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LIVONIA, Mich. -- On the day Mitt Romney criticized him for not focusing enough on the economy, Rick Santorum stressed the need for simplifying the tax code, cutting trillions from the budget and building the Keystone pipeline.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum often splits his time on the stump between focusing on jobs and social issues.
And while the former Pennsylvania laid out his economic plan to a local Chamber of Commerce here, he also pivoted into the social issues that have come to largely define his campaign.
"The separation of church and state that our founders believed in, which is what I just described, has now been turned on its head," he said. "And now, it’s the church, people of faith, who have no right to come to the public square and express their points of view, or practice their faith outside of their church."
That was received with applause from the 300 supporters in attendance.
"All reporters in the back, they say, 'Oh there’s Santorum talking about social issues again,'" he said. "No, I’m talking about freedom.
I’m talking about government imposing themselves on your lives."
The balance between talking about the economy -- which will likely be the most important issue in the Novemeber election -- and social issues has been a delicate one for the Santorum campaign. The candidate often splits his time on the stump between focusing on jobs and focusing on the issues of abortion, the family, and religious freedoms. Now, in a state hit particularly hard by the recession, the former Massachusetts governor is trying to exploit it as a weakness in his rival.
Stumping in Rockford, MI, earlier in the morning, Romney said of Santorum, "It's time for him to really focus on the economy."
Responding to Romney's critique, Santorum told reporters, "Tell him to watch my speech."
On the eve of the Michigan and Arizona primaries, the Romney campaign unveiled a new line of attacks against Santorum, building off his "sometimes you take one for the team" defense of earmarking during last week's debate. Santorum did not use his speech to defend his fiscal record in Congress, but instead split time between portraying himself as a consistent conservative and introducing his plan to rebuild America's manufacturing and energy industries.
"This is a tax plan that isn't conforming to any type of school of economics, because America has its own destiny," Santorum said. "We don't fit into a school. We do our own; we cut our own path; we're Americans; we can do things different, and we can be successful in doing it. Our plan is bold. It doesn't just, you know, take an existing tax code and play around with it in 59 or 69 or 89 different tweaks."
Last year Romney unveiled a 59-point economic plan.
Santorum's first of three stops throughout the Wolverine State compliments an op-ed he in today's Wall Street Journal outlining the major tenants of his plan.
"Capitalism is painful," he said. "We all know markets are painful sometimes. When people dont keep up, when people do things that the market doesn't like, a lot of people suffer. They suffer more if you try to rig the game. I've been consistent on that. I can go after President Obama on that. No one else can in this race can."
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Would Saintorum stand up and defend Mosque's being built, will he defend Muslims, and their rights to freedom of religion. No because to him, only Christians should have rights.
Oh Ricky Ricky you truly are no snob, there was a reason our founding fathers put that whole part in there about separation of church and state. I don't want your church forced on me or your sharia laws, you know the ones where you will have the female members of my family wearing skirts down to their ankles and shirts all the way up to the tops of their necks with shoes that lace half way up their legs. Look at pictures of our grandmothers from the 1800's. You really are a DUNCE, You have no clue what the important issues are. I can tell you they are not about women's uterus's, kids rights to an education, or my rights to have a gay partner. You really need to try and relax maybe take a day off the campaign trail and spend some time with your wife or a paid professional if your wife isn't interested in spending time with you. You know just try and loosen up a bit.
So if i was a nudist then I should be able to walk around nude in a public square without any hassle? This idiot is not only mentally unbalanced but he's dangerous to boot and probably should be in a mental ward.
such a prankster ....
Santorum's idea of "freedom" is the freedom of the Inquisition.
Andrew Sullivan summed it up best:
"For now we can see in plain view the religious fanaticism that has destroyed one of the major parties in this country, a destruction that is perilous for any workable politics. It must be defeated - and not by electing a plastic liar and panderer like Romney. But by nominating Santorum and defeating him by such a margin that this theo-political Frankenstein, which threatens both genuine faith and civil politics, is dispatched once and for all."
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/02/the-nausea-of-santorum.html
He thinks that "stay free mini-pads" are free government housing for dwarfs......
Ha! And who else is a prankster?
