Santorum 2012

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by Jay

I am going to be voting for Rick Santorum on Super Tuesday myself. He is my second choice, but if it should ever come between Romney and Gingrich, I will vote for the candidate that makes me less queasy.

If you catch Mittens, Rhino disease is around the corner. Don't catch Mittens!!!

[Jay]

I can not stand Gingrich. There is something there that rubs me the wrong way. He says all of the right things, but there are many times that I feel he makes statements for their effect and not from belief.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by Jay

I can not stand Gingrich. There is something there that rubs me the wrong way. He says all of the right things, but there are many times that I feel he makes statements for their effect and not from belief.

Romney managed to make me like Gingrich more, especially after Florida. I heard, I think it was, a Senator saying that if Romney gets into the WH, we will have to hold his feet to the fire. Sad that would be our view of our projected nominee.

I heard Marco Rubio mentioning his "citizenship" in America during his CPAC Speech yesterday. That has been an issue coming up for his possible VP run. For him to point that out gave me the impression he is gearing up for the position. Although, Paul Ryan said that if he was conscripted, he would take the VP position.

Now, I thought about the Senator's statement regarding Romney and Rubio being a possible VP, and I was more inclined, if I had to, to vote for Romney as Rubio is much more conservative. I think he would hold Romney's feet to the fire. People like him so much better than Romney.

My only concerns with Santorum is that he sponsored 51 spending increase bills and never voted for one bill to decreased spending during his 2003-2004 time in Congress. In the 2005-2006 period, he had the largest spending agendas of any Republican and the majority of his anti-growth votes were on trade issues. Not great to leave Congress with that record.

[Margies3]

I absolutely HATE politics, so I am depending on all of you......... please tell me what it is that you like about each of the 3 candidates and then what it is that you dislike about each of them.

I really appreciate your input and opinions. Seriously! Thanks.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by Margies3

I absolutely HATE politics, so I am depending on all of you......... please tell me what it is that you like about each of the 3 candidates and then what it is that you dislike about each of them.

I really appreciate your input and opinions. Seriously! Thanks.

I'm still working through why I couldn't vote for Gingrich. Right now I am hung up on his pluses and minuses because, he is the only candidate that could fundamentally change policy in this country and the guts to do it. Mark Levin, who supports Santorum, said of Newt, "Gingrich did more to further the conservative movement during that time and into the 1990′s than almost anyone except Reagan." Gingrich plainly lays out his plans and ideas.

If I didn't disagree with Ron Paul's foreign policy I would vote for him. I listened to him being interviewed by Pierce Morgan on CNN and was enjoying the interview. When he got to the foreign policy part, I knew I couldn't vote for him.

I am not convinced that Romney is a conservative. He says things that come across as his not being inherently a conservative. For instance, "severely conservative"? - a term he used at his CPAC2012 speech. He's having to try and prove it still. He has flip-flopped on so many fundamental issues,i.e., switched from pro-choice to pro-life; pro-gun control to becoming an NRA supporter; pro-cap and trade to being against cap and trade, among other shifts, it's just way too hard to describe him as a "consistent" conservative. My impression of him is that he would go back to his flip-flopping once he was elected into office. My main angst against him is Romneycare, which he still stands by, says he will repeal Obamacare - yet - his chief spokesman says they will not repeal. I posted the clip on this thread.

Interesting article at Townhall by Chuck Norris. Of course, he supports Newt, but the article clarifies why he chose to support Newt.

I agree with Norris as I posted Santorum's voting record, further back, on this thread.

Why I Chose Newt Over Santorum

Though I commend Santorum for some of his stands since leaving Congress -- for example, his opposing the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the stimulus, the Fannie-Freddie bailout and the auto bailout -- I have a slew of problems with what he did while serving in the U.S. Senate from 1995-2007.

Here are the reasons -- as noted by the Club for Growth, Taxpayers for Common Sense, SCHotline and other watchdog and news sources -- that Gena and I gave our endorsement to Newt and not to Santorum:

(Lists includes 24 reasons - click link for full article)

I'm bringing this up now because if Santorum were to win the nomination, President Barack Obama definitely would bring this up in the general election campaign.

And the question that keeps coming back to my mind about Santorum is: How can the "alternative to Romney" also be a Romney supporter?
http://townhall.com/columnists/chuck...antorum/page/2

[Aquila]

Rick Santorum on taxes:

Rick Santorum believes that to have a strong economy, we must have strong families – because the family is the first economy. Our government must recognize this and create an environment for our families, our small businesses, and our communities to thrive. Senator Santorum believes we are a land of opportunity where all Americans have the chance to rise on their own merits and hard work. Sadly, President Obama has done just the opposite by using class warfare to divide America and limit opportunity for all.

As found @ http://www.ricksantorum.com/defender-taxpayer

Rick Santorum is committed to reviving our economy, restoring economic growth, and creating jobs in America again by unleashing innovation and entrepreneurship through lower and simpler taxes for American businesses, workers, and families. He also will roll back job killing regulations, restrain our spending by living within our means, and unleash our domestic manufacturing and energy potential. His vision for America is to restore America's greatness through promotion of freedom and opportunity for all. This is just the start. A plan made in America to promote America’s families and prosper its businesses.

