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NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who very well may have been a Michigan primary win away from being the Republican nominee, gave a rousing defense of social values here at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
“For those in our movement who want to abandon our moral underpinnings to win, what does it profit a movement to gain the country and lose its own soul?" Santorum told this room of thousands of conservative activists at CPAC to raucous applause. "The left in America has made that Faustian bargain… We must not.”
Santorum’s speech, which led off with an emotional recounting of the untimely death of his nephew, will only likely stoke speculation that he is thinking about another run in 2016. He set out what conservatives should fight for, had plenty of attacks on President Barack Obama, distanced himself from Congress -- despite having served there for 16 years, and even noted that he had created a conservative advocacy group, something that will help keep him in the conversation on the right.
Santorum accused the president of wanting to “close the deal” on a transformation of America 100 years in the making. He said Obama “wants to replace the ‘why’ of American Revolution for ‘why’ of French revolution –- a society that is Godless without faith,” that is “anti clerical, anti-God, where the government is the center, and they are the ones who care for us. This is President Obama’s New Deal.”
He added, “How do we turn this around? How do we make a difference in America today? I’ve tried to do my part.”
He contended that the problem on the right is not that there are not enough conservatives, it is that that conservatives -- and churchgoing social conservatives, in particular -- are not fired up enough.
“The passion in America has been on the other side,” Santorum said before warning, “They live their lives every day to transform us. Those who think America will be just fine … we just go about our lives. But we don’t have the passion that they do. To rise up and fight against what our founders said was the greatest threat to freedom -- time. Time. The erosion of our values over time, that we will lose that revolutionary fervor… Karen and I are committed that we are not going to let that happen on our watch.”
Of course, after the 2004 election, there were books written about the influence of social conservatives. They had helped re-elect President George W. Bush and were being touted as potentially spurring a permanent “Red America.” But white born-again Christians actually made up a higher share of the electorate in 2012 than 2004. In 2004, they made up 23 percent of the electorate; in 2012, they were 26 percent.
Santorum continued, “Don’t look to Washington, D.C. to solve this problem. There are very few leaders in Congress. There are a lot of followers. If you look to them to solve their problems, you will be disappointed. … The answer is here.”
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. /Head desk
All this to-do about a God or no God. I find it so much easier going through life (I'm 82 years old now) believing that there was and is a God as I have been taught. A God who loves us all and who prepares a place for us after worldly death. If we live our life as he has instructed us he has promised that we will live in peace and happiness after that worldly death. If we stray from that path he has laid for us, but in the end we ask forgiveness we WILL be permitted to live in His heaven for eternity.
I believe my earthly life is easier for me if I believe in these promises. If they do not come to pass, what have I lost by following these paths. I have lost nothing of value here on earth and I have lived with love and peace while I was on this earth, always knowing (believing) in what I had to look forward to after death.
What does a non-believer have to look forward to after his time is up? NOTHING.. I pity him. He has lost very much. It was always there for him to take but he just ignored it. Too bad.
But, you know... I think God will still eventually take him into heaven If he asks for it. For our God is a forgiving God. And it costs absolutely nothing to be believer and if it is true that person has so very much to gain for his belief.
Why would anybody refuse to believe it there is so much to gain for eternity. And, if it is not true, what has one lost because he has believed?
'Nuff said. May God Bless each and every one of you, even if you don't believe in Him
CPAC, what a freak show. Where were Hank, Chuck and Clint? Mr. Santorum run for pope if you want to proselytize via legislation.
The problem is not Christians, Jews, Muslims or atheists... Its zealotry.
(And yes there are atheist zealots)
You cannot reason with a zealot and they WILL NOT back down.
Yes! A hundred times, Yes!
I wish I could up that more than once.
Ted,
AMEN BROTHER!
hahah, funny to use the word amen there, but whatever!
What a nut job!!! He will make us all march to church everyday and say our pledge.
lol sorry, but I dont think GOD is too thrilled about him being invoked by those that stand for greed and envy
lol something about those 7 deadly sins if i recall...
Santorum, member in excellent standing in Opus Dei--very radical cult of the Catholic Church, google same, for more info, such as the members on retreat don't wash themselves, woman from a special nunnery do those honors, all in the name of......?
The people know all about Santorum, Catholic Church/Evangelicals/Christian Sharia law advocates conveniently forget we are still a secular society in spite of their temper tantrums. Rick keep your head out from under my skirt, my lady parts are just fine, thank you very much--stay out of my bedroom, my schools, my governmental institutions, stop dictating to me whether my health care needs should be up for review by my employer or the government. do something useful--volunteer for Meals on Wheels would be nice, or contribute to A Seat at the Table, Harvest Food Banks, Free Medical Clinics, Coalition for the Homeless--try to be a "REAL" Christian and follow The Christ's dictates.
Why does this dk head always get some sort of soap box to stand on--does CPAC/Baggers/GOPers are really going to attract members by fielding venomous speakers and advocating a toxic political platform?
Mr. Santorum is encouraging the GOP to look for "answers out here" rather than in DC. This is because Santorum himself is "out there" -- and in more ways than one! He probably figures that 2016 is "his turn" because he almost beat Romney in the primaries in 2012. But here's the problem: 65 to 75 percent of voters are really turned off by the Big Government mind-controlling moralizing of the religious fundamentalists. They were turned off by Huckabee too, in 2008. Those people who believe they want to live in an allegedly Christian theocracy can drop off the face of the earth, as much as the rest of us care. Get "raptured" -- please.
I really, Really wish we could get an atheist elected president. I'm so sick of every/any candidate trying to out-religion the next guy. We are a secular nation, why can't they deal with it?
I disagree with Santorum. I think if the GOP abandoned its obsession with the religious right, toned down their stance on conservative social issues, and focused HARD on conservative economics, that they would gain centrist votes and easily win the next presidential election.
They already have the conservative religious votes. Those people would die before voting democrat. It's time to stop pandering to them.
I suspect that the conservative religious voters would follow Santorum if he chose to run as a third party candidate.
Santorum is mindless hack. His neanderthal thinking is in line with groups like the Taliban and crazy Islamic zealots. The fact that anybody would pay to listen to his rubbish is stunning and speaks volumes to the continuing irrelevancy of the republican party. At time he makes Sara Palin look lucid. People should be afraid of the kind of religous nutjobs that back a man like him.
Why do most, not all Conservatives/Republicans think that Liberals/Democrats are un-Godly? Why can't we agree to disagree?
Because they truly believe that it's impossible to be both Christian and liberal.
From my church teachings--Jesus was a liberal.
Rick Santorum - Go away, far the fu$% away.
Godless America sounds good to me
Santorums view of what is Godlessness.
Santorum and those like him are nothing more than a ensemble of fools.
The King's and Queen's of the world used to dictate to peasants that God spoke through and only them and what such a person spoke was the law and truth without question or reasoning.
Santorum has the mindset of thinking and hoping and wanting Americans to believe that we are stupid enough to believe him.
Every single person in America has at one time or another read a religious text of some sort. Some have read many forms of religious texts while others have read only one.
From these texts along with other foundations of knowledge learned in school each American is able to make a decision on how their life should be instead of living a life based on how Santorum or others like him want people to think.
Such a notion is slavery and not freedom.
This is the main reason why there are "At Will" work states. Such states allow people like Santorum to fire people who go against what he wants them to believe so that he can make profit merely by relaying through his network of people who monitor wesbites for such dissention that they should be fired because one did not believe his message.
Socialism - making someone give you something for free, either an ear or your mind through the use of fear tactics meant to make you believe their message without reason or question.
What an idiot!
It is a sin to lie mr. santorum.
Rick Santorum is one frightening man. And for him to call Obama "Godless", means he, the GOP and the right wing crazies have nothing more to attack the President on. Frankly, Santorum is full of S***.
rick santorum, a world class PUTZ.
God is fine. It's religion that's the problem.
Santorum is a profound ass-clown. Seems like the tea-baggers are quite proficient at producing ass-clowns these days. But since so few of us are paying any attention, who really cares?
Just how fringe is the Republican Party becoming? It sounds like they really want to march back to the 16th Century and stay there.
Frankly, I'd settle for a Santorum-less America.
Boy, this guy just doesn't get it, nobody wants a "Godless America", not the president, the left or the right. Religion is a personal and private thing, it has no business being a part of our federal government or national policy. In fact, the constitution, the document that fringe right loonies like (in)Santorum usually attempts to wrap themselves in, specifically prohibits any religion from being a part of federal policy. Electing this nut case president would be a sure way to make the current president look like a genious, and, we all know he is anything but that.
Santorum using the same old inflaming rhetoric that cost his party the election. He can call it spin or whatever. Obama doesn't want a Godless America. He does want an America where people are free to make their own personal choices! Santorums inflaming rhetoric is an aberration of the truth.
hahahahahahaha....what a bunch od weirdos.
Did Rick bring a shovel to CPAC?
Santorium is a major MORON!