So we are free to live under his version of morality?? What an insult to Americans! Rick is telling us that our way of life is Satanic and that we need his moral leadership. How many dads can support 7 kids on their salaries? No wonder he tells us that college is not for everyone!
The problem is Ricky Slick has 3 college degrees - Fact
But old Slicky Ricky wants you to have non - Fact.
Vote for President Obama in 2012 because these clowns are nuts.
kritt that is not the point. This bill as it relates to church sponsored contraception coverage will force each individual Catholic in this country into a lose/lose decision. Either I become complicit in the sin of murder according to my beliefs or I have to stop supporting my church financially. What you believe in this instance is irrelevant. The only thing that is relevant is what I believe. That is where the violation of the second clause of the first amendment lies.
Lonereb, you are free to choose if YOU want to use contraceptives!! You just don't have a right to stop someone else from choosing what is best for them. Besides, the "charity" does have the CHOICE not to choose an insurance company off the exchange. This is not restricting charities from CHOOSING private health insurance from any of the companies selling insurance. It just says that if you CHOOSE a publicily traded isurance program then you have to allow your employees to make their own decisions!!
I think Republicans need to look up the word FREEDOM, I think they confuse it with the word DICTATOR!!
Could you imagine this buffoon becoming president and having to listen to his stupid babble all the time?
Talk about a nightmare.
I'll be so happy when this is all over and done with, and Obama and Biden are as they are now the grown up's in Washington.
Sanctus Sanctorum is the new Messiah. The last one we had was George W. Bush, who understood on 9/11 why God had chosen him over Al Gore.
Santorum is the anti-christ that all good religious dingbats have been waiting for all their miserable lives.
A vote for obama is a vote for soros's "One World Government"!!!
And a vote for any of the four Republican presidential candidates is a vote for the return of unregulated capitalism. We all saw how that story ends.
But Gary, go ahead and be afraid of the "boogeyman"!
Better yet, just go rent yourself a copy of Monster's, Inc. and crawl back under your bed until they sound the ALL CLEAR.
say, I'll be here until November!!
Vote soros, van jones and obama OUT!!!
yeah, we wouldn't want those "commie one world government" types running our country. lol.
gary, you're a hoot. Where do you get this stuff? the comics? old LSD flashbacks? :)
Is obama a socialist, fascist, marxist, communist? All I know is some people (anti-American progressives) get extremely upset if you refer to him as one or the other!!
All I know for sure is that he is not an "American Capitalist" so in an effort to properly identify him and calm the rhetoric. I am coining the term "soroist" maybe no one will be offended?
First has anyone questioned who "frank" in "Dreams from My Father" was???
Google frank marshall davis and obama!
Then google his white house appointees, valarie jarrett, andy stern and cass sunstein.
For even more enjoyable reading google george soros, anthony van jones, then refresh your memory on the terrorist bill ayres, bernadine dorhn, the crook tony rezco and oh yes ole ref wright, obama's old Chicago buddies!!!!
How did a communist, anthony van jones (a self avowed communist) end up in the obama administration????
Of course all these associations are only coincidences????
The question remains just what is obama??????
We've googled Frank Marshall Davis many times, Gary, and every time we are directed to right wing extremist zombie sites who have manufactured a fiction that is supported by precisely zero evidence. You are just a puppet for ignorant racists and lunatics. Fail.
Gary K don't come here if you can't accept Obama/Biden 2012. It's a reality you will have to live with, America will not accept the circus clowns being offered by the right. Sorry - Not!
How's that conservatism going folks? This idiot Saint-O-RAM is pulling the ropes on the bewildered education fearin god fearin gun luvin bunch. Little does he realize they will spit him out at the generals. The average American sees it coming. The ba$tard gets all the education for himself, makes all the money and wants his dumbed-down constituents to think from their uneducated ar$e$. How can any woman in America buy into the vile coming from the 16th century GOPers. Their hate for a black man has forced them to retreat to the dark ages. Be gone idiot leader and his idiot followers. Don't we have a comet coming soon?
Thank you for making it an easy choice in November. Keep it up fools.
He sees his plan for the country in Afghanistan. All you have to do is have the masses poor and uneducated. Clamouring for any bit of hope to grasp onto. Then here comes Santorum and his twisted combination of faith and government to save the day.
