Rick Santorum

Richard John Santorum (born May 10 1958), commonly known as Rick Santorum, is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990 from a suburban Pittsburgh district and to the U.S. Senate in 1994. Santorum is a Republican who currently is chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the number three job in the party leadership of the Senate. In recent years, Santorum's comments and public statements, especially on social issues such as same-sex marriage, have made him a highly controversial figure. He is running for re-election in the November 2006 elections. He announced in 2005 that he would not run for President in the 2008 election.

Controversy

Because of his heavily socially conservative and outspoken views, Santorum has attracted a large amount of controversy and criticism, primarily directed at his positions on same-sex marriage, homosexuality, and abortion. His views on social and cultural issues are presented in his 2005 book, It Takes a Family, published by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute of Wilmington, Delaware.

Related Topics:
Socially conservative - Same-sex marriage - Homosexuality - Abortion - Intercollegiate Studies Institute - Wilmington - Delaware

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Remarks about homosexuality

Main article: Santorum controversy

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A sizable controversy arose following Santorum's statements about homosexuality in an interview with the Associated Press published April 20, 2003. In response to a question on his position on how to prevent sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests, Santorum described homosexual acts as part of a class of deviant sexual behavior, including incest, polygamy and zoophilia, which he said threaten society and the family. Santorum further stated that he believed consenting adults do not have a Constitutional right to privacy with respect to sexual acts.

Related Topics:
Homosexuality - Associated Press - April 20 - 2003 - Sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests - Incest - Polygamy - Zoophilia - Right to privacy

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Santorum said the priests were engaged in "a basic homosexual relationship" with "post-pubescent men," and went on to say that he had "a problem with homosexual acts," that the right to privacy "doesn't exist in my opinion in the United States Constitution," that "whether it's polygamy, whether it's adultery, whether it's sodomy, all of those things, are antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family," and that sodomy laws properly exist to prevent acts which "undermine the basic tenets of our society and the family." When the Associated Press reporter asked, "OK, without being too gory or graphic, so if somebody is homosexual, you would argue that they should not have sex?", Santorum replied, "In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be."

Related Topics:
Priests - Post-pubescent men - United States Constitution - Adultery - Sodomy - Family - Sodomy laws - Man on child - Man on dog

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Democratic politicians including the 2004 Democratic presidential candidates, gay rights advocates such as Dan Savage (details), and other liberal commentators condemned the statements, while Republican politicians, religious conservatives, and other conservative commentators supported Santorum and called the condemnations unfair. Some critics argued that Santorum's position might also affect heterosexuals, as Santorum said that he did not believe there is a Constitutional right to engage in private consensual sexual acts.

Related Topics:
2004 Democratic presidential candidates - Gay rights - Dan Savage - Details - Heterosexuals

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Santorum did not retract his remarks, stating that they were not intended to equate homosexuality with incest and adultery, but rather as a critique of the specific legal position that the right to privacy prevents the government from regulating consensual acts among adults (such as bigamy, incest, etc.), because he does not believe that there is a Constitutional right to privacy.

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On July 20 2004, while debating the Federal Marriage Amendment, Santorum said "defending marriage" was the "ultimate homeland security."

Related Topics:
July 20 - 2004 - Federal Marriage Amendment

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In July 2005, Santorum's Director of Communication, Robert Traynham, confirmed speculation that he was gay, describing himself as an "out gay man" who strongly supported Santorum, "a man of principle, he is a man who sticks up for what he believes in." Santorum issued this statement: "Robert Traynham ... is widely respected and admired on Capitol Hill, both among the press corps and among the congressional staff, as a communications professional. Not only is Mr. Traynham an exemplary staffer, but he is also a trusted friend confidente to me and my family. Mr. Traynham is a valued member of my staff and I regret that this effort on behalf of people who oppose me has made him a target of bigotry in their eyes. It is entirely unacceptable that my staffs' personal lives are considered fair game by partisans looking for arguments to bolster my opponent's campaign. Mr. Traynham continues to have my full support and confidence as well as my prayers as he navigates this rude and mean spirited invasion of his personal life."

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http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/politics/12144709.htm

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Residency and tuition controversy

In November 2004, a controversy erupted over education costs for Santorum's children. Santorum's legal address is in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. But he lives most of the year at his home in Leesburg, Virginia near Washington, DC. (Leesburg is located about one hour's drive West of Washington, DC, and about 90 minutes' drive South of the Pennsylvania border.) Santorum's five older children received education through the Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School with 80 percent of tuition costs paid by the Penn Hills School District. At a meeting in November 2004, the Penn Hills School District announced that it did not believe Santorum met the qualifications for residency status since he and his family spend most of the year in Virginia. They demanded repayment of tuition costs totaling $100,000.

Related Topics:
Penn Hills, Pennsylvania - Leesburg, Virginia - Washington, DC

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Santorum's supporters claim the controversy is politically-motivated as the school board is controlled by Democrats (Erin Vecchio, the school board member who first publicly raised the issue, is the chair of the local Democratic Party). They also claim that since Santorum votes in Penn Hills and pays property and school taxes there, he is entitled to the same privileges as any other Penn Hills resident. (Critics note that payment of property taxes is not dispositive on the issue of residency, as many people who own real estate in more than one jurisdiction are not residents of, and are not entitled to vote in, both jurisdictions.)

