Framing Rick Santorum
They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
But in politics, it’s the picture frame that makes all the difference in the world.
The secular media hounds (as well as GOP rivals) have framed Rick Santorum as a THEOCRAT! — and they’ll say and do anything to lock him in. He’s a God nut! A GOP mullah! He’s coming after your birth control! He “plays” with dead babies! He’s obliterating the wall between church and state! Run for your lives!
While the headlines trumpet Santorum’s 2008 remarks about Satan (gasp! a man who believes in God also believes in the devil! shocker!) and stir up anti-religious bigotry, Santorum has been zeroing in on the White House messiah’s destructive government policies.
Santorum recently delivered a scathing, detailed speech on government health insurance mandates that received scant national attention:
Santorum, who has touted free market health principles like health savings accounts as an alternative to the Affordable Care Act, defended insurance industry practices the law eliminates, like setting premiums based on people’s health status.
Santorum’s point: Every time you add consumer protections — even the popular stuff — you make the health insurance more expensive.
In a speech that tied Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts health plan to the federal health care reform law, Santorum also blasted Massachusetts and the federal law for eliminating lifetime and annual caps on health insurance coverage, something that will effectively end bare-bones insurance plans known as “mini-meds.” While consumer advocates have questioned the value of these plans, Santorum said doing away with them will boost insurance costs.
“Under Obama and Romney, they eliminate annual caps and therefore everybody’s insurance rate goes up,” Santorum said.
Santorum argued that consumers should take responsibility for preventive benefits, while the federal health care reform law eliminates cost-sharing for some. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll found that 53 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Independents favored the health care reform provision. However, Santorum made the point that auto insurance doesn’t cover basic car maintenance.“How much more would you pay for your [car] insurance” if it covered oil changes and new tires, Santorum asked.
“If you have an accident, that’s what auto insurance is for,” he continued. “You have an accident and you have a cost you may not be able to pay.”
Santorum also blasted the health care reform law’s “guaranteed issue” provision, which bans health insurance companies from denying coverage to people with health problems. Santorum said the law’s penalty for not purchasing insurance isn’t strong enough to encourage young adults to buy it, meaning they’ll wait until they’re sick to actually seek coverage.“That’s something that everybody thinks is so popular,” he said. “But it also leads to enormous cost.”
While the liberal media plays up Santorum’s “social conservatism,” he reiterated his core opposition to the bipartisan federal auto bailout in Michigan:
Rick Santorum stood by his opposition to the auto industry bailouts Thursday as he made a pitch to Michigan voters at the Detroit Economic Club.
“If we had just stayed out of it completely and let the market work, I believe the market would’ve worked,” Santorum said, adding that if the industry had just been left alone, it would’ve been “alive, and I believe, better.”
Santorum also drew a contrast with rival Mitt Romney, who he said opposed the auto bailouts while supporting the rescue of Wall Street.
“My feeling was that the government should not be in support of bailouts, period,” Santorum said.
The GOP presidential hopeful said President George W. Bush and President Obama set the “wrong precedent” with the bailouts of Chrysler and General Motors, decisions that he said would have negative “long-term consequences” for the country.
And as my column pointed out today, Santorum has been hitting the Democrats’ anti-science green cult hard on everything from Keystone to fracking and oil exploration. Along with Obamacare, this is a key policy issue where Santorum’s record rises above the Romney/Gingrich troublesome flirtations with eco-nitwittery.
This, not the hyperventilating of Beltway bigots, is resonating with voters in the heartland:
Although Obama has disappointed many in the environmental movement, and has expressed support for the controversial practice of hydraulic “fracking” for oil in shale rock, Santorum has been going after him in recent days for being a “radical environmentalist,” especially over the president’s decision to postpone approval of the Keystone Pipeline from Canada.
Two days ago, Santorum was quoted as saying that Obama adheres to “some phony theology,” remarks that were interpreted by some as an attack on the president’s faith. Santorum has since explained that he was referring to Obama’s views on the environment, which, he said, put more importance on the earth than on humanity.
He repeated that Monday, and criticized the Obama administration for recently imposing new environmental regulations on coal-fired power plants, causing some to close. He said the administration’s actions were based on “phony studies” and “a lack of scientific evidence.” He added: “I refer to global warming as not climate science, but political science.”
That line brought lusty cheers from the crowd, packed into a large banquet hall in a downtown restaurant.
