Ha. funny stuff Serf. Agreed it's all a show (that's everyone, D/I/R, let's be honest), but coming from a dad with 3 kids I don't think he's playing that angle too much, clearly his daughter is one sick girl who has a life long battle on her hands. That being said, other than VP I can't see Rick making a dent in the Mitt machine - but I guess these guys will keep going until the gobs of $$ run out.

Why are you being such an ass. Santorum took time off the campaign trail to be with his sick daughter in the hospital. To me this shows that he has his priorities straight and knows what really matters in life. His daughter has a genetic disorder and will never get better. In fact, she has lived a lot longer than many children with this disorder do. His taking time to be with her was no campaign stunt, it was a father spending time with his sick child. I hope that you never have to go through what he is going through, knowing that his daughter is going to die at a very young age. Thankfully it seems she is doing better so Santorum has returned to the campaign. He has never once brought up his daughter or tried to use her illness to boost his campaign. The media is making a far bigger deal about him taking time to be with her then Santorum is. In fact he has not said a word about her illness publicly. In the current political climate where politicians try and use everything they can to try and get votes, it is refreshing to see that Santorum is not using his daughter to try and get sympathy votes. If you want to blame anyone for the focus on this, blame the media not the candidate. As for me, just hope that his daughter continues to improve and that he gets to spend more time with her.

I agree with you, as a parent who has lost two children, one 35, and the other 29, I can empathize with him. I just wouldnt ever vote for him.I do wish him and his daughter all the best. If there were a god, I would even pray for her.

I don't empathize with him at all. I empathize with Bella, who unfortunately has a complete narcissist for a father. Oh great, she's out of the woods so he can go back to the campaign trail. Um, she has a birth defect that could kill her any day. She is not "out of the woods." Santorum talks about family values as if he is the only one who can fix all our social ills, but he is not the only person who can save America. He is, however, the only father his daughter has. At 3, my father was the center of my universe. I cannot imagine how it would have felt if I was seriously sick in the hospital and he wasn't there with me. My best friend had a lifelong and eventually fatal illness - when she was young, her parents basically worked at their jobs and took care of her - it's a full-time schedule. He could make a living close to home, but he chooses instead to chase after a political office he has no hope of winning, while his youngest child is afflicted with a life-threatening illness. I have no empathy for this man, because he appears to have very little of his own (either for his own child or for others, as evidenced by his politics). But my heart breaks for Bella.

No... it's human, and it has swayed this voter to Santorum. As another person on this forum commented, he's has his priorities straight.

Ignorant comments by Serfdom.

Like I said, he will milk his daughter's illness for sympathy votes.

The man has no shame and giving credit to god when the doctors and modern meds kept her alive.

This is just how effed up religion and religious zealots are in their twisted heads.

Doctors save kids, God take the credit.

]

His priorities straight???? What???? He doesn't even have the decency to be embarrassed to be conducting a "symbolic" hopeless Presidential campaign while his seriously ill toddler fights for the life she has left? He wants dad of the year credit for rushing to her hospital bed for a day and then leaving his wife and kids to go continue his finger wagging campaign judging the 'family values' of the rest of the nation? Good grief...if this were one of the far right's FEMALE politicians, the Republican party would be leading the charge to crucify her as worst parent of the year!

serfbum101...Go PHUQUE yourself!

Sorry, serf. . .you are a complete idiot! No. . .and INcomplete idiot!

Santorum says ailing daughter 'had a big smile on her face'

Saintorum caught in a LIE if I ever heard one.

When little kids are sick, they are not smiling whatsoever. They are in pain, nothing to laugh about, especially for a 3 yo with doctors and nurses probing at them and sticking them.

Maybe the smile was all about the 3 yo not being stuck with her bigoted dad and mom and was surrounded by people that can think outside of religion.

Yeah, forget the part about banning contraceptives, that evolution is a lie and creationism must be taught in science classes, that homosexuality is a mental disease and kind of like being black except it's a choice, that education is evil because it makes people less religious, that Palestinians don't exist; only Isrealis exist, that the State has the right to prohibit an individual's passions (sex), that he "wants to go to war with China, oh and no abortions no exceptions not even rape or incest and that allowing rape victims to get abortions will encourage rapists (yaknow, because they care whether or not their victims get pregnant).

Totally level-headed... not in any way extreme Christian Right....

JCNation: Rick s the conservative in the race. Sadly, he will not get either the nomination or VP. Chris Christie will be Mitt's VP pick. Haven't you noticed how hard he is boosting Romney? Balamce is not what Mitt is after.