THE SANTORUM SOLUTION

1.Cut and simplify personal income taxes by cutting the number of tax rates to just two - 10% and 28% and return to Reagan era pro-growth tax rate;
2.Simplify the tax code and reduce middle income taxes by eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT);
3.Simplify the tax code, encourage savings and investment, and reduces taxes by eliminating the Death Tax;
4.Lower the Capital Gains and Dividend tax rates to 12% to spur economic growth and investment;
5.Reduce taxes for families by tripling the personal deduction for each child;
6.Reduce and simplify taxes for families by eliminating marriage tax penalties throughout the federal tax code;
7.Retain deductions for charitable giving, home mortgage interest, healthcare, retirement savings, and children;
8.Eliminate the cap on deductions for losses incurred in the sale of a principal residence;
9.Cut the corporate income tax rate in half to make our businesses competitive around the world, from 35% to 17.5%;
10.Eliminate the corporate income tax for manufacturers to spur middle income job creation in the United States and benefit from the job multiplier effect in manufacturing;
11.Increase the Research & Development Tax Credit from 14% to 20% and make it permanent to spur on innovation in America;
12.Eliminate the tax on repatriated taxable corporate income invested for manufacturers equipment investment, 5.25% corporate tax rate on other repatriated income invested in the USA, and 100% expensing for new business equipment;

During his time in public office, Senator Santorum was a strong advocate for a family and small business-friendly tax code, serving as the point man to pass the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 that revitalized our economy after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. For his work on reducing the tax burden on all Americans, Senator Santorum has received praise from groups ranging from the Club for Growth to Americans for Tax Reform and the National Federation of Independent Business.

Interesting tax plan. This would require cutting government spending and special programs considerably.

[Aquila]

Lots of good information on Rick Santorum's legislative agenda:

http://www.ricksantorum.com/issues

[Aquila]

Rick Santorum on Executive Branch Actions:

Champion of Faith & Families

As a husband and father, Rick Santorum knows the importance of protecting and providing for your family. He believes that at the core of the American experience is the family, and that without strong families, we cannot have a strong and vibrant nation. Senator Santorum believes that at its core, America is a moral enterprise, but that foundation is quickly eroding. As President, Rick Santorum commits to rebuild that foundation and lead the way on restoring traditional American values

Executive Orders, Rulemaking and other Executive Branch Actions
•Repeal Clinton-era Title X family planning regulations, and will direct HHS to restore the separation of Title X family planning from abortion practices and restore a ban on referrals for abortion
•Reinstitute the Mexico City Policy to stop tax-payer funding or promotion of abortion overseas
•Ban federal funding for embryonic stem cell research
•Restore conscience clause protections for health care workers
•Defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court
•Ban military chaplains from performing same sex marriage ceremonies on military bases or other Federal properties
•Repeal Obamacare mandate for contraceptive services in healthcare plans
•Re-direct funds within HHS so it can create a public/private partnership with state &local communities, not-for-profit organizations, and faith-based organizations for the purpose of strengthening marriages, families, and fatherhood
•Veto any bill or budget that funds abortion or funds any organization that performs abortions including Planned Parenthood

Congressional Directives

•Call on Congress to abolish the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
•Advocate for a Personhood Amendment to the Constitution
•Call on Congress to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
•Advocate for a Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution
•Call on Congress to reinstitute Don't Ask/Don't Tell
•Call on Congress to pass the Workplace Religious Freedom Act
•Call on Congress to reinstitute 2008-level funding for the Community Based Abstinence Education program
•Advocate for a federal law permitting schools to allow prayer at graduations, football games and other school functions

During his time in elected office, Rick Santorum was the national leader for the preservation of the traditional American family and for the protection of the most vulnerable in our society. Rick led the fight to preserve the traditional family and American values:

•Banned Partial-Birth Abortions
•Authored the original Federal Marriage Amendment
•Wrote and passed the "Born Alive Infant Protection Act" and the "Unborn Victims of Violence" Act
•Led the fight for longer sentences for child predators
•Named by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential evangelical leaders

Very interesting.

As found @ http://www.ricksantorum.com/issues

[Pressing-On]

I like Santorum more than any candidate right now (although Romney made me start to like Gingrich), but I'm afraid he is going to get into some trouble with his - going to be perceived as - anti-feminist and extreme comments.

On women in the workforce:

“The radical feminists succeeded in undermining the traditional family and convincing women that professional accomplishments are the key to happiness.”

On women in the military:

“I think that could be a very compromising situation, where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interest of the mission, because of other types of emotions that are involved.”

On homosexuality:

Saying he doesn't have a problem with homosexuals, he just has a problem with "homosexual acts".

On contraception:

“not okay” because it gives people “a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”

The Left is going to eat him up, I'm afraid.

[Twisp]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

I like Santorum more than any candidate right now (although Romney made me start to like Gingrich), but I'm afraid he is going to get into some trouble with his - going to be perceived as - anti-feminist and extreme comments.

On women in the workforce:

“The radical feminists succeeded in undermining the traditional family and convincing women that professional accomplishments are the key to happiness.”

On women in the military:

“I think that could be a very compromising situation, where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interest of the mission, because of other types of emotions that are involved.”

On homosexuality:

Saying he doesn't have a problem with homosexuals, he just has a problem with "homosexual acts".

On contraception:

“not okay” because it gives people “a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”

The Left is going to eat him up, I'm afraid.

Yeah, you are right. If you check out polls/statistics nationwide, those views are pretty out of the mainstream now. If he wins the nomination, any or all of those stances are going to hinder him greatly in the Presidential race.

His stance on contraceptive is the craziest one to me.