Among them was Linda Kessler, a 62-year-old retired bus driver who recently signed an oil and gas lease to allow fracking on her family’s land. She said she could never vote for Obama, in part because of his energy policies. Of Santorum, she said, “He’s the one I like so far.”
Look for the liberal CNN debate “moderators” tonight to force their frame around Santorum.
And look for Santorum to cheerfully cast off their narrow-minded narrative and do the same thing he’s done successfully to challenge Mitt Romney’s front-runner status:
Offer no apology for his social conservatism, while sticking to his core fiscal conservative attacks on the Obama White House:
Rick Santorum offered no apologies Tuesday for a controversial speech he gave in 2008 when he talked about the threat of Satan in America.
“I’m a person of faith. I believe in good and evil,” Santorum said in response to questions from CNN.
…”If they want to go ahead and dig up old speeches to a religious group they can go right ahead and do so. I’m going to stay on message. I’m going to talk about the things Americans want to talk about,” Santorum said to CNN.
When pressed further if he believed Satan was attacking America, as he said in his 2008 speech, Santorum insisted the subject is not on the minds of voters.
“Guys these are questions that are not relevant to what’s being discussed in America today,” Santorum said.
“What we’re talking about in America today is trying to get America growing. That’s what my speeches are about. That’s we’re going to talk about in this campaign,” he added.
With Santorum now leading several national polls and moving within striking distance of two game-changing victories in next week’s Arizona and Michigan primaries, the rising GOP contender has seen his recent speeches subjected to increased scrutiny.
In a speech to a small crowd of supporters in Phoenix Tuesday evening, Santorum said he can handle the pressure.
“I’ll defend everything I say,” Santorum said.
Frame off. Game on.
See what others have said
Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
 |
Obama’s latest campaign angle: I’ve been saving America from wild Republican debts
May 24, 2012 04:33 PM by Doug Powers
55 Comments
Biden: Tea Party stopped us from growing the economy
May 23, 2012 01:55 PM by Doug Powers
44 Comments
Catholic lawsuit against Obamacare mandate cites 1993 legislation written by Ted Kennedy and Chuck Schumer
May 22, 2012 04:35 PM by Doug Powers
48 Comments
A 2012 campaign must-read: The conservative survival guide to Mitt Romney
May 21, 2012 10:23 AM by Michelle Malkin
159 Comments
Biden: Hey, I don’t blame people for voting for a convicted felon instead of my boss
May 18, 2012 01:21 PM by Doug Powers
73 Comments
Elizabeth Warren touted Cherokee heritage in 1984 collection of recipes
May 17, 2012 10:26 AM by Doug Powers
124 Comments
Categories: 2012 Campaign
JustOneMinute
» Patterico And The Brett Kimberlin GangBabalu Blog
» U.S. Manned Space Flight in The 21st CenturyVillainous Company
» Must Read Post of the Day. Possibly, the Year
I appreciate your consistency. That’s a rare thing to find on this site.
On February 23, 2012 at 08:36 am, Ota Benga repeated:
…and looked like a foolish leftist in doing so.
We lie about voting yet what the left does in destroying conservative candidates is truth to power?
Got it.
While ratings for the above are pretty good, how do they compare with the entirety of the rest of the media?
I’ve long suspected that it stems from the way that they process information. Not intended as humor nor as an insult, but Liberals tend to come to conclusions based upon emotions rather than logic and reason.
On February 23, 2012 at 08:42 am, Ota Benga said:
Getting a little emotional there aren’t you?
On February 23, 2012 at 08:43 am, Ota Benga said:
Ota Benga = Tin Man before visiting the wizard.
On February 23rd, 2012 at 10:36 am, Ota Benga said:
And the left “fears” Santorum, like we “feared” that extremist loon, Sarah Palin.” Who is we?
Christine O’Donnell dominated leftwing news during the 2010 election. How much did we “fear” that incompetent loon? There was no “fear”. The left tends to adore leftwing extremist idiots like George Soros and community organizers like the left wing community organizer -Dear Leader.
“You, me, and your “God”
Yes, My god so pack it where the sun don’t shine Snapperhead – and
“Take back the Night” remember — march, scream, rail and relive the good old days
On February 23, 2012 at 09:09 am, Ota Benga said:
What do you care? Your favored little commie won.
There are facts Oto. The fact that no one in the MSM asked Obama what he meant by “fundamentally transforming”. No one asked him about “skyrocketing” prices of energy.
