This is exactly why a lot of folks love Rick Santorum and why many fear he’s too honest to be a succesful presidential candidate.
Rick Santorum on Sunday said President Kennedy’s famous 1960 speech pledging to keep Pope and politics separate “makes me want to throw up.”
He said on “This Week” yesterday in defense of his critique of President Kennedy’s famous (or infamous) faith speech:
“To say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes you throw up. What kind of country do we live that says only people of non-faith can come into the public square and make their case? That makes me throw up.”
Here’s the thing -Rick Santorum is absolutely right. Kennedy’s speech makes no sense whatsoever. You can’t separate morality from politics, can you? Of course not. From where does morality derive? Religion.
Even Barack Obama makes connections between Christianity and his economic plans quite often, even when he’s asking Georgetown to cover up the cross. (Only room for one God on the stage at a time, I guess.)
Santorum is absolutely right. The separation of church and state has been bastardized beyond all original meaning. And we’re seeing the consequences of this bastardization right now with the HHS contraceptive mandate.
The end goal of this for the left is that rights no longer derive from our Creator but from the federal government. And I know the federal government doesn’t like to cut much, but they seem more than willing to cut rights.
The problem Santorum faces is that although he’s absolutely right, it’s not something that can be explained to folks in ten second sound bytes. So his words are taken out of context and shown in the worst possible light. Seems to me, Santorum has to get better at ten second sound bytes or raise a lot more money so he can take his case straight to the American people. Trying to cram his message through the media filter in ten seconds or less is the surest way to lose.
February 27, 2012 at 8:54 pm
or will he lose? i keep thinking that he must have Divine protection to keep coming back from essentially a nobody and a nowhere place to a real contender. i have been praying for a while now for God to provide a good and holy person to lead our country, and not that santorum is perfect, but he is perfect in that he recognizes that he's not…make sense? look at moses. he couldn't even get the isrealites to listen to him but God made straight the path… don't lose hope over the silliness of the media when we have the great "I AM" in our corner…pray that he will send a good and faithful servant…
February 27, 2012 at 8:55 pm
I agree wholeheartedly. Santorum is spot on but sometimes I wonder if he needs a new PR team. That dude just comes off as angry, and America LOVES them some "happy"! He's still got my vote, though.
February 27, 2012 at 9:30 pm
He was just on the radio on Sean Hannity and did a good job of explaining it.
Same goes for the college remark. It's very easily distorted by media and misconstrued by those who are behind the curve.
February 27, 2012 at 9:32 pm
I think the opposite. Bombarded with endless lurid revelations about the sick, private lives and corrupt political lives of the Kennedy family, Joe Six Pack just needs to hear "Kennedy" and "throw up" in the same statement and be assured Rick has his head screwed on straight.
I think it was a winning moment.
February 27, 2012 at 9:41 pm
JFK was invoking the spirit and words of one Thomas Jefferson when talking about the importance of the separation of church and state. Ever heard of him? Do extremist Catholics(AKA Santorum supporters) feel as comfortable with Romney's wacky mormonism creeping into the public square or if we were to elect a muslim president? Every good catholic of my parents' generation had a picture of JFK on their wall. I resent Santorum's ignorant and disrespectful characterization of our first catholic president. Santorum is a buffoon.
February 27, 2012 at 9:44 pm
Rick Santorum is dead on! He is the best candidate, hands down! Please call any person you know who lives in Michigan or any one who may know someone in Michigan, and plead with them to vote for RS! Rick will go on in the race even if he loses in Michigan and Arizona…he is definitely making progress in this race…he is a fighter…pray for him and his campaign! I too love his honesty..he speaks for so many of us who have the same sentiments…his Christian beliefs infuse his thinking and policy making.
February 27, 2012 at 10:02 pm
JFK was a prototype of a CINO. Santorum is to be congratulated for saying that particular emperor had no moral clothing.
February 27, 2012 at 10:11 pm
When I think of the "holy" cards that were issued in the wake of JFKs death, and how Catholics venerated him as a saint, it just demonstrates human folly. My parents did not go as far as to have a framed picture of him, but those were the "good" ol' days when Catholicism for many was more of a social club, especially for ethnics, than anything else. What the Poles, Italians and Irish demonstrated in decades past, the Mexicans are doing today. However, they are increasingly attracted to Mormonism and Evangelicalism rather than atheism, as latter day ethnic former Catholics.
February 27, 2012 at 10:14 pm
I pray as well for a good man to lead our nation and ultimately Trust in God. Believe it or not, I've asked God that if he won't give us Santorum, give Obama a change of heart.
February 27, 2012 at 10:29 pm
In my large extended family of about 30 first cousins, NONE are practicing catholics. None. And I know a great many families where this is the case. Catholicism was central to my parents' lives. The Church has driven people away, leaving largely the extremists. Moderate folks are no longer welcome. Santorum makes ME want to puke.
February 27, 2012 at 10:38 pm
Excellent point and I linked this story to my post earlier today…
February 27, 2012 at 11:29 pm
anonymous- so is it extreme to attend church on Sundays and remain married to one person? is it extreme to refrain from ingesting carcinogens (the world health organisation called the Pill a carcinogen) to keep a baby from developing? If none of your family is practicing, this is much worse than the 'normal' sad statistics of losing about 30%- I assume something sad like abuse happened.