Christie is not second-banana material....

Shuklak -

forget the part about banning contraceptives

Santorum voted for every bill that funded programs distributing said contraceptives. He even explained why he doesn't like them. "Their availability will increase multiple partners (not a very healthy practice - physically or emotionally) and pre-marital sex. I think the reason he voted for them is because although he feels his way is better and would wish that you would agree, not making contraception available would be even worse.

that evolution is a lie

Never said that!

creationism must be taught in science classes,

Do you not understand that science is theory? Why not be open minded to other theories? Don't you understand the biggest education problem is the lack of critical thinking. If you don't present both sides, then you cannot exercise critical thinking - can you?

homosexuality is a mental disease

I'm sorry, but that concept came from the early days of psychology - which the churches did not subscribe to. There are some protestants that hold this concept, but as a whole, almost all denominations hold homosexuality is a sin. Santorum is a catholic. I think when the Gay community calls it their "choice of a Lifestyle" - they actually hit exactly what it is. I chose to date my wife who is of the opposite sex, and made choices to stay with her overtime and decided she was attractive, . . . .

Santorum's actual position - he thinks marriage should be left to between a man and a woman because of the natural procreation. We should honor those that do things right. As for the gays and lesbians, continue to petition your legislators to get the definition changed and as the majority sees that change should be made - so be it.

kind of like being black . . .education is evil because it makes people less religious, that Palestinians don't exist; only Isrealis exist,

doesn't this show you have some agenda other than seeking the truth?

wants to go to war with China,

wow this is really far out of the real of reality

no abortions no exceptions not even rape or incest and that allowing rape victims to get abortions will encourage rapists

Okay, you got a little closer to reality here. Although, Santorum's belief is there should be no abortions, he has always been supportive of abortion in the cases of rape, incest, and life of the mother. He experienced this dilemma himself when his wife had to take an anti-biotic for a deadly infection from having their child operated on while still in the womb. The medicine caused her to go into labor that the doctors medically were afraid to stop. Since the child was only 20 weeks, they lost the child.

He did author the partial birth abortion legislation. It is not just because he is against abortion, but because us going to great lengths to save babies at 24 weeks makes no sense to partially deliver another that age or older - just to kill it, especially because far too many survive the initial death blows. did you know their is a partial birth survivor out on the speaking circuit? Yeah, they tried several ways to kill her before they had mercy on her.

As far as

Fed - I wouldn't throw in the towel yet. The two at the top are hurting the party (like the leadership doesn't shoot itself in the foot constantly).

I like many other people wasn't even remotely considering Santorum. I've spent hours chasing down every positive and negative lead on the others, but just before Iowa, being unsatisified with the known contenders and seeing Santorums poll numbers improve looked at him real hard.

People who know me, know it is hard to drag a recommendation out of me. I'm too used to having people turn out to be a George Bush.

Of all those who put their hat's in the ring, Santorum stands head and shoulders above all of them. He would truly be a president for all the people, not just his, or his parties own beliefs.

So, DB Akron does your wife know you are gay but that you....."chose to date my wife who is of the opposite sex, and made choices to stay with her overtime and decided she was attractive, . . . ."? You are implying that you are at least equally attracted to both men and women.

I'm sorry, but that concept came from the early days of psychology - which the churches did not subscribe to. There are some protestants that hold this concept, but as a whole, almost all denominations hold homosexuality is a sin. Santorum is a catholic. I think when the Gay community calls it their "choice of a Lifestyle" - they actually hit exactly what it is. I chose to date my wife who is of the opposite sex, and made choices to stay with her overtime and decided she was attractive, . . . .

If you don't mind a personal question, DB...how old were you when you 'made the choice' to be a heterosexual? Did you ponder being gay instead?

I don't mind saying that I was born heterosexual. I have gay friends who have told me they were gay when they were four years old, before they even knew what sexuality was.

Homosexuality is not well understood in terms of cause, but it is clear that it is not a chosen orientation. It is inborn and it is not evil. If one believes in a loving god who created all of us and loves all of us, then why do some wish to demonize gays?

DB: wow, how could you have this much wrong in just one post??? Amazing!

Judaism for one does not hold "homosexuality" to be a sin, and neither do several other mainstream denominations of the live and let live variety. What you (and your ilk) do not understand is that the US Supreme Court has already long ago held that women were included in the US Constitution's right to privacy clause. That means that you, Santorum, your church, simply do not get to order the government to make the decision for women in any case before that zygote or fetus can live without her. The point is not where Santorum draw the line...the point is that he thinks its his line to draw. Same issue with homosexuality. It's just none of your damn business and sure as hell, not governments'. That's not a far left position, that's mainstream in the USA where we simply do not embrace official state relgions and their dogma. Santorum was rejected by his OWN constituents as an extremist long ago. There is no chance in hell he's going to win one single state, let alone be the Republican nominee (although he has almost as many Democrats rooting for that to be the case as does Gingrich.)