No one in the MSM asked Obama exactly what do you mean by “spread the wealth around”?
Moderates and Indepentents should have been “turned off” by Obama.
I’m cool. Keep on talking about me. I’ll just stick with the facts. I see you’re out of topical ammo, Republicanvet. Figures. I don’t have the time on inclination to spend this particular afternoon exchanging insults with you or anyone else. I’m 37 years old and busy. Have fun with all of that.
The “rest of the media” is a vague term, and your premise seems to be that the “rest of the media” has some ability to have mind control over the American masses, like some science fiction movie. In the very real world, Americans are free to watch any channel they want, listen to any radio station they want, and visit any site that they want.
Americans had free mind and free will to look at the information, and read and watch what Sarah Palin had to offer. In this very real world, Moderate Independents–the ones’s you need to win the White House–still rejected Sarah Palin. You seem to hold Sarah Palin blameless, and that’s simply unfortunate. I seem to have a higher opinion of the free thinking independent electorate than you do.
But apparently they weren’t, to the point of costing him the election. “Should” is irrelevant. I “should” have been a rock star. I’m sticking with facts and reality.
Back on topic: Santorum = Palin. Nominate him at your own peril.
This is gonna get repetitive. I’ve clearly made my point. School yard taunts and games don’t interest me today. Maybe I’ll have some drinks over this weekend, and trade a bunch of insults, when I’m feeling frisky and have free time to waste.
Late.
On February 23, 2012 at 09:25 am, Ota Benga said:
You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
I chose not to respond in more detail because it would be such a waste of time on someone so ignorant and emotional rather than rational and clear thinking.
At your age, you should know better.
On February 23, 2012 at 09:32 am, Ota Benga said:
Ooooh what fun! Does mommy make the Kool Aid strong?
Yeah right my point was that it wasn’t played up by the media, Oto, but you know that.
You’re ignoring the facts.
Another fact is that Obama didn’t show up at his Court date. Nothing in the MSM or just about anywhere about that.
The “real world”
“taunts and games” like you’ve been doing. What a joke.
On February 23rd, 2012 at 11:32 am, Ota Benga said:
“Frisky” ?? I bet that was mouthed with a self indulgent smirk —
Explain why the Contraceptive question last night in Mesa met with such derision from the audience.
Santorum = Palin – How?
Nominate him at your own peril? Who the hell are you to give or not give permission to nominate anyone.
Who are you shilling for?
Since Ota Benga is so knowledgable, perhaps he can tell us who signed the directive authorizing Fast and Furious? In the excutive Branch Directives are signed virtually every day. They are a common thing.
When new EPA standards are issued, when new Department of Education edicts are issued we all know instantly who signed off on them. We certainly know when HHS announcing a new OBTW regarding Obamacare.
So Ota this should be a slam dunk for you. Do tell us. It only got 250 people killed and gave the cartels enough weapons to equip a light infantry brigade. Ain’t no thing. Should be easy.
But hey, I am sure you approve of F&F since it it your team that is involved.
#210 On February 23rd, 2012 at 11:25 am, Ota Benga said:
Your mother driving you down to the blood bank so you can sell a pint?
Uh oh, I’m predicting a run on Jergen’s lotion and WetWipes at a local 7-11 soon!
Hiraghm…I totally missed the point of your post and kind of skimmed it! I missed a very important “announcement”!!!! There is a new name written down in glory, and it’s yours (to paraphrase a song)! God bless you and give you the peace that passes all understanding.
I just finished reading all the comments. Ota Been Gay also doesn’t seem to mind that Obama was never VETTED! He got a pass on his BC, his college transcripts, his past life. Obama would never have even been given a pass to visit the WH, let alone LIVE there, with the coverup of everything from his past. The hundreds of legitimate questions about him have gone unanswered…yet he might even be re-elected!!! How many brain dead are out there? Apparently, Been Gay is one of those brainwashed zombies who have no normal curiosity about who the he!! Obama REALLY is!! Well, happyscrapper wants and NEEDS to know!! Will someone please find out?????????
***
HI FLYOVERMAN–#216. I think that far more than 250 people have been killed in Mexico by the gunwalked Fast and Furious arms. I think the total is near 2000 guns, and the Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico murder rate is dozens per week. Not to mention the killings in the rest of big Chihuahua state and in the rest of Mexico.
