Rick Santorum is scary and don't count him out

Strange bedfellows? Did I say bedfellows?

Rick Santorum apparently feels qualified to judge the theologies of others including that of President Obama. Here is what Santorum said to a Tea Party crowd in Columbus, OH. ” The President’s agenda is “not about you. It’s not about your quality of life. It’s not about your job. It’s about some phony ideal, some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology, but no less a theology.”  The audience cheered wildly.

Apparently fond of criticizing actual Presidents, Santorum, a Catholic, also took issue with another Catholic, President John F. Kennedy. Contrast Santorum with Kennedy who said, “I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote.” 

See it here.  and a fuller version.

JFK is on the side of the constitution. Here is what James Madison, “Father of the Constitution” and fourth President wrote in 1822: “Every new and successful example, therefore, of a perfect separation between the ecclesiastical and civil matters, is of importance; and I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in showing that religion and government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together.” (Thanks to Charles M. Blow, NY Times columnist for this quote. You can see his full column on Santorum’s views here.

He is also on the record as saying that birth control is harmful to women and society. See the video. 

For vintage Santorum see interview by a feisty Chris Wallace (this is the best we’ve seen on Fox in ages).

There are some serious contradictions and problems with Santorum’s position. On the one hand he believes it is wrong for government to force an insurance company to pay women for contraception. On the other hand, he wants to take away the right of a woman to use her policy the way she chooses. And don’t you think that insurance companies will suddenly get religion?

A President Santorum is likely to vigorously pursue his fervent anti-abortion, anti-choice anti-gay agenda. By doing so, he would surely create further rancor in a nation that might be described as a “House Divided.”  Poll after poll shows that the majority of Americans and women want contraception to be covered by health insurance. And the majority of Americans don’t ascribe to Santorum’s 1950′s view of sexuality. Praise the Lord.

Organizations like Planned Parenthood started educating women and families back in the 50's and 60's. Santorum wants to turn back the clock.