February 28, 2012 at 1:24 am
First anonymous: actually, as you'd know if you had a right to your opinion, Jefferson's "separation of church and state" remark was expressing his support to Baptists in one state, where people were state trying to keep Baptists out of their politics. That is, he was speaking in defense of people having the right to be formed by their religious beliefs, in their political action.
Most recent anonymous: are you sure that the mere fact of being related to you isn't what made them doubt the goodness of God?
February 28, 2012 at 1:35 am
Santorums lying hypocrisy makes me want to throw up.
February 28, 2012 at 1:45 am
Sadly, JFK did not understand the faith of his forefathers or he simply rejected it as he thought that would help him achieve political success. By saying he banished his Catholicism from his public role, he subverted the principle of separation of Church and State, which was to protect the Church from interference or control by the State. Christ's Church is, necessarily, a public institution which is in the interests of the public, as well as the individual. Society needs the Church and the moral code before it needs a state. The State is only in the public interest if it recognises and upholds the natural and prior rights and institutions of man, including religion, freedom of religion, and the Natural moral Law. Those who promote acts contrary to the Natural Law often try to reduce such acts, e.g. abortion to something that is only against Catholic morality, when it is against Catholic morality because it is against natural objective morality. Abortion would be opposed by a Catholic public representative because it is intrinsically immoral, unjust and against the interests of the individual and the public, not because it's against Catholic teaching. I'm embarrassed to recall the picture of JFK in my childhood home in Ireland – at that time, my parents did not know much about his actual policies and principles, just the "Irish Catholic President" propaganda
February 28, 2012 at 4:32 am
I think it's remarkably insightful…and very in line with the Gospel. Jesus said that he would vomit out the people of lukewarm faith. Very fitting to equate vomit with Kennedy Catholicism.
February 28, 2012 at 7:27 am
@ those who call others extremists simply for being faithful Catholics.
If loving the Church makes one an extremist, then I'm an extremist; a fanatic even. I'm probably a fundamentalist too, since I confidently believe in and practice the fundamentals of the Catholic Faith. I'm a convert – 25 years and counting! I joined the Catholic Church because She alone possesses the fullness of the Faith. I'm Catholic and proud of it. I'm uncompromising with regards to doctrine. I am completely intolerant of lukewarm behaviour by Catholics-in-name-only like Pelosi, Sibelius, et al. That's right, I'm judging other people's misbehaviour. "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold, nor hot. I would thou wert cold, or hot." See that – I'm quoting Holy Scripture at you – that's cuz I'm an extremist. A zealot! So sue me.
I've been hauled in by my boss for having discussions on religion with others. I've been told to shut up and keep my religion to myself. Apparently, I'm not allowed to respond to other people's questions, nor am I allowed to respond to anti-Catholic bigotry in the workplace.
Kennedy was completely wrong regarding his take on the separation of faith from the public square. Kennedy sold out. "What profiteth a man if he gains the whole world yet… ."
We need more Catholic extremists, that is, more faithful Catholics who are willing to stand up for what the Church teaches. Be bold, or go home.
As for those who hide behind the name "Catholic" while acting like pagans – the Lord has tough words for those who fake being one of His disciples.
February 28, 2012 at 8:36 am
"I don't want a nominee that I have to worry about going out and looking at the paper the next day and worrying about what he's going to say next." –Rick Santorum .. he was talking about Newt, but I think it works just as well for himself.. he may be right, but if he can't communicate, he's worthless..
February 28, 2012 at 11:21 am
Those who would say JFK was an embarrassment, know NOTHING of our history, of the history of discrimination against Roman Catholics and only show their IGNORANCE. Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it. Kennedy was a war hero, who despite his ailments, fought to get into the service. Commanded a PT boat in WWII and was awarded for bravery after his boat was run over by the Japanese. He avoided a nuclear incident during the Cuban missile crisis, started the Peace Corps, fought bravely for civil rights. In fact, he was in Texas trying to gain support in the bigoted south after bravely standing up for civil rights. He believed in service to others and lifting up the poor — what REAL catholics to believe in. Not this teabagger, phony patriot Rick Santorum crap. Hey Rick — why didn't you pay back the thousands you bilked out of your "home" school district after homeschooling your kids in another state? Keep supporting this fool!
February 28, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Last anonymous: JFK was an adulterous pig who betrayed the Cuban freedom fighters he'd promised air support to. He had nothing to do with the missile crisis ending without a nuclear exchange; that was 100% Khrushchev, who noticed (rather belatedly) that Castro and Guevara couldn't be trusted with WMDs.
The only reason it took courage for Kennedy to fight for civil rights was that he was a Democrat, and the Democrats were the party of segregation—and before that, of slavery and secession.
And his speech most definitely was an embarrassment. I know our history, and our history says that what that speech represented was Kennedy becoming a soup-taker: a coward who sells out the faith merely for material security.
I much prefer the (actual Catholic) Hilaire Belloc, who responded to Protestant pig-bigots, like those Kennedy whored himself out to, with this: "I am a Catholic. As far as possible I go to Mass every day. This is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell these beads every day. If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank God that He has spared me the indignity of being your representative!"