***
Photos and videos of the captured cartels armament is truly impressive. Many tons of guns, bullets, RPG’s, mortars, grenades, mines, explosives, and other real military equipment that can not be bought at a gun shop. Lots of these arms came from the Mexican military, foreign suppliers, or military sales by the U.S. Government to the Mexican Army.
***
At the rate the murders are occurring they will exceed the Vietnam War totals in another year or two. One of the car dealers we had an appointment with a few days ago didn’t make it. He lives in Juarez–a number of his neighbors were murdered by gunmen–innocent people. He was at their funeral and he and his wife were taking care of the newly orphaned children.
***
John Bibb
***
***
HI OTA_BENGA–#188–and others. Governor Sarah Palin has a real track record over the last 15+ years in Alaska. She made far better financial decisions for the people of her state than any of the other candidates did. And she put corrupt politicians of both parties in jail when the corruption could be proved.
***
Comrade Obama has failed miserably in His (lack of!) economic performance. And in His gutting of Social Security, Medicare, and our Military power. These faults will really hit home in 2013–if the chickens don’t come home sooner when the Israelis have to destroy the Iranian nuclear bomb factories.
***
Good conservatives do not have any race based dislike of President Obama. Our valid concerns are based on his track record. It’s not the Black in him that disturbs us–it’s the RED in him!
***
And if you like the last 3 years of Comrade Obama work on our economy and society–you will love the next 5 years even more if he wins! Like the people in Cuba, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe love their new poverty status. Really great for the ruling class–pretty sucky for the peons. It’s good to be the King!
***
John Bibb
***
I’m stealing that!
Thanks!
But, but the Media said she was stupid and extreme, so that’s “reality”!
Ota never did admit that Sara Palin is not an idiot, did he/she?
The Koolaid is strong in this one.
Just like they continually quote her as saying, “I can see Russia from my house” even though it was that ditz on SNL who said it!
I was thinking something quite a bit stronger…
Now you’re just playing the “victim” card, and probably “projecting” too, you “liar”.
Don’t waste your breath. The trolls show up to talk about elections, not policy or consequences. Under Obama gas went from $1.82 to $4.35 and they mention Palin. Obama doubled the debt – twice the amount of total debt from 1776 until 2008, and they talk about McCain.
Rush just said that Obama was heard saying, “I was hoping the American People would have had more time to get used to the high gas prices. It is too bad they went up so fast”. Or something like that.
In other words, this is what he wants, and the high prices will be permanent like Europe, but he doesn’t want the frogs to feel the heat until after the election.
Ota Benga:
Obama = Sarah Palin without the package. Or the beauty and the brains.
I find it very difficult to carry on a discussion with most liberals. Some have suggested that I not start the conversation by saying “you can’t really believe that you ignorant f#*^k”.
huh.
Mention Santorum/religion and the trolls come out so fast you’d think it was 2008 & Sarah Palin was the talk of the blogs…oh wait.
Answer to jsmiddleton question of yesterday: Denominational lanuage is not OK because the civic struggle is always “whose values do we use?” If a person wants to live his life according to his faith, great. But if he wants to represent many kinds of people, his statements are too narrow. For example, abortifacients are considered wrong by most people, but birth control is not. And before you tell me Sanctorum is not trying to eliminate birth control, fine, then Sactorum’s quotes about it are a boring moral lecture at best and a denominational sermon at worst. Not wise considering the stakes. Meanwhile, the economy is circling the drain.
I hope you still will when they turn on Obama.
I’m not so sure how much they helped him in 08 even. It was the record Black and youth turn-out that helped Obama, and it’s quite clear to me that they were disappointed they didn’t win by more. I think they thought they’d get closer to 500 electoral votes, but only got 330.
Sarah Palin is more conservative than Rick Santorum. Santorum had to balance his views on labor, which helped him win 60% of the votes in a district that had 3 democrats to 1 republican.
Also, Rick has experience beating democrat incumbents. That’s not really an issue in a state like Alaska where the people get it.
But, thankfully, the rest of the country is waking up which is why Maine, Minnesota Wisconsin and Michigan are up for grabs. Count New Hampshire and Iowa in, as well as NC and Indiana and Virgina and Florida.
(laughs)
Just make sure that Obama and Biden are on the ticket and we’ll handle the rest.
I am just itching to see Rick Santorum take on Barack H. Obama.
