Just when I start to think that I can overlook his over the top Social Conservatism. Just when I start to think that maybe he has realized that government needs to stay OUT of American’s sex lives, he goes THERE!
I don’t care if it’s in the Bible, I don’t care if you can point to all sorts of studies showing how it leads to bad economic outcomes or even health problems. People will not vote for Rick Santorum once they see things like this:
(Warning DKos link)
One of the things I will talk about that no president has talked about before is I think the dangers of contraception in this country, the whole sexual libertine idea … Many in the Christian faith have said, “Well, that’s okay … contraception’s okay.”
It’s not okay because it’s a license to do things in the sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. They’re supposed to be within marriage, for purposes that are, yes, conjugal … but also procreative. That’s the perfect way that a sexual union should happen. We take any part of that out, we diminish the act. And if you can take one part out that’s not for purposes of procreation, that’s not one of the reasons, then you diminish this very special bond between men and women, so why can’t you take other parts of that out? And all of a sudden, it becomes deconstructed to the point where it’s simply pleasure. And that’s certainly a part of it—and it’s an important part of it, don’t get me wrong—but there’s a lot of things we do for pleasure, and this is special, and it needs to be seen as special.
Again, I know most presidents don’t talk about those things, and maybe people don’t want us to talk about those things, but I think it’s important that you are who you are. I’m not running for preacher. I’m not running for pastor, but these are important public policy issues.
Drew seems to agree with me, or maybe I agree with him, anyway, great minds agree that Santorum will lose to Obama if he keeps that up.
Also, one more point that folks like Santorum overlook. What if someone IS married, but in their forties, and simply feels like they are too old to have kids? Should they NOT use contraception? Not have sex? Is THAT sex somehow, “diminished”? Good grief Santorum!
darcprynce
Dave C
Gatordoug
Good grief – that guy is a freaking maroon!
Doug, I don’t know the context of the remarks — was it a religious venue? What was the question he was answering? The video is no longer available.
Anyway, it’s a pretty good summary of the Catholic Church’s teaching on sexual morality. Unitive and procreative — it’s all in Humanae Vitae. Ed Morrissey touched on this in a post today: http://hotair.com/archives/2012/02/13/video-archbishop-cardinal-wuerl-denounces-contraception-accommodation-on-americas-newsroom/
“Given the pope’s prescience, perhaps now would be a good time for Catholics to review the “why” of the Church’s seemingly archaic prohibition of the pill and other artificial forms of contraception — not solely out of a sense of obedience to the magisterium, but also out of a desire to reclaim for themselves their freedom and to proclaim their dignity by self-discipline. Contrary to popular perception, Rome doesn’t ban contraception out of a primitive desire to keep women barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. The Church seeks instead to affirm the fullness of the meaning of marriage. It’s a teaching worth exploring even just as a matter of cultural literacy — and there’s no better place to start than Humanae Vitae itself.”
Traditional Catholics have certainly wrestled with questions like the one you ask at the end of your post, and much has been written about the importance of a couple being open to life, natural family planning, etc. But these aren’t Santorum’s own ideas — they are exactly the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Hey Jill, I do not know where they were made either. I am not catholic, but, I have absolutely no problem with that view. IF, people abide by it, for themselves. For a President to say these things, to me, over steps his place frankly.
Like I said, if that is his personal belief, more power to him, but that is personal. Again, his remarks were, to me, un-presidential. Not to mention foolish politically. For me, being a Conservative means getting the government out of our lives, that includes our sex lives.
Or look at it this way, if we are aghast at the government mandating that Catholic churches pay for contraception, and i certainly am, then we ought to be aghast that the government would stick its nose in our sex lives.
Thanks for the comment
I don’t interpret Santorum’s words as advocating that the govt stick its nose in people’s sex lives (though the govt’s push for sex ed, free contraceptives, etc., certainly does just that, nudging the culture even further away from Judeo-Christian values).
There’s no clear antecedent for the word “these” when he says “These are important public policy issues.” I imagine he’s referring to the nanny state’s usurpation of family functions through entitlements, govt’s encroachment into our lives through the schools, through Obamacare, etc. It all makes the family smaller and weaker.
Don’t you think Santorum has a point when he observes that the breakdown of the family is connected to the sexual revolution which was made possible by the rise of the Pill?
But talking about our cultural decline is quite different from legislating against condoms or something. Only an idiot would believe that anyone is advocating that. Note that Kos is putting forth that big lie. I think he’s playing on anti-Catholic bigotry — don’t trust the Catholic candidate because he’ll force his beliefs on the rest of us.
JFK promised to leave his religion (for what that was worth!) at the door when he ran for president, to allay people’s fears of a theocracy or something. Santorum, a real Catholic, is being honest about his beliefs.
Oh, I think he makes some good points. I want the government OUT of that part of our lives. And that certainly includes all the intrusions from the Left. I think we would agree that the Left has declared war on EVERY single thing that is traditional in America, the family and marriage included.
The fact is these matters are best left to individuals or families. The government should not ban, nor pay for contraception. Abortion, of course is different, it is not contraception, it is a gross violation of most basic of human rights
Santorum is a loser as a candidate… Obama would cream him.
Why do you think the Left/MSM is so quiet about him?
Because they like his platform any more than Gingrich’s? lol
Best case scenario for the Obama campaign is if we nominate Santorum.
And I’m Catholic but Santorum needs to stick to the economy and foreign policy, the social conservative bit won’t be winning him many moderates anywhere.
But what else to expect from a guy who got trounced by 19 pts last time out. I actually don’t think he even knows what he’s doing and is around at this point because nobody bothered to attack him while Newt was being thrown to the bears, sharks, and wolves on a daily basis.
Hey Doug — did you see this? The whole plan is to start a narrative that the GOP candidates want to ban contraceptives. The grossly ignorant will believe it.
http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/contraception-obamas-real-motivation-dick-morris-tv-lunch-alert/
Yep, the Left will say anything, including digging that “the GOP wants to ban birth control” lie up. Saw this coming after that one debate where so many questions were about this non-issue.