SANTORUM: STOP THE POLITICAL PANDERING

Rick Santorum speaking at a town hall meeting in Lady Lake, Florida on Monday.

At one of Rick Santorum’s town hall meetings held in Lady Lake, Florida on Monday, a woman stood up and asked him this question: “I never refer to Obama as President Obama because legally he is not. [Applause] And well he constantly says that our Constitution is passé and he totally ignores it as you know. He is an avowed Muslim and my question is: why isn’t something being done to get him out of our government? He has no legal right to be calling himself president.” In return, Santorum answered: “I am doing my best to try to get him out of the government.”

When asked by NBC political embed Andrew Rafferty why he did not use his platform to correct the lady, with such a disgusting attitude, Santorum responded: “Why do you guys ask these ‘gotcha’ questions like it’s my job to go out and correct everybody who says something I don’t agree with? I don’t think it’s my responsibility. Why don’t you go out and correct her? It’s not my responsibility as a candidate to correct everybody who makes a statement I disagree with.”

I am not really bothered by the woman’s question, though, because obviously she is confused; that’s her right to ask such question. However, you have a candidate, who knows (I am assuming now) the truth about President Obama’s faith, who knows damn well that he is not a Muslim, yet is not using his leadership attribute to refute the question and make an on-the-spot correction. That’s troubling. And he said it is not his responsibility to correct the lady? Whose town hall meeting was it? Keep reading to see what John McCain did a few years back when he was asked the same question.

In 2008, during the general election campaign, I remember vividly just like it was yesterday that Candidate John McCain was asked this similar question while he was on the trail in Minnesota; before the White lady who stood up to ask him the question could even finish, he stopped and corrected her on the spot. By doing so, he acted like a leader in charge and stood for what was right.

So basically, if Santorum failed to correct the misinformation from the lady, isn’t it fair to argue that he too strongly believes that President Obama is, indeed, a Muslim? I think it is. Well, Mr. Santorum, for your information, the actual president of the United States, President Barack Hussein Obama, is a Christian; he is not a Muslim. I know you know it, so please stop the political pandering.

The difference between John McCain and Rick Santorum is that John McCain is a leader, Santorum is not. Leaders don’t do what is popular to score political points; they do what is right even when it is not popular. So America, is this the guy you want to be your next president, someone who cannot assume his responsibility and does not have the courage to stand for what is right? If so, frankly, you need to think again.