Indeed, it is repetitive, Ota. You come on here acting as though you are more educated and mature than everyone else, and then drop some hint that the only reason you are on here is because you have too much time or too little time and just when you start to lose the arguments, you leave.
Just like with your precious liberalism, I’ve seen all this before.
There is no one more obnoxious that a pseudo-intellectual with a spell checker.
Just got the following in an email from the Santorum camp:
Comparing ratings doesn’t even begin to cover it. What does the troll think would be playing in the background in the typical waiting room? Hint: it won’t be Fox (the lefties would have a fit), and it certainly won’t be the “big ole’ internet”.
Alternative media sources are for those who pay enough attention to what’s going on to want to seek them out. For everyone else (about 75% of the population at least), there’s the MSM and Hollywood.
Maybe she is. maybe. She ran with McCain, she supported McCain’s campaign for re-election, she snuggled up to a far left extremist hag named Ferraro and sang her praises.
All I know for sure is that Palin is a politician and she talks the conservative talk. Waiting to see her walk the conservative walk.
Old Bengay’s Palin/Santorum remarks brings me to this.
Palin in 2008 was an existential threat to Obama and the left. This is why the LSM/Hollyweird vilified her then and continue to do so today.
Let’s assume Old Bengay’s premise that the moderates and independents fled from Palin as this parasite claims.
Why would Hollyweird release a movie “Game Changer” that is a hit job on Palin at this time? After all she isn’t running and according to this leftist, the majority and the left despise her, so what kind of ratings/sales would that elicit? At best, it swells the hatred Old Bengay’s and drones, the minority, like him harbor.
This tells me, Santorum is an existential threat to Obama in 2012.
After all, we know the left will always tell us who they fear.
Well, Santorum does not equal Palin (she’s better looking, for one thing – ha ha). I mostly agree with Palin, and like her personally, but I’m also getting tired of her – she’s not going to be running, so we need to move on.
It mystified me why Palin said before SC that she’d vote for Newt. That’s the kind of flaky thing she’s prone to say. It made her seem like a Newt supporter, though I don’t think that’s what she meant.
She and Santorum are both Christian Conservatives, though she is a Protestant/Fundamentalist and of course Santorum is Catholic. Both are very Pro-Life. I think they are both fiscal Conservatives, and pro-national defense.
Palin should endorse Santorum now, before the Michigan/Arizona primaries. Maybe she wants to be a “king-maker” at the convention. There’s a lot I don’t understand about her. But she should put national/GOP goals above her own personal aspirations, and endorse Santorum now.
Still a few days away, but Rasmussen has Romney leading Santorum by 6% in Michigan. Bummer…
Maybe she is. Maybe she disagrees with you and really does think Gingrich is the better choice.
Remember, it’s not solely about positions. It’s also about abilities, particularly the ability to argue your case to voters convincingly. Gingrich quite arguably has Santorum beat it that latter category.
Blackstone, you may be correct, but I highly doubt Newt is more of a Tea Party person than Santorum. Maybe Palin likes Gingrich because he’s as inconsistent as she is, likewise mostly just looking for attention.
To illustrate more what I was referring to in my #241 post about the media continuing the vilification of Sarah Palin.
Palin said her divorce was ‘when,’ not ‘if’
Palin’s conservative message and popularity is an existential threat to Obumblears and the rest of the leftist parasites. They will not stop.
Santorum 2012!!!
Purely in terms of ideology, perhaps not. But in terms of effectiveness at actually getting the Tea Party’s goals enacted and getting them to stick, he might very well be.
Don’t mean to beat a dead horse here, but Newt is pretty much out of the picture, as is Ron Paul. Newt is still in to defeat Romney, and Paul is still in to help Romney (by opposing Santorum).
I really don’t care about Newt’s “effectiveness” at anything. I just want to defeat Obama, and I think Santorum is our best bet.
It’s between Santorum and Romney now (though of course I could be wrong).
Godspeed, Mr. Santorum.
Even his effectiveness at convincing voters? That’s kind of a useful asset in defeating Obama.
Anyway, Newt’s been down before, and has sprung back. And McCain was all but written off before he resurged and became the nominee. I’m not so sure it’s over yet.
@Blackstone – agreed
It’s not over with yet. In order to save the country we love we’ll have to do more than throw Obama & associates out, we have to rid the government of all of the ruling class criminals that support his agendas. Yes, that very much includes Republicans, certainly the entrenched coconspirators.