Then we live in a theocracy where nobody is educated enough to think for themselves and we all believe whatever Santorum tells us. All he has to do is wrap public policy in Bible scripture and we will follow unquestioning. Obviously, who would dare criticize a prophet a God.
There's your vision for a Santorum future.
Kool-Aid
Let's add this to the list of things Santorum doesn't believe in:
1. Education
2. Birth control
3. Abortion
4. Science
5. ECONOMICS
6. Democracy
7. Freedom
8. Liberty
10. The right for women to determine their own future, independent of mens wishes
11. The concept of separation of church and state
The right of citizens in this country not to be forced to decide between being a murderer or supporting their church
Santorum has gone from being comic relief to scary. If he had his way, he'd rescind the emancipation proclamation, woman's suffrage, criminalize homosexuality, and ban condoms. This guy is a throwback to the middle ages. He makes radical extremist Islam look rational.
Religion is like a di ck. It's nice to have one. It's great to be proud of it. But don't shove it down my throat.
Santorum is our Osama with our won Sharia law and belief in his own Allah. He is our Hitler, who beleives there are people not worthy of walk this earth.
If America is to elect this guy, the idea of American freedom in the world will be dead. In wars and Israel we found our that AMerica forgives its friends of worst Human right abuses but it screams loud when his perceived enemy commit small infration. We have turn Jesus's why do you see a flak in your enemy's eye but not log in yours on its head.
Are we capable of efective leaders and sane way to Govern our coutnry? What are our values? Are we capable of world leadership that is fair to all? Can we underfstand that we can allow Israel a country of six million to have 200 nukes and Muslims none? Can one allow one person to have all kinds of gun and his neighbor none because he is Mormon and there are bad things about them?
Slick Rick, is what we call him and his buddies are funny. They say watch out for the scarry black guy trying to take away your rights mean while. They are passing laws to take away rights of women, they are passing laws to take away many americans right to vote. They want to deny people health coverage, which by the way is what they have. They have government run health care, but they don't want us to have it. For those who believe Slick Rick, I have a bridge in New York I want to sell you. Everything he is criticizing Obama for that is what he wants to do. Think about it, he wants to tell us when and for what reason to have sex. He wants to tell the women in our lives to not use birth control. He wants to tell our kids not to go to college, meanwhile he has many degrees, and he talks about indoctrination meanwhile just see the people he associates with who are doing that exact thing. Slick Rick is nothing but a con man trying to be president. Help us all if he gets into office. We will regret it.
What I think Santorum is saying that the government should get out of our lives so the various religions can take their place to control our lives.
I would think that Santorum would pick a Roman Catholic Cardinal to be his vice president to make sure that all citizens became God fearing people or else.
Santorum talks about his version of freedom and the concept of everyone else having to abide by this.
Otherwise, we're SOL.
Don't you sometimes wonder how he made it through all that education & still be this stupid? Maybe thats why he doesn't think everyone should go to college, thinks its a waste of money. Anybody know what this guy did before politics?
I am confused. Is Santorum running for President of the United States or for being in charge of the American Taliban? What is coming out of his mouth is truly frightening. We do not need more religion mixing with politics. If you don't agree with him and his views you are damned.
It is about freedom. Freedom of the Christian taliban to impose their extreme religious beliefs on the rest of the country and to displace our Constitution by a theocracy founded on their bizarre interpretations of scripture.
"And now, it’s the church, people of faith, who have no right to come to the public square and express their points of view, or practice their faith outside of their church."
Rick: You are doing just what you said we cannot do.
And as for Obama wanting everyone to get an education in order to indoctrinate them to his way of thinking, you have 3 degrees and didn't come out agreeing with his ideas.
The contradictory nature of your arguments undermines what little credibility you had.
Santorum's idea of freedom is clearly predicated on his parochial bias. for those who are not Catholic, freedom means oppression.
The freedom to remain ignorant and controlled by the church?
No the freedom not to have to make the decision between supporting my church or being complicit in murder. According to my beliefs and those of my church I won't be able to do one without being guilty of the other.
Santorum talking about "freedom" you mean when he takes away womens right to make decisions regarding their own bodies??? Santorum will take more of your freedoms away, if you are not a hard core Christian based on his idea of a hard core Christian then you are really screwed.