Q & A: Rick Santorum on Muslims, Religious Freedom, and ‘Walking’ for President
As he tests the waters by visiting the early battleground states, Rick Santorum appears eager to take a plunge into the 2012 presidential race. The former Pennsylvania senator, whose Fox News contract was suspended pending his decision on a presidential run, announced last week that he would participate in the first presidential debate on May 5 in Greenville, South Carolina. The chairman of the political action committee America's Foundation was on his way to Le Mars, Iowa, the self-described ice cream capital of the world, when he spoke with CT about Muslims in America, being targeted by gay activists, and why he gives President Obama credit on one issue.
If you ran for President, how would you distinguish yourself from other candidates?
I had the courage and the conviction to stand up, particularly to a lot of the multicultural issues that folks tend to shy away from. You pay a price when you stand up and fight the abortion culture and the gay community, and the media tries to paint you as a fringe character when you fight on these issues. The family needs a voice, the unborn need a voice, those who are going to be victims of healthcare need a voice, and those who are disabled need a voice. I was always the one to take a bullet to get something done that I thought was important for the moral future of our country.
How much do you think Christians should consider a candidate's faith when deciding whether to vote for them or not?
Voters should consider the candidate's moral framework and what they believe about right and wrong. Obviously your faith has a role in that, in constructing your moral view and your worldview, your ethical code. As far as theological tenets goes, those don't necessarily affect the public discourse. It's important to understand and know the tenets and teaching of the faith with respect to how people live their lives. That's why, for example, if someone were a Muslim [who] believes that women should live by Shari'ah law, that's helpful in knowing how they would approach their job and what they would like to see the laws of this land look like.
Rep. King recently held hearings to investigate Shari'ah law and radical Islam. Do you have similar concerns?
Look. We have ignored the reality that we're in an ideological battle. This is a battle of the world of ideas, a war of ideas, not just a war against people who use terrorism. These are jihadists. They are religiously motivated. If we don't explore that world and understand what they think and why they think, we're not going to be able to confront it and defeat it. We're not going to be able to persuade those who have a sympathetic ear toward it that this is a dangerous thing that is not compatible with our country and our culture.
Do you have any concern that the hearings could unfairly lump Muslims together?
I assume Muslims come to this country because they want to live in America. I suspect that they would be as much opposed to folks who want to come here and impose Shari'ah law as anybody else. They would be as interested in folks who want to distort the faith that they adhere to as much as—if not more than—other Americans. I wouldn't think that they would be concerned about it.
What do you think is the most pressing issue for the nation at this point?
If we don't appeal Obamacare, then I believe America as we know it is gone. The government will have the grand pipeline into your wallet, will have influence and control over your lives, will be able to take away your economic freedom, and you will be dependent upon government for your very survival. There are moral issues with respect to how we'll treat people on the margins of life when we talk about abortion, about euthanasia, [about] money and rationing care. So there are all sorts of reasons—economic, political, and moral—that Obamacare must absolutely be repealed.
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JK P
@Mark Miwerds I don't know if you were trying to be funny or sound intelligent but I think you're mistaken when you consider those who are opposed to capitalistic, money-worshiping, individualistic Republicans to be "liberal" Christians. The Republican Party may be right on abortion and gays but that doesn't make up for the fact that it is wrong and unbiblical on so many other issues. In fact, if you were to give non-American, Bible-believing, very conservative Christians the chance to vote. They would be more appalled by the Republican party's policies on war, poverty, immigration, healthcare, crime, guns, and community than they would be by the Democrats. Politicians like Santorum know that evangelicals aren't like that so they take advantage of these votes by using gays, abortion and muslims as bait.
Mark Miwerds
My sister and I get along real well and would like to get married. I hope we will have the support of all the liberal loving Christians here at CT to help us change the laws, so that she and I can be together in holy matrimony. I have read how you support the sex acts of men with men; let me assure you that we no intention of other than normal relations and, perhaps, having or adopting cjildren at some point. Thank You.
Oliver Ferguson
I feel sorry for my American Christian brothers who feel they only have a choice between individualistic, hyper-capitalism (AKA Republicans) and social & economic liberalism (AKA Democrats). There's a wonderful tradition called traditionalism or Red Toryism. Unfortunately, you people rejected the monarchy in favour of complete "liberty", individualism and full democracy (the people's dictatorship). I repeat what Edmund Burke said: liberty without virtue and wisdom is worse than the worst form of autocracy. Do you think your society is really "free"? I think not. You have an aristocracy and you have a monarch. The only difference is that you aristocrats and your monarch have more power because they are apparently elected by the people.
D Holliday
Thanks CT for the interview! I can't understand why there is so much animosity between 2 parties these days. For ex: I'm conservative, pro-life, pro one man one woman marriage, pro alternative energy, pro helping the poor. My stand gives me no political party to stand with, but for me to vote the issues I find most important at the time. This is difficult in that, just taking energy as the issue -- What is it with Republican/conservatives that they cannot understand 98% of the oil is in the hands of people who want to destroy democracy and our freedom; that they will not work with the alternative energy people to make something happen there? After they shut off the oil to us, this country will be history. Why is it that the Democrats/liberals cannot see how socialist medical systems take away freedoms, as well as making us pay for murdering babies, just because they don't want to see "minorities" over populate the world? Just a few things to think about!
Randy Corpe
Health care is a mess, but for the poor it is actually better than for many working families, where they have really expensive contributory health care, with extremely limited benefits. The poor have coverage and the rich (along with public employes) have great benefits. It is the regular people who are being squeezed out.