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After the controversy erupted, Santorum said he would make other arrangements for his children's education, but insisted that he did not owe the school board any back tuition. In early 2005, both sides agreed to work out a settlement outside the court system. A state-appointed hearing officer set a deadline of May 9, 2005 for the parties to submit information relating to the case.

Related Topics:
May 9 - 2005

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On July 8, 2005, a Pennsylvania state hearing officer ruled that the Penn Hills School District had not filed objections to Santorum's residency in a timely manner and dismissed the complaint, even though the district had followed the guidelines set by the hearing officer in May. Santorum hailed the ruling as a victory against what he termed "baseless and politically motivated charges," although the hearing officer who dismissed the complaint had not ruled on the merits or motivations of the complaint. Santorum told reporters that "o one's children -— and especially not small, school-age children — should be used as pawns in the 'politics of personal destruction.'" http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05193/536563.stm

Related Topics:
July 8 - 2005

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Comments about the Boston Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal

In 2005, a controversy developed over comments about Boston, Massachusetts Santorum made in a 2002 article about the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. Santorum wrote:

Related Topics:
Boston, Massachusetts - Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal

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"It is startling that those in the media and academia appear most disturbed by this aberrant behavior, since they have zealously promoted moral relativism by sanctioning "private" moral matters such as alternative lifestyles. Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture. When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm. http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=30"

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These comments came to wider attention through an opinion column in the Philadelphia Daily News on June 24, 2005. Columnist John Baer cited Santorum's article and wrote:

Related Topics:
Philadelphia Daily News - June 24 - 2005

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"I'd remind you this is the same Senate leader who recently likened Democrats fighting to save the filibuster to Nazis, who once equated homosexuality with bestiality and who claimed the Catholic priest pedophile scandal in Boston should be no surprise since Boston is 'a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America.'" (see )

Related Topics:
Homosexuality - Bestiality - Liberalism

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Santorum's remarks were criticized, especially in Massachusetts. On July 12, 2005, Boston Globe columnist Brian McGrory called on Santorum to explain his statement, and reported that Robert Traynham, Santorum's Director of Communcations, told him: "It's an open secret that you have Harvard University and MIT that tend to tilt to the left in terms of academic biases. I think that's what the senator was speaking to." Julie Teer, a spokeswoman for Governor of Massachusetts, Republican Mitt Romney, said, "What happened with the church sex abuse scandal was a tragedy, but it had nothing to do with geography or the culture of Boston." (see 15)

Related Topics:
Harvard University - MIT - Mitt Romney - 15

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Later that day Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) delivered a personal rebuke to Santorum on the Senate floor, saying: "The people of Boston are to blame for the clergy sexual abuse? That is an irresponsible, insensitive and inexcusable thing to say." http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/07/14/kennedy_rips_santorum_comments/ Santorum has stood by his 2002 article and has not apologized.

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On July 21, 2005, Rush Limbaugh interviewed Santorum about Kennedy's speech. Santorum said that he was being targeted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which he said coordinated with the media to publicize Kennedy's speech. He argued that his statement about Boston was taken out of context from an article he had written three years earlier. Santorum agreed with Limbaugh's summary that it was "no surprise that the center of the Catholic Church abuse took place in very liberal, or perhaps the nations most liberal area, Boston." Santorum reiterated his broader theme of a cultural connection: "t's ... no surprise that the culture affects people's behavior. ... he liberal culture — the idea that ... sexual inhibitions should be put aside and people should be able to do whatever they want to do, has an impact on people and how they behave." When asked why Boston specifically was mentioned, Santorum pointed out in July 2002, the outrage of American Catholics, and his, was focused on the Archdiocese of Boston. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_072105/content/eibinterview.member.html

Related Topics:
July 21 - 2005 - Rush Limbaugh - Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee - Archdiocese of Boston

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Hurricane Katrina

Santorum remarked to a Pittsburgh TV station WTAE on September 4, 2005 regarding the evacuation warnings given for Hurricane Katrina:

Related Topics:
WTAE - September 4 - 2005 - Hurricane Katrina

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:"I mean people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings ... There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving." http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/12577970.htm He was criticized by his Democratic opponent for the Senate. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050907/ap_on_re_us/katrina_santorum

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During an interview with public-radio station WITF in Harrisburg, PA, on September 8, Santorum said:

Related Topics:
WITF - September 8

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:"the weather service gave no warning, or not sufficient warning in my opinion, as to the effects when it came on land in Florida as a Category One hurricane ... Predictions were that it wasn't going to go out to the gulf and affect the western gulf coast, it was going to sort of head up to Florida or go right off the coast of Florida ... I'm not going to suggest when it comes to Katrina that there were any major errors. I don't know. This is something that I think needs to be investigated." http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/local/12604840.htmhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/09/AR2005090901930.html

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Senator Jim DeMint (R.,S.C.) issued a press release stating "After reviewing the actions taken by the National Weather Service, I am convinced that this was one of the most accurate hurricane predictions we have ever seen." http://demint.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=282

Related Topics:
Jim DeMint - R. - S.C.

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Santorum is the sponsor of legislation proposed to prevent the National Weather Service from competing with private sector weather services and discussed above.

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