Who Is Rick Santorum?
So as Santorum elevates his White House run from a shoestring, pickup truck tour to a no-joke national campaign he could find himself explaining some of his more controversial positions staked out over years of conservative politics.
Family man
Santorum is a first generation American of Italian heritage, a strict Catholic, and the father of seven children. Much of Santorum’s politics are based on his deep beliefs in the family structure. In his 2005 book, It Takes a Family, he argues against liberal social values and feminism, contending that the two have dramatically damaged society by devaluing family. Government, Santorum says, has the right to intervene in people’s lives to promote the idea of strong families.
In an interview with NPR, Santorum explained his stance, saying, “[Liberals] have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do. Government should keep our taxes down and keep our regulation low and that we shouldn’t get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn’t get involved in cultural issues, you know, people should do whatever they want. … I think most conservatives understand that individuals can’t go it alone.”
Not fond of gay people
In a 2003 interview with the Associated Press, Santorum outlined his views on homosexuality like this: “If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything.”
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Santorum later said that he has no problem with gay people, just homosexual acts. But he stuck with the anti-gay rhetoric throughout his campaign in Iowa.