Santorum in speaking of Obama tells his devoted audience of Tea Partiers, “I am talking about his worldview, the way he addresses problems in this country, and they're different than most people view it in America." No, they are not. But Santorum is addressing the Tea Party. They eat this up. So far in this farcical Republican primary contest, a miniscule number of voters has participated in deciding who the Republican contender will be. And those whose views are in fact very far to the right of most Americans have been shouting out. If Santorum had his way, he would take us back to the Puritans.
In truth, Rick Santorum is just another Republican candidate who knows no history, for he truly would have us go back to the days when this country was struggling in its development and, despite the opportunities abounding, there was widespread poverty, disease, and no safety net for anyone except the rich. Who always have a safety net. And we should not forget that despite his boyish, gosh he’s the guy next door, Santorum is another rich Republican candidate.
He speaks of things without regard to whether they are true or not. And he does not care whether there is honesty in his speeches; his concern is that what he says appeals to the people who could vote him in as the official Republican candidate. Somehow I think he believes that were he the candidate, he could change focus for the general election. Does he believe he could then woo independents by orating on the economy or foreign policy or anything else? Does he believe that no one remembers anything?
Should we get a Republican president at this time in our history, it would spell disaster, and it is not just because of social issues, but also because the road to recovery that we are finally on could be imperiled by yet more concessions to the rich while everyone else falls through the cracks. It would be bad enough to see this war on women escalated; it seems that those who wage it have no cognizance that it would affect everyone and not just women. It is the women they would like to see become chaste, biddable creatures resembling something out of a seventeenth century fiction, incubators for yet more children of conservative persuasion. And, ironically, if Rick Santorum’s policies should ever be realized, we would have yet more abortion albeit illegal, meaning more maternal death and without question more infant death.
The notion of handing out free contraception is an amazingly simple and wonderful plan because it is the poor and the young who have the greatest difficulty obtaining birth control and yet are the most unprepared to have children. At the moment, our country has a shockingly high maternal death rate as ell as high infant mortality. It is unacceptable. Providing contraception would help bring those figures down, as well as some of the need for abortion.
It is disgusting to see how this politician panders to his base. Yes, he may very sincerely believe what he says, and that, to me, is even sadder. That someone has gotten this far, despite his ignorance, and despite his outrageous stance on so many issues. But his attack on the rights of women is most vile. He turns a sincere eye to the camera and speaks of the right life and how women should not “murder their babies” (despite the fact that abortion is not murder). But there is no concern for the havoc wreaked on the lives of those who would suffer under his harsh leadership. There is no thought on how extreme his position is. For he would have all believe as he believe, and displays no respect for the position of those who do not. No one forces a woman to have an abortion, but he feels he has the right to not only outlaw abortion but contraception as well. As for amniocentesis, he is even more ignorant, as so many fetal problems have been solved pre-delivery by utilizing this marvelous medical wonder. What is not recognized is that we should not be having this discussion at all, for in the end, it is all meant to be between doctor and patient, and everyone else should keep out of it. You, too, Santorum. Especially you.
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