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FLORENCE, SC — Speaking to media during an impromptu press conference Tuesday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry twice mentioned rival Rick Santorum's Catholic faith in criticizing his record on fiscal issues.
"Rick Santorum is a good man, he is a good father, he’s a good Catholic," Perry, an evangelical Christian, said. "But he hasn’t always been a good conservative."
The casual but twice-repeated remark — the first time that Perry has publicly pointed to his rival's faith — attracted the attention of journalists because both men are competing to win evangelical voters in the final days before the South Carolina primary.
Perry attends a nondenominational evangelical church and speaks frequently of redemption and his refocus on faith after feeling "lost" in his late 20s. After the exit of Rep. Michele Bachmann from the GOP presidential campaign, Perry was left remaining as the most vocal evangelical in the GOP field. (Both Santorum and Newt Gingrich are Catholic; Mitt Romney is Mormon. Ron Paul is Baptist but speaks far less frequently about his faith than the Texas governor.)
National reporters who had attended a Gingrich campaign event blocks away from The Drive In restaurant mobbed the governor as he made his way around its tables. Television reporters clambered onto tables and low walls to catch a glimpse of Perry as he chowed down on a gyro burger and onion rings with a state party official.
Despite his religious kinship with a substantial block of Republican primary voters, and his overt courting of socially conservative voters, Perry's campaign has failed to retain his early traction in South Carolina due to the gaffes and misstatements that deflated his frontrunner status.
Asked Tuesday whether he intends to travel on to another primary state after Saturday's vote — a possibility that seems dimmer by the day — Perry joked that he's concentrating on the Palmetto State but could take a victory lap akin to the vacation famously cited by Super Bowl winners.
"We’re headed to South Carolina, South Carolina, and South Carolina," he said. "Then we’ll go to Disney World.”
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Typical BS!
All y'all candidates keep slinging those little "code" words to stir stuff up, and maybe take a little away from the other guy.
I personally don't want to hear ANY references to anyone's religious beliefs, or absence of them. But hey, in the Bible Belt, I guess this crap plays well with some folks.
I don't see what difference it makes, except perhaps which Christian faith is the most crazy (Mormons). They all demonize our "secular" government, though that's what the founding fathers intended, because the alternative would be a theocracy.
These Radical Chistianists are no different than the Sunni or Shiite arguing over which version of Sharia Law they want to impose. Say NO to a Christianic Republic of the United States, and YES to separation of church and state. Vote for Democrats!
Proof some people, like Perry, live in the dark ages still. They think someone's religion can be used against them. Unless the candidate is a fundamentalist Muslim, that won't work in this country. But anything Christian including Catholic, Baptist and yes Mormon won't matter to Americans when choosing a President. Yes I realize a fundamentalist Muslim can legally be President but until that religion leaves the dark ages, when it comes to how it views women, they won't see daylight with us female voters in this country.
I would ask all evangelical Republican Southerners to look in the mirror and ask: are we really as intolerant and narrow minded as our own politicians seem to think we are? Perry thinks you won't support Santorum because he's Catholic. Could a Jewish candidate ever win the presidency, with support from evangelicals, and if not, do you even understand what is written in the constitution about religious freedom? Look in the mirror folks, evangelicalism is developing a bad name.
It doesn't matter one bit your faith. I believe God loves all and doesn't care. Democrats or Republicans don’t own the exclusive rights to God. Most important it doesn’t matter your faith or beliefs, and no one has the right to say mine is better than yours.
"Rick Santorum is a good man, he is a good father, he's a good Catholic," Perry, an evangelical Christian, said. "But he hasn't always been a good conservative."
Biased crap reporting.
Perry said twice that Santorum was a good Catholic, IN THE CONTEXT of knocking him as not being a good conservative.
Again, with the liberal overanalysis that conservatives use hidden, subliminal, hard to find code words that are racist or bigoted.
Complimenting Santorum is bigotry?
Liberal reporters just know Perry is an evil racist, and look for an excuse to find it...
BIASED CRAP!
Wait... Perry said Santorum was "a good father" . Father is aterm used to refer to Catholic priests...Must be a hidden reference to sexual scandals by "fathers" in the Catholic church.
Perry, you monster!!
Then, Bob, why did he go there? Why not just call him a "good Christian"?
Da Noid: Ditto
Anyway, Perry is "just a good old boy, never meaning no harm..."
God hates all religious camps be they Christian, Muslim or Jewish equally. Can we please put that baby to bed.
"Yup, Santorium may be a good Catholic, too bad he ain't a Christian" to paraphrase the erudite Governor of Texas.
Who speaks for God? He used an ass only once, a long time ago. (Never an elephant)
Where's the person who's been decrying "Religious Bigotry"? on this one? Seems like a blatant example, no?
dangerfield,
I don't know about anyone else, but I as so very tired of people being judged on what faith (or lack thereof) they belong to.
You had your own "thing" today I know...Jesus never founded a church, nor did he ever claim to be doing anything other than what he clearly SAID HIMSELF;
"Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.
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It's funny that "Freedom of Religion" is one of the bedrock tenets of our secular religion of Democracy, yet we seem to replay the same tired scenarios every election cycle...
Sadly, I believe my point was missed. And to think, we went through all this in 1960. Think we might have learned something then.................
Nope, we've not learned a damn thing. Sadly there are plenty of folks who believe that "Freedom of Religion" means that you can be whatever Christian denomination you'd like to be.
Salon.com ran an interesting article last week...what if Tim Tebow was a Muslim?
www.salon.com/2012/01/12/what_if_tim_tebow_were_muslim/
Makes you wonder what respect Muhammad Ali would have garnered.
This guy is really desperate. First Turkey and its Muslim government; now the Pope and Catholics. Somebody show him the way back to Austin!
It's not very subtle - so Perry would be capable of purposely drawing attention to Santorum's Catholicism in this manner.
George W. Bush jr again has stuck his foot in his mouth. With the incident calling Turkey a terrorist country when actually they are an ALLY and his comment about Santorum's faith, should send him packing and going back to Texass to create more of those phantom jobs.
Gov. Perry's debating skills and all-around intelligence are evidence that God exists, and that He still loves us.
(with apologies to Ben Franklin)