The media likes the Trisome-18 angle. What happened to his daughter was she got pnuemonia in both lungs. They also like to promote that she was not expected to live more than one year. The reality is that Trisome-18 recipients frequently live well into her teens.

I think he is fine to run for president, and also has stated she is part of his motivation for running. The HCL has several boards that will affect who gets treated and with what course of treatment people will get.

Wrong again Akron, you're really on a roll. The reality is there are only a handful of those diagnosed with Trisome-18 who've ever made it to ten years of age. He's an abommination as both a father and as a political leader and every day away from his family and this little girl proves his self-delusional "calling".

Rick has stated that she is one of the reasons he is running. Kids and adults with special needs are the first ones to lose care when governments make cost effective care decisions. How pathetic is your cynical though patterns, no down cultivated by the sources you read.

Yeah: right ...who couldn't identify with a great dad like this, leaving his critically disabled child to run a symbolic campaign to lecture others how to live....How pathetic...You'd be the first to lambast one of your women candidates if she did this, admit it.

Rick has stated that she is one of the reasons he is running. Kids and adults with special needs are the first ones to lose care when governments make cost effective care decisions.

This man will say and do whatever to get elected. His daughter is covered and paid for by the taxpayers money. He doesn't have to worry about her medical care bills like the rest of the people do. If he really felt that way, then why haven't anyone of us ever seen him fight for the people with disabilities. He doesn't give a rats-az about people with disabilities. He's only using them to try and collect votes.

He's a pathetic loser using his daughters illness to get sympathy votes now.

I will never vote for this man. I will vote for Obama or Ron Paul before voting for any of these jerks.

Santorum is for Santorum just as Gingrich is for Gingrich and Romney is for Romney, and they all represent the 1%ers, not the people.

REVOLUTION 2012

Rep/greedy:

I agree. He's not a qualified candidate, but I will not criticize him for doing the right thing for his kids. Damn sight better than that Walsh guy from Illinois. If I owed my kids >$100K I'd hide. Walsh thinks he can run the government.

So, Mr. Santorum, I hope your daughter is well and recovers soon. Good luck to her.

biweeler -

He's not a qualified candidate

Funny you should say the, he meets the constitutional requirements. Not only that but many of the accomplishments Gingrich has - were written by Santorum

Welfare reform

Partial Birth abortion

work on freddie and fannie problems before anyone admitted there was a problem.

BTW what did Obama do

voted for Tarp - Santorum didn't

agreed with Reid, Pelosie, and Dodd - no problem at Freddie and Fannie.

DB:

He's a theocrat. His views are inconsistent with the Constitutional separation of church and state. He would impose Catholic values on the nation.

And for that, I deem him unqualified.

you bet! and rick has a group policy which means no one can be denided, unlike other children with birth defects whose parent has been denided coverage for their child?

we need single payer which is just the way medicare operates!

if you are 65, you are in one large group and you cannot be denided!!! that's why it came into existence, for so many seniors were being denided!

and, no matter what you hear, it works great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, if we had socialized medicine (single payer, whatever you want to call it), Rick's daughter would probably have been refused treatment because prognosis for children with her disease/disorder is not good. As has been pointed out earlier, very few children with Trisome-18 live past the age of 10, and the treatment is ongoing, and expensive, just to get them to that point.

You can deny it all you want, and think that "no matter what you hear, it works great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!", everywhere that it is implemented there are rationing boards who decide who gets treatment for such diseases, and if she were approved for treatment, there are also lines and waiting lists. If she had a flare-up with her condition, but it fell in between scheduled visits (which probably wouldn't be more than twice a year), she'd end up waiting in the ER with everyone else, being seen in the order in which they arrive, and she may die while waiting. Chronic conditions are not treated as emergencies in socialized medicine.

Not to mention, with socialized medicine, the ER becomes everyone's primary care physician. If you come down with the flu, can't get to work, and your job requires a Dr.'s note to excuse you for the few days you're off, what are you going to do? Don't say "get a flu shot" because it doesn't cover all viruses. You gonna wait in line to see a doctor in 3 months? or 6 months? just to see a doctor during office hours? By that time you won't be sick anymore, and your employer will probably want your note before then. So? I guess you're going to the ER to wait with everyone else, even though they can't do anything for you except to tell you "Yep, you've got the flu! Go home and drink plenty of fluids. Here's your note."

