in line with the Church.
January 5, 2012 at 8:49 pm
Addendum–
I agree with you that her defense of Romney is laughable and internally inconsistent.
January 5, 2012 at 9:03 pm
Santorum being against artificial birth control (being a good, orthodox Catholic man) is even more off-putting the general population than being against abortion or gay unions. The modern world is hooked on contraceptive candy and it's part of the air we breathe, and literally, the water we drink. He might as well wear an Amish beard and talk in latin.
I am up for that kind of crazy, because I am that kind of crazy. But, America? Too far gone, baby. The soundness and beauty of a traditional Catholic life is completely lost on most Americans. Heck, it is completely foreign to most Catholics, who cannot imagine life without their Yaz & condoms, and a little snip here and there when you have boy and girl matching set.
Rick Santorum is like Don Quixote tilting at a windmill. He's going to get knocked on his a**, but I am right there with him. If that is the cost of being a witness to the natural law, then full tilt ahead. I consider it a satisfying and well spent day if I give some liberal something to worry about. Why not?
January 5, 2012 at 9:18 pm
Blackrep…I'm right there with you.
January 6, 2012 at 12:31 am
@Michael 12:57: Any law can be broken to save a life. Hopefully including the evil aggressors life, but that is up to the evil aggressor. To not accept this unwritten law is to deny evil aggressors, even 9/11. Mother always said: "Do not get your halo on too tight"
January 6, 2012 at 12:37 am
@Michael 3:00: "as embodied by the bishops". The whole concept of Catholic political thought is perfect, but as embodied by some bishops is not so perfect. Human existence is the criterion for the objective ordering of human rights. Human existence comes into existence at the will of our Creator.
January 6, 2012 at 12:43 am
@Blackrep: Abortion is human sacrifice, killing one human being for the convenience of another human being. In the case of rape and incest, the innocent child is being put to death for the crime of his parents. Not much Justice. Contraception and gay behavior is addiction to lust. All addiction does violence to the free will. All addiction does violence to the human body.