As presidential contender Rick Santorum swept three Feb. 7 contests in the GOP race for the nomination, he stated that this election is about whether or not rights come from God or the government.
Santorum said at a rally in Missouri on the evening of Feb. 7 that “freedom is at stake in this election” and that he would defend religious liberty and listen to the American people as president.
“This is the most important election in your lifetime,” he said.
Santorum won the GOP caucuses in Colorado, where Mitt Romney had recently been leading in the polls, as well as the Minnesota caucuses and the non-binding Missouri primary, a symbolic contest that serves as a straw poll before the state’s official caucuses in March.
Although Romney is still ahead in the delegate count, Santorum has now surpassed Romney’s three state victories with his trio of recent wins in addition to his late win in Iowa.
In his Missouri speech, Santorum emphasized the importance of the 2012 election in determining the future of America.
After thanking God for “the grace to be able to persevere,” he also thanked his wife, Karen, for being “a rock through these last few weeks.”
“We have had more drama than any family really needs,” he said. “And she has just been an amazing rock and a great blessing to me.”
When his 3-year-old daughter, Bella, was recently admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, Santorum briefly left the campaign trail, just days before the Jan. 31 Florida primary to be with her.
Bella, who is now recovering at home, has a genetic disorder known as Trisomy 18. Because of this, illnesses can quickly turn serious and even be fatal for her.
Santorum sent his love to his youngest daughter and promised to be home soon.
“I love you, sweetie,” he said. “Thank you so much for getting healthy.”
Santorum then turned his attention to the election and said, “Americans understand that there is a great, great deal at stake.” In his assessment, this election “is about a country that believes in God-given rights and a Constitution that is limited to protect those rights.”
But President Obama “does not believe that” and has shown over the last three years that he thinks “the government can give you rights,” he said.
This is a problem because when the government thinks it is the source of your rights, then the government can also “tell you how to exercise those rights” and can even “take them away.”
Santorum pointed to a recent mandate issued by the Obama administration that will require virtually all employers to buy health insurance that covers sterilization and contraception for free, including the drug “ella,” which can be used for early abortion.
The administration has refused to allow exemptions for most religious organizations, despite strong objections from groups (including the U.S. bishops) that say the mandate will force them to violate their consciences and the teachings of their religion.
Santorum said that in issuing the decision, the Obama administration has told Catholics that “you have a right to health care, but you will have the health care that we tell you.” In this worldview, the government has the ultimate authority over what you “give your people, whether it is against the teachings of your church or not,” he explained.
The former Pennsylvania senator, a Catholic, said that he is “a first-generation American whose parents and grandparents loved freedom and came here because they didn’t want the government telling them what to believe and how to believe it.”
But he never imagined that America would have a president “who would roll over that and impose his secular values on the people of this country.”
Santorum stated, “When the majority of Americans oppose these radical ideas and they speak loudly against them, we need a president who listens to them.
Matthew Warner: Ask Fr. Barron: What gives you hope for future of the Church?
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According to David Brooks in his article in the New York Times, “Workers of the World Unite” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/opinion/workers-of-the-world-unite.html
Rick is exactly what Reagan Democrats and working class Republicans are looking for and not finding in the rich ‘front-runners’ of either party.
He is man of the people who understands the real suffering this economy is inflicting on those of us who wonder if we can afford to buy gas if it goes up to $5/gallon. Do you think Romney ever pumped his own gas?
Rick’s Made in America plan to revive the manufacturing sector is based on his experience in rust belt Pittsburgh whose empty factories experienced a renewal through the medical technology industry.
His down to earth style and honesty are winning hearts and votes, in the Heartland.
I’ve been rooting for Newt—He worked with Reagan and has helped to balance US budget’s twice with success. He’s done immoral things in the past, but is now Catholic and repented…I like Santorum because he is a sincere guy and very moral.
Both have had their ups and downs.
I would like to see these two as president/vice president…..
Mitt, to me, is very cocky and I don’t trust him. He is too corporate. I don’t want him for the republican candidate or as president.
Ron Paul has great ideas, too.
Ron Paul and Obama seem to be the only ones who have studied the Constitution.
If you believe in God you must listen to what this man has to say. He is the exact opposite of our current President. He believes in “Government by the people and for the people” rather than “dictatorship” which is where our present government is headed. The present administration believes in “minority rule” and is at present enacting rules that benefit not the poor and needy but the perverse and greedy.
Back someone who you think will bring this country back to sanity…..
Wow, that’s great that Santorum is gaining traction. He’s one man that when I met him, spoke to him and shook his hand, struck me as genuine, interested, knowledgeable, committed. I wish him every success!
Everyone reading this,
Please vote for Rick Santorum. Vote for the good and against. Get involved. Vote Rick Santorum 2012.
To me it is a matter of simple politics. The Mitt vs. Newt battle has led them both to mutually open wounds of their past negative history, making them both so vulnerable now to stand up to Obama. It would now seem logical to go for the guy with less weak points in his past history as an integral person, etc. Whatever is lacking in Santorum’s political ideas and arguments may easily be learned, consulted, refined and articulated with the help of a Newt and/or Ron Paul. I don’t think a Republican presidential candidate has to perfectly embody all of the conservative wisdom and political know-how, but must be able and willing to work with the best conservative ideas, strategies and people to give the best option and result for the American people. And if gets to run up against Obama, Santorum may not be a better leader nor a better orator than Obama, but he can certainly be a clear alternative and the better man for the America that most, if not all, conservatives want. I would rally to support Santorum for these reasons. What do you guys think? Any other make-it-or-break points I may not have considered?
The clear strategy to defeat the Democrats is to take away the social issues from them. They’ve alway been the party of the “social issues.” But, they’re on the wrong side of the social issues. That’s why Rick Santorum did so well because he’s making it about the social issues, not just the economy. And another thing: if you get the social issues right, the economy will get right - not the other way around. I’m tired of the all these media elites and Republican establishment people wanting to get someone in there because of their stance on the economy FIRST. If we lose our freedom, there will be NO COUNTRY!!!
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