Guess what, we already have that sort of thing going on in California, and a lot of other places in the country because there are a lot of people in the country illegally, and can't get insurance legally, even under Obamacare. There already is assistance for the poor who can't afford it, it's called Medicaid and Medicare (for those who are older), so don't call me heartless.

SINGLE PAYER DOESN'T WORK! SOCIALISM DOESN'T WORK! NEVER HAS! NEVER WILL!

Crazy religious cult members

Your assertion is henious.

First, Catholics make up 25% of the Unites States population - and they are accepted as christian by most denominations.

your don't do as we say " YOUR GOING TO HELL".

So, what if they are right? Did you know that a large portion of current christians said the same thing you just did?

Either way they are crazy religious cult members. They steal lie and rape cheat etc . I wouldn't trust a cult member .

Catholics are not a cult... far from it. And persons who steal, rape and cheat can be of any affiliation. A person has to make right choices, and the key is that it is a choice. As a Catholic and Christian, I hope through Prayer and my faith in God, I will gain the wisdom and guidance to avoid my human imperfections and become a better person.

Your so into the cult lifestyle you don't even realize its happening .lol .. good luck with that Johnny.I wish you well .

John:

And persons who steal, rape and cheat can be of any affiliation.

True.

But what your post fails to address is the denial, the coverup, the dishonesty, and the tragedy of the sins visited upon the children. The moral authority of the Catholic church has been vaporized by their failure to report criminal conduct by their agents, and their subsequent efforts to evade all responsibility.

Would you care to defend their multiple transfers of child molesters to different parishes where they abused more children?

Amen to that bilweeler

InPS and bilweeler-

You two sound like racists. The only difference is that instead of hating blacks, or jews, or arabs, or asians, or whites, or hispanics (did I miss anyone?), because at some point you had issue with the bad acts of a few (yes, I know people who are like that, who actually base their racism on personal interaction or what they see in the news, not on simple irrationality trained into them by their parents), you hate all Catholics because of the bad acts of some of their leadership.

I don't think anyone would defend the child molesters, or those in the hierarchy that covered it up. You, however, are lumping all Catholics in with those guys. I have issues with Catholics over their beliefs, but I don't think they belong to a cult. I realize you both probably think all Christians are some kind of cult. Maybe you put all religious people into the same category- I don't know. Fight it all you want, but the majority of people in this nation are Christians, and the majority of people in the world believe in some kind of religion or another. If anything, atheism is more of a cult than most religions, by definition.

xp:

You two sound like racists.

Oh yeah. The "race card." Just as information, Catholicism is not a race, and Catholics come in ALL races. So your logic is missing an important element.

You, however, are lumping all Catholics in with those guys.

You made that up. I said nothing at all about Catholics in my post at 9.5. I referred only to the Catholic church, and how it has squandered all its moral authority. I guess that was a difficult concept to you, but most people can recognize corrupt/bankrupt leadership without assigning blame to those who are subjected to that leadership.

Sorry to hear you couldn't discern my point. But frankly, when you start out by calling your opponent a racist, you have already lost the argument.

Yeah, it would be. It would also be nice if we could back off the rabid partisanship long enough to celebrate this child's return to relative good health. I was hoping liberals were mature and sensitive enough not to turn 3 year olds into political targets. We've all got loved ones!

Auntie:

I was hoping liberals were mature and sensitive enough not to turn 3 year olds into political targets

You got your wish. #7.1.

Oilman

Santorum isn't a protestant, he's catholic. Isn't that supposed to be a priest holding a crucifix and throwing holy water on you instead?

Being a father and grandfather, I am glad to hear that his daughter is doing better.

And as you state Ursula, this is media spin at it's best (worst?). The huge amount of money being thrown around gives all the news outlets reason for sensationalizing every story out there. Just can't wait to see the follow-up articles about what a wonderful, loving, man he is. Forget the fact that he is running for chief theocrat in charge of the bedroon police.

Except MSNBC is a liberal media. They would not back Santorum.

The 'best candidate for office" lost his last election by 18 percentage points. Worst drubbing ever for a sitting senator. Did Pennsylvania refuse to do what's right or did they finally figure this knuckle dragging turd out?

Good... then maybe people would be more responsible when engaging in sexual relationships. Plus, he never said anything about banning birth control, only banning public funding of contraceptives. Which I whole heartedly agree.

John, do you really think the man/woman with 8 kids by 8 different people is going to step back and say "Well, wait I couldn't get my birth control, so maybe we shouldn't..."? No.

Now some people are just making stuff up. He is extremely pro-life, and does not advocate abortion in any case. I like his stance. I also believe that life begins at conception and should not be terminated. As awful as rape is, an innocent life should not bear the criminal acts of another. If the rape victim does not want the child, she can give it to a family who does. As far as the life of the mother is concerned. That is already protected. The mother's life supercedes the infant's.

John:

Now some people are just making stuff up.

Like what, exactly?

Or did you mean to say that people are just saying stuff I don't agree with? There's a difference...

What if the life of the mother is threatened, John? What if the baby has a severe genetic problem?

Interesting that Rick Santorum himself aborted a baby because the life of his wife was threatened. I guess for him, it's ok.

Here's an example of people making stuff up. The baby came early. They couldn't save it. Lots different from having an abortion where they wanted to kill the baby. The whole event was precipitated by an in-utero operation which was to help save the child. Mrs. Santorum got an infection and had to take an anti-biotic which induced labor. If she hadn't taken the medicine both she and the child would've died.

Think before you post. Or do liberals lack the ability to think critically?

(I know I'm going to get attacked for that comment, but really? Reading so many of these posts in which people just spew hatred, or stupidity, makes me wonder about the intelligence of some people. Emotions seem to rule, and name calling and fabrication are what come out. THINK, PEOPLE!)

xp:

Or do liberals lack the ability to think critically?

Another deflection, same as playing the race card in #9.7.

You don't argue with your opponents. That would take too much work. You just insult them and move on.

I know I'm going to get attacked for that comment, but really?

You knew you were throwing grenades and would get called on it. Happy to oblige.

RealityChck

To be clear, I don't like Rick Santorum. I also empathize with him, his family, and his daughter. I hope she is out of the hospital soon. No child should have to go through all of this.

That said, I lost a pregnancy and the fetus was deemed to have Trisomy 18. I hate to say it, but I was relieved. Not all parents are cut out for that; while I'm not proud to say it, I'm one of them. I find it surprising that Mr. Santorum, knowing how difficult it is on the parent and the child, would fight for legislation to force me to bring that child into the world, had my body not taken care of things for me. His religion should have no bearing on that decision for me.

He needs to drop out and spend what precious time he has left with his daughter at home. He will not get elected. He wants to force too many things on Americans.

You have both my sympathy for your loss and my admiration for your honesty and common sense.

It's not a religious belief; it's a constitutional right. Your situation sounds like you lost the baby because of natural abortion. I believe God won't give us anything we cannot handle. But religion aside, abortion takes away a fetus' right to life because of a stupid loophole. It is illegal according to our laws. If you don't think that's true, what happens to a mother who aborts her own child? That's right she is arrested for killing that child.

John:

It is illegal according to our laws.

Your refusal to recognize Roe v. Wade as law is demonstrably wrong. Abortion is legal. You don't like it...and I get that.

But don't make up things like abortion is "illegal." It diminishes your credibility and deflects the discussion from the relevant facts.

I have women in my own family who have experienced miscarriages, and for what it is worth, my heart goes out to you for your loss. I, for one, do not think that there is enough recognition and support for women who have experienced this kind of loss.

Now, on the issue of abortion, regardless of one's stance on the issue, they cannot deny the real trauma that the majority of women experience (and men as well) after having had an abortion. There is real suffering there, and I think they too are victims, even if they were there "by choice." The fact of the matter is, oftentimes many women are not presented with an alternative; the medical establishment in many cases simply takes it for granted that really, there is no other choice.

This is not something that has simply come into society out of the blue, however; this kind of development has been coming for quite some time now. One needs only to look into the history of the American Birth Control League to see that this issue is not quite as old as we think it is, and at its heart is a philosophical notion of "value," inherently relative, and imputed by others from the outside. In practical terms, this problem has been in the forefront of American political life since the 1840s, and the issue of abortion is simply another facet of a broader philosophical direction that has been dominant in the Western world for hundreds of years.

So, it is not simply a question of "religion" versus "science," or "faith" versus "reason" (dicotomies which themselves have a history). Rather, it is a philosophical question, one that everyone (whether they know it or not) has weighed in on at one time or another.

...not for long, Lou7777777...not for long.

Lou:

I'm voting for Rick Santorum.

If you really like the idea of a theocracy, maybe you should consider Iran. Or Saudi Arabia.

Thank you for your measured and thoughtful post. I wish more people in the world were like you, and actually took the time to think about things instead of just having a knee-jerk reaction according to their gut.