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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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Oh Rick...I had nearly forgotten about you..If a republican wants to be President He or She need to fit a pretty simple mold..You can be Fiscally conservative, but you should probably be socially liberal. Yes there are far right peole in the US that are anti gay, anti abortion, pro church, etc. but that is a minority. This guy would have been beaten handily by Obama. He needs to go away and let the GOP try to get with the times.
God's son Jesus taught us our top responsibility is to take care of those less fortunate.
Would Jesus give the starving, sick, and elderly a voucher like Republicans are trying to do?
Whenever I want to hear from a Deep Thinker, I think of Rick.
Larry. Whenever I think about a stupid, Idiotic person, I think of Santorum.
Hey Santorum, don't you stand up there and attempt to lecture anyone about God. To hell with you and "your god". You are a smarmy little man with no humility. I'm glad to see CPAC and the GOP drag out the old, tired, worn out, crazies to their Obama hate fest. Just guarantees that he and his ilk will be kept out of the White House for good.
Mr. Santorum is obviously another one of those ignorant republicans who actually believe that the rest of the country is out to get them...most of us just laugh at them...and as for addressing the morality of the country...does he not know that that's just not his job...pick your poison, religion or politics...they're meant to be seperate...and we have laws in this country to make sure that stays that way.
There is a very interesting line from Angels and Demons at the end.
One of the cardinals mentions "Religion is flawed because man is flawed."
Didn't God tell man how to be perfectly in the religious text books that are present on Earth?
If religion is flawed that is present in religious text books this would mean that God is flawed.
Creation is not flawed but perfect once again showing the mirror of humanity in the words of religion which are mans words and not God's.
Otherwise if such words were perfect and of God and had been broken then God would have come to Earth and destroyed all of humanity.
This brings up another question. If God and Satan are real why do they never present theirselves on the field of battle?
Why is it always humans who fight and die doing such a perfect creations bidding?
Sounds great! I want a godless america too! Delusional beliefs are for the middle east, we have something called education in this country.
Dear Greedy Old Party,
Please put Rick Santorum at the top of the ticket in 2016. He will really help get your message out to everyone and inspire even more Americans to join the progressive movement.
And please, please, pleeeease have Bachman as a running mate.
Good. America is not a theocracy and that's exactly the way it should be.
Ricky is a one trick pony and he has beaten that poor pony to death--except among right wing, pseud-christian zealots.
A godless American? I can only hope. But not pray, because that's illogical and useless.
If by Godless they mean No god, no budda, no allah, and all the thousand other gods people pray to, then I'm all for it. Religion has been a pain in the ass and nothing but trouble ever since man first stood up on two legs. Hell yes get rid of religion. And good riddence. People are being murdered every year because of religion. The world will be a better and more peaceful place without it. It is nothing more than mind and terror control of people.
I would like to bloody Santorum for the stupid remarks he makes. He has no business talking like this. Spewing hate towards the people of this country. He is NO christian, if he was, he wouldnt talk the way he does. He is a slug.
Hey! What did slugs ever do to you? ;)
Does "Godless Americaa" mean if you don't worship Jesus Christ.. you are Godless? I am not anti Christianity but this my way or no way is not acceptable in a Democracy. There are other Religions that existed long before Jesus Christ was born..I try to follow the principles Jesus Christ established but don't blindly follow his Current followers.
The psychosis of the TeaPublican Party deepens as every day passes....
GOP WINGNUTS as far as the eye can see.
“You’ve confused a ‘war on your religion’ with ‘not always getting everything you want.’…America isn’t Nazi Germany. And the secret police aren’t coming for ya. Hell, the IRS isn’t even coming for ya. This government ‘hates’ religious organizations so much, it lets them keep $100 billion a year in offerings tax-free. Persecute my a** like that!”
- Jon Stewart
If ONLY we could take these people back 200 years so they could scream at our "forefathers" with regard to GOD and STATE. The only thing I would be looking to accomplish is BACK THEN, guys like Santorum would be KILLED for such insubordination. Today, we have to put up with him because we are "more civil" (LOL). IF you want to believe and elect a man who is truly NOT behaving as an American should in the dreams of our forefathers (who were WAY too smart for their own good apparently); fine. Ignore the history of the country and infuse it with RELIGION. I mean the history of countries that bow to the church is short and bloody. By the way "God bless America" is much different than "Bow to My God Blessed America". (I'm aware my last statement will fly over many of you sad GOP/Church enema cretins' heads)
Our founding fathers wanted a godless, secular America ... a new country without religious discrimination, without state sponsored religion.
As usual, Santorum is 'bearing false witness' in accusing Obama of wanting a godless America, since Obama, for all his flaws, never said this.
If we go to Mr. Santorum's offices, and chant "Separation of Church and State" endlessly, can we get him to puke uncontrollably?
He is a Puke.
Wait a minute, wasn't one of the greatest threats to freedom the church in England? Didn't we come here to escape religious persecution?? So how about not persecuting me in the name of your religion and value systems? This guy makes me want to vomit.
"They live their lives every day to transform us."
Really? Who wants to transform who. What an @$$. A scary, scary @$$.
Santorum needs to be in a Sanitarium.
Recommended reading for Rick Santorum: "Clues for the Clueless"
At least candidate Romney had the propriety to (attempt to) confine his contempt for 47+% of America to a $50k dinner crowd. CPAC, on the other hand, puts their intolerant prigs on public display.
Of course I want a "Godless" America. What Santorum and the other bible thumbing republicans can't fathom is that there's separation of church and state for a simple reason... not everyone believes in your God. I'm an atheist... do you think I want wing nuts like Santorum dictating religious doctrine (Taliban) to me and my family? Heaven help us from these idiots (joke).
Holy Jesus-motha-@!$%#in-Christ and Mary, Rick Santorum is insane.
(I